Mohamed Salah’s relationship with Arne Slot is now one of convenience. The pair are simply co-existing until the time comes for them to go their separate ways.
Some will argue this has been the case ever since Salah’s outburst following the 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road back in December.
In reality, it has been the case since the start of the season.
It quickly became apparent that the new deal for the Egyptian wasn’t to reward him for his exploits last term but purely because the club couldn’t afford to lose the four time Golden Boot winner and Trent Alexander-Arnold for nothing in the same summer.
The summer splurge was marketed as the club future-proofing their attack. They, smartly, replaced Salah while he was still here. In theory, it would make everything easier. In reality, it caused chaos.
The 33-year-old is a shot monster. He’s all about the volume in the final third. He always ranks highly for touches in the opposition box, shots per 90 and, as a result, his expected goal (xG) numbers are always healthy.
Many believe his greatest strength is his goalscoring but, in truth, his best trait is his relentlessness. He’ll miss three chances but have the presence to be in the right place at the right time to score on the fourth time of asking.
Of course, there’s a lot more to his game. He’s also a creator and a reliable one at that. But if Salah is in your team, you shape it around ensuring he’s the primary goal threat.
Jurgen Klopp briefly flirted with the idea of making him a secondary goal threat during Darwin Nunez’s debut season with the club. Eventually, the system was modified and the No11 finished with 19 goals in the Premier League and 30 in all competitions.
When Liverpool decided to spend the best part of £300million on Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, it was an emphatic sign that the former Roma man was no longer the main man in attack. You don’t invest all of that money in transfer fees and wages on those players to be part of Salah FC.
And once the club made that decision, Salah went from their star player to arguably their biggest problem.
The Reds sold Wirtz on the idea of having the attack shaped around him. Isak and Ekitike would’ve been swayed by the big money on offer, yes, but also by the thought of being the player to make the most of those chances carved out by the German playmaker.
This is how Liverpool planned to replace Salah. The new centre-forward claims his shot volume. Wirtz claims his creative crown. In the long-term, this might work. But what exactly was the plan while the 115-cap international remained at the club in the short-term?
There doesn’t appear to be a plan. Not a well thought out one, anyway.
In the blink of an eye, Liverpool cut Salah’s supply line by not adequately replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s profile in the squad. They removed his legs by having Wirtz replace Dominik Szoboszlai as the attacking midfielder in the squad. And his shot volume took a significant hit.
The Reds went from playing to his strengths and platforming him to exposing his weaknesses on a weekly basis. They no longer reliably get Salah involved in favourable positions or situations. He is no longer an inside forward tasked with scoring. He’s a winger.
It’s a bold move to turn your 33-year-old shot-heavy attacker into a one-on-one winger. The No11 hasn’t been an elite dribbler since his debut season with the club.
He’s adequate at beating a man when the situation is suited to him. When he’s picking the ball up on the touchline, it’s hard to argue that the situation suits him.
There’s more for him to do when he picks up the ball and while he’s not doing it, it’s never been a strength of his.
Salah was hauled off against Galatasaray after 60 minutes on Tuesday evening with a lot on social media saying it was the worst performance of his Liverpool career. Maybe it was. But what is he expected to do when the platform he’s given affords him one touch in the box?
What exactly is Salah supposed to do when he’s picking up the ball in areas you would usually associate with a right-back?
He’s in the team right now because Slot doesn't really have any other options. The Dutchman refuses to change anything to perhaps eke out a little more from the club’s highest paid player.
Neither the player or Liverpool are benefiting from this situation right now and his career on Merseyside is fizzling out through no real fault of his own.
This campaign was never going to be like every other season with the Reds. It wasn’t set up to be and he wasn’t going to be given the same opportunities given he’s gone from inside forward to a winger. The roles look similar but the responsibilities are completely different.
Salah is a victim of circumstance.
The sooner this relationship comes to an end, the sooner everyone can get things back on track. Slot can stop shoehorning a player into a role he isn’t suited to and Salah can stop playing in a role that masks his strengths.
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