Among Liverpool fans, Mohamed Salah has always been synonymous with scoring goals. However, he has fallen into rare silence in recent games. Manager Arne Slot recently responded for the first time to Salah’s situation of scoring the fewest goals in the past two years, offering an explanation for the team’s core player.
Rare goal drought raises concerns
For most strikers, not scoring in a few games in a row is no big deal. But for Salah, this is an unusual sign. Statistically, since February 2023, he has never failed to score in four consecutive club matches in the same season.
In his last three games against Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and Everton, Salah failed to score. This phenomenon has worried the fans, but Sloth remains confident in Salah’s performance and hopes that he will find his form in the next game against Fulham.
Manager Sloth explains the reason
In the face of external doubts, Sloth gave his own opinion. He pointed out: “Sometimes the match schedule is really difficult. Paris Saint-Germain are one of the strongest teams in Europe, and Newcastle, whom we faced in the League Cup final, also put us under a lot of pressure. As for Everton, their penalty area was almost constantly packed with players in that game.”
With these words, Sloth not only pointed out the problems encountered by Salah, but also indirectly indicated the challenges encountered by the team as a whole. It is not that Salah’s personal performance has declined, but that the intensity of the opponent’s defense has increased and the pace of the game has accelerated, limiting his play.
A player “born to score”
Slot particularly emphasized that Salah is a player ‘born to score.’ He said, ”It would be strange if he could smile without scoring a goal. In fact, his greatest strength is that even when he is not in good form, he still has the ability to score goals. This mentality is his strongest weapon.”
These words reveal the manager’s great trust in Salah. Despite the current decline in the number of goals scored, in Sloth’s opinion, Salah’s internal drive and match focus are not a problem. As long as the opportunity is right, he will still be the key player who decides the outcome of the game.
The goal-scoring statistics are still impressive
Even with a minor “bottleneck” in the near future, Salah’s performance this season has been outstanding. In the Premier League, he has scored 27 goals, six more than the second-placed Haaland. This means that he is on track to win his fourth Premier League Golden Boot, tying the record held by the legendary strikers Henry and Shearer.
In the midweek Merseyside derby, Liverpool beat Everton 1-0, not only extending their lead at the top of the table, but also providing a good psychological foundation for Salah and the entire team.
Team unity improves performance
Slot also mentioned that despite some controversial decisions during the game, the team was not distracted. He specifically mentioned that Everton captain Tarkowski’s dangerous action against Mike Alist was not punished with a red card, but the players remained focused and improved their overall performance.
Slot said: “I saw our players become more calm when facing the referee’s misjudgment. This shows that our mental quality has improved. In addition, I also found that we were better at tackling and winning more key balls than in the League Cup final.”
Salah remains the key to the champions’ hopes
As the season enters the home stretch, the outcome of each game may determine the final champion. And Salah, as the team’s top scorer, is undoubtedly still Liverpool’s most crucial piece in the fight for the title.
Although he is temporarily in a scoring drought, it can be seen from Sloth’s words that the team’s internal trust in him has not wavered. More importantly, Salah himself has never lost confidence. He is still constantly looking for breakthrough opportunities and is ready to rekindle his scoring form at any time.
Summary: A brief downturn, but no change in superstar character
In the world of football, brief ups and downs are inevitable. For a superstar like Salah, what matters is not scoring every game, but coming to the fore at critical moments. Slot’s support and trust in him is the truest recognition of a top player.
The next match against Fulham will be a great opportunity for Salah to break his silence. And for Liverpool fans, what they are looking forward to is not only a goal, but also the return of the familiar and decisive “Pharaoh”.
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