Music to vibe along: Lion King On Ice by J. Cole
Written on: October 16, 2018
After a record-shattering season, the expectations were high from the Pharaoh of Liverpool – Mo Salah. Scoring a Premier League high, 32 goals, in a 38-game season and netting 44 goals across all competitions, he surely was being seen as the guy who could catch up with the GOATs of the game – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is easier said than done. Messi and Ronaldo have been consistently bamboozling the world and setting the game alight feats for more than 10 years (going by the rumors, they might not be from this planet after all!)
However, when we land back to the earth, it can be seen that it’s the media more than anyone else who is desperate to find someone who could finally match the genius of the aforementioned pair.
The season, till now, hasn’t been a fairy-tale story for the speedy winger. He has featured in 11 games for Liverpool in all competitions and has managed only three goals, all of which have been scored in the Premier League. His sharpness in front of the goal has been missing and the link-up connection with the other front two hasn’t been so fluid. Does this slow start mean that Salah was just a one-season marvel?
The answer to this question, in simple and easy words, is “No”. Having said that, if you are truly expecting this right-winger to score at will and betting on him to score 40-odd goals this season as well, then I will not take you as a person who is good at investment.
The reason I am saying that Salah isn’t and won’t be a one-season wonder is that if you look at his recent past, he has had solid seasons while playing for Roma in the 2015-16 and 16-17, scoring 15 and assisting nine in the former and scoring 19 while assisting 15 in the latter, which for a winger, is a pretty decent output. Wingers like Sterling and Sane, who had a brilliant 2017-18 campaign also pose similar numbers.
As far as the dip in the form is concerned the reasons can be many: expectations to emulate Messi/Ronaldo; fatigue arising from an intense season which ended with a serious injury and on top of that, he was rushed in to represent Egypt in the world cup; or just a bad patch.
It might be a cliché but it needs to be said here, ‘Form is temporary, Class is permanent.’ Moreover, if you have been listening to Jurgen Klopp recently you would know that he is not worried about his star man’s form and is confident about him performing well.
After the facing PSG in the Champions League, Klopp commented on Salah’s form, “Two in six. Wow, that’s a crisis?”
Additionally, the fact that Salah only scored thrice in the first nine games last season would keep the Reds hopeful.
If I were to predict, I would say that there shouldn’t be any worries. It’s highly likely that The Egyptian King would keep running (fiercely) down the wing and score plentiful goals.
Picture Credits: guardian.com via Pinterest