Mohamed Salah’s Premier League form has dipped, with the forward enduring a seven-game stretch without a non-penalty goal – a first for him at Liverpool.
The sight of a despondent Mohamed Salah being substituted as Liverpool chased a late equaliser against Manchester United served as a stark illustration of the team’s current struggles.
In recent Anfield history, few players would be more heavily favoured to produce a moment of match-winning brilliance than ‘The Egyptian King,’ the talisman of Liverpool’s successes.
Yet, it was Salah who made way for Jeremie Frimpong shortly after Harry Maguire’s header secured a 2-1 victory for Manchester United, their first at Anfield in over a decade.
The defeat marked Liverpool’s fourth consecutive loss, their worst run since 2014 under Brendan Rodgers. What was initially considered a minor setback is now evolving into a deeper concern, especially when juxtaposed with the high standards set during Arne Slot’s title-winning debut season.
“If you lose four times in a row, you need to be concerned,” Slot admitted on Match of the Day. “We know how it works in football.”
“If we keep bringing in these performances we will have a fair chance of winning more football games. Losing four times in a row definitely does something with the team.”
A fifth consecutive defeat, against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday, would represent Liverpool’s worst such run since September 1953.
The Anfield crowd voiced their frustration at times, as Liverpool’s build-up play lacked urgency and ideas to breach United’s resilient defence.
Liverpool experienced moments of misfortune against United, with Cody Gakpo striking the woodwork three times before eventually equalising in the 78th minute.
Salah’s unconvincing attempt at a clear opportunity highlighted the 33-year-old’s current dip in form and confidence, extending his streak without a non-penalty goal to seven matches.
Questioning world-class players is always risky, but Salah has appeared out of sorts this season, having been omitted from the Champions League defeat by Galatasaray in Istanbul, and then substituted during this crucial match against United.
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Maguire heads Man Utd to victory against Liverpool
Liverpool are currently a shadow of the dominant force that swept through the Premier League last season, displaying vulnerabilities since the Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace at Wembley.
The team is plagued by flaws, a surprising fact given that Slot was provided with almost £450m to bolster the newly-crowned champions.
While acknowledging that even record-breaking signings like Florian Wirtz (£116m) and Alexander Isak (£125m) require time to adjust, their performances have fallen short of expectations.
Isak was largely ineffective after being preferred to the more dynamic Hugo Ekitike, while Wirtz once again had to settle for a substitute appearance.
Liverpool remain optimistic that their significant investment will pay dividends, but the combined contribution of Wirtz and Isak, costing £241m, has been minimal so far.
“Arne Slot has a couple of decisions to make,” former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock told 5 Live.
“Szobozslai looks like the better right-back and suits going into midfield from that position, but does he like being there? No, but for the good of the team it would work better.”
“Then Frimpong comes on down the right and has more of an influence in 10 minutes or so than Salah in most of the game. He put two exceptional balls into the box, and Gakpo should have scored from one of them. Ekitike did more when he came on up top than Isak did too.”
Liverpool, who exuded composure and a potent attacking threat last season, now appear chaotic and disorganised, particularly in defence.
Milos Kerkez struggled significantly, nearly scoring an own goal in the second half, which would have been a fitting representation of Liverpool’s defensive performance.
Debate continues as to whether referee Michael Oliver should have halted play when Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister went down with a head injury, caused accidentally by captain Virgil van Dijk’s elbow.
Instead, play continued, and Bryam Mbeumo capitalised on Van Dijk’s delayed reaction to regain his position, finishing past Liverpool’s reserve goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Alexander Isak is yet to replicate his best form since his British record £125m transfer to Liverpool from Newcastle United.
The team’s disorganisation is reflected in the statistic that Liverpool have conceded five goals from set-pieces in eight Premier League games this season, a stark contrast to the corresponding period last season when they conceded none.
Liverpool are susceptible to swift counter-attacks, and balls played in behind their defence have consistently caused problems this season.
These factors have contributed to Liverpool’s current position, falling to fourth in the table, four points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Liverpool possess too much quality to remain in this slump indefinitely, but Slot faces significant challenges to revitalise his underperforming stars and rectify the issues that have plagued the team this season.
“It’s an interesting time now, we have to stick together,” captain Van Dijk stated after the match.
“We need to stay humble and stay working. When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season.”
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