Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, but Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown thinks that there is something not right about Mohammed Salah at the moment.
The Liverpool talisman hasn’t been firing on all cylinders this season after a remarkable debut campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
And he had another listless performance against Chelsea, which was picked up by Match of the Day pundit Keown.
Talking on MotD (Saturday, 10.30pm, BBC1) Keown said, “He’s a wonderful talent but something’s not quite right with him.
“He’s an incredible threat with his pace and trickery but he needs to make some adjustments to his game.
“Maybe it’s a confidence issue.”
OPINION
If you look at Salah’s stats from this time last season he’s only one goal off the pace he set in his incredible debut campaign for Klopp’s side. However, he’s not passing the eye test at the moment. Keown is right when he says that something seems to be off at the moment. His body language seems different and while he’s still creating chances, you don’t get the feeling that he’s going to finish them off. One shot in particular in the game yesterday seemed to sum him up. He got the ball on the edge of the penalty area and made some space, opening his body up perfectly to curl the ball into the top corner. Instead, he almost passed the ball back to the Chelsea keeper. Could Klopp countenance dropping him? That would seem like a step too far at the moment but he definitely needs something to kick-start his season. If you compare him to Chelsea’s Eden Hazard the difference couldn’t be more glaring. Hazard looks fit, sharp and positively buzzing with energy. And the basic fact is that if Liverpool are going to maintain a real title challenge this season, they desperately need Salah to get back to his best as soon as possible.