Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has slammed Mohamed Salah as “self indulgent” ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain.
The former striker has been impressed by the Merseyside giants’ start to the season and commended them for their win over Tottenham at the weekend.
But Nicholas claimed the front three of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have not quite hit top gear because the Egyptian has failed to hit his 2017-18 heights.
“Liverpool more than deserved to win at the weekend but I do not think it was as sparkling up front as what it has been,” Nicholas wrote in his Sky Sports column. “Salah is just a little bit edgy and a little bit self-indulgent in certain circumstances, whereas last season his awareness was better.”
OPINION
Nicholas is nothing if not forthright and his opinion on Salah is typically honest and blunt. It’s not unfair, either. The Egyptian king has not been as good as he was last season – so far – and it’s plain to see why. Salah has such high standards now that he expects and needs to score in every game. If he doesn’t, he feels as if he’s failed. You could tell that was the case in the closing stages against Spurs at Wembley on Saturday as he picked the wrong option on a few occasions when Liverpool should have added to the advantage their brilliant build-up play had created. The accusation of selfishness could also be directed at Mane, who was trying to go for too many wonder goals when he should simply have put a teammate through on goal. There is a sense there is plenty more to come from the front three, particularly Salah, and when they hit top gear, some team very soon are going to take an absolute pelting.