Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has come under scrutiny so far this season, with many critiquing him as a catalyst for the Reds' recent dip in form.
Jurgen Klopp's side have picked up just nine points from their opening six Premier League games, and sit six points and six places adrift of Arsenal in the table. They also lost 4-1 on their opening UEFA Champions League fixture at Napoli.
And Salah has scored just three goals all season, a penalty in the Community Shield, an equaliser against Fulham and a consolation against Manchester United are the only strikes to his name.
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Former Liverpool forward Luis Garcia, who won the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup with the club, believes he has identified where the Egyptian is going wrong.
“You can see and I’m sure that Mo Salah knows himself very well, you can see that he’s not beating players one-v-one, he’s not running into the box, he’s far away from the box, too wide at times.
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"He’s not close to the box where he’s very dangerous,” said Garcia on ESPN FC.
“I think that Mo Salah needed a rest. It’s very important that the players understand that it’s very difficult to play 63, 70 games that they played last year."
"There are going to be rotations because there’s a World Cup in-between and some players are going to need a rest.”
Garcia makes valid points, and some fans have also attributed Harvey Elliott’s inclusion as a potential reason for Salah’s misdemeanours.
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Because the 19-year-old is a more offensive, technical midfielder than the usual engine-like displays of Jordan Henderson, it could potentially push Salah further wide whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold is left exposed defensively.
To return to form, Liverpool will need Salah back firing and working well with new forward Darwin Nunez.
The Egyptian has been so crucial to Liverpool’s success, and after signing a new three-year contract extension in the summer, they will be worried if this poor spell continues.
Topics: Liverpool, Mohamed Salah