The new Aubameyang? Salah's worrying form after new Liverpool contract

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
• 3 min read

In Sunday’s 3-2 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made one surprise call in the second half that indicated Mohamed Salah’s slump.

The scores were level at 2-2 and the Reds were still chasing a winner that could well have rejuvenated their slow start to the season, but Salah, their goalscoring supremo, was taken off for defender Ibrahima Konate.

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Salah had been anonymous for most of the game, struggling to take on Takehiro Tomiyasu, and the match was an indication of how poor his start to the season had been thus far.

This was only the second time in 18 months that Salah had been taken off in a Premier League match when Liverpool weren’t winning, and it was a gamble that didn’t pay off as Liverpool lost late on.

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Taking him off was arguably the right thing to do – the team’s other forwards who played that day, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and even Luis Diaz, who came off early, had performed better.

Salah had taken one poorly struck shot all game, rarely been involved in Arsenal’s half and created one chance for a fellow team-mate, showing why the Egyptian had to go.

Liverpool spent big to ensure their top goalscorer of the Klopp era stayed on at Anfield until 2025, but questions now have to be raised: was that decision a mistake?

At Arsenal, the Gunners had seen the impact of handing high-performing players a bumper contract when they’re approaching or past 30: Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were two recent examples.

There were doubts that Salah was now entering that category: he has scored just twice in the last eight Premier League matches and his form has been in a major slump.

Compared to last season, his numbers are down immensely in terms of goals, assists, chances created, involvements in the opposition box – that is hardly good reading for Liverpool faithful.

The Reds are in need of an overhaul to reduce the average age of their squad: on average, they have had the third-oldest starting elevens sent out this season, and maybe they put too many eggs in the Salah basket.

While he has been a star for them since 2017, perhaps the decision to hand him a bumper new contract was a bit premature, especially considering they sold Sadio Mane, a key component in attack, earlier this summer as well.