Salah's decline: Will Liverpool play better without him?
Despite being benched against West Ham, Salah has 5 goals and 3 assists in 18 games; his non-penalty xG and goals/90' have dropped to 0.25. Slot praises his attitude and is considering rotation before the Sunderland match.
The benching against West Ham not only wounded Mohamed Salah's pride, but it also sparked a heated debate: Does Liverpool operate more convincingly without him? Data this season shows a clear decline in the 33-year-old striker's performance, while Arne Slot's defensive structure appears more solid with the right flank strengthened.
The moment of role reversal and the shift in public opinion.
This is the first time Salah hasn't started a Premier League match since the trip to London Stadium in April 2024 – a game where he had a heated argument with manager Jurgen Klopp before coming on as a substitute. If back then he said, "If I speak up, there will be big trouble," then this past weekend he remained silent, and that silence speaks volumes about the current situation.
Remarkably, very few fans objected to Slot's decision. Just last summer, there were concerns about how Liverpool would fare without Salah due to the Africa Cup of Nations. Now, the debate has arisen: Liverpool can play better without him on the pitch.
From an offensive deal to a defensive price
At his peak, Salah candidly described his agreement with Slot: “As long as the manager lets me rest when defending, I’ll take care of scoring goals.” Last season, the rewards were enormous: he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals (34 in all competitions), and also won the assists award with 18 assists (23 in all competitions). He signed a new two-year contract and was named FWA and PFA Player of the Year.
This season, the picture has reversed. With goal output no longer being superior, the space Salah leaves behind in defensive transitions is constantly exploited by opponents. The right wing has become a weakness, forcing Slot to make adjustments to balance the team's formation.
The numbers speak for themselves.
After 18 matches across all competitions, Salah has only 5 goals and 3 assists. In the Premier League alone, after 13 matches, he has scored 4 goals (xG 3.83) and provided 2 assists – compared to 11 goals (xG 9.78) and 7 assists at the same point in the 2024-25 season. Internal charts show that non-penalty xG and non-penalty goals per 90 minutes have both dropped sharply to just 0.25, half of what they were last season.
In a team that had previously accepted defensive risks to maximize the output of the "Egyptian King," the aforementioned decline directly altered the balance of benefits and costs. When the rewards decreased, the price left behind became difficult to compensate for.
Tactical adjustment: reinforce the right flank.
Against West Ham, Liverpool played more consistently with Joe Gomez – making his Premier League debut in 11 months – manning the right wing. Dominik Szoboszlai was moved to the right to support the defense, while Florian Wirtz playing as a number 10 helped the team maintain better balance in the central attacking areas. Slot praised Gomez and emphasized that Szoboszlai “helped him a lot.”
It's important to emphasize the context: West Ham have been playing extremely poorly, so this isn't the ultimate measure. More challenging trials ahead will provide a more accurate answer regarding the sustainability of this new structure.
Reaction from the dressing room
Slot affirmed that he was pleased with Salah's attitude when left out of the starting lineup: "Of course, players aren't happy when they don't get to play, but his attitude is what you expect from a top professional. He encouraged his teammates and maintained a good attitude both during the match and in training."
The Dutch coach described this period as showing Salah "is also human" after his "superhuman" performances last season. But he will have to manage a difficult problem if being benched becomes a more frequent occurrence.
A packed schedule and the challenge ahead of AFCON.
Liverpool have four games remaining before Salah takes a temporary break to participate in AFCON in Morocco. Ahead are Sunderland at Anfield early tomorrow morning, followed by Leeds this weekend and Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday. Slot admitted he has to rotate the squad; Isak, Wirtz, and Gomez are all not yet fit enough to play three 90-minute matches in a week.
The good news: Conor Bradley will return this weekend, and Jeremie Frimpong could be training next week – just in time for the right flank to need more options. For his part, before departing, Salah will undoubtedly want to respond to the criticism and prove that Liverpool are still stronger when he's on the pitch.