Sport

Mohamed Salah is fading, but Liverpool must cherish their greatest player of the modern era

Mohamed Salah’s goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday might have been a gift, but it was nonetheless a reward for a player who looked like his old self. After a sluggish start to the season, the Egyptian was once again a difference-maker for the Premier League champions on the right wing.

 

That Salah had his most touches of any league game so far this season said something about his increased involvement. Not only were Liverpool looking for the 33-year-old in advanced positions where he could hurt the opposition, Salah was playing his role in the press from the front.

 

Salah’s goal against Villa was his 250th in a Liverpool shirt. The Egyptian is the Merseyside club’s third all-time top scorer with only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt ahead of him in the list. Many consider Salah to be the greatest player of Liverpool’s modern era, and with good reason. He is an icon at Anfield.

 

“It is almost unbelievable if you score 250 goals, let alone 250 goals for one club,” said Slot. “You don’t see that much in football any more. Apart from the goal he had a very good performance. When we had to play long, we mainly played to him and he held the ball and the team could come to him. What I liked was that he also helped the team defensively as well. After the first goal he was helping Virgil [van Dijk] around the halfway line. I liked his performance tonight. For him to score is not special but 250 is special.”

 

It might well be the case that Salah never hits heights that saw him score 29 goals and register 18 assists in 38 league games last season. At 33, he is firmly into the twilight of his career and is fading as a physical force. Liverpool are surely thinking about their succession plan to eventually replace Salah on the right side of the forward line.

 

While he’s still on Merseyside, though, Liverpool should cherish Salah and all that he offers them. For all the discussion and debate about the 33-year-old’s performance levels this season, he has still registered eight goal contributions in the Premier League and Champions League. For another player, this would be a good return.

 

Salah isn’t another player, though. He is one of the best players of his generation. He is one of the greatest African players of all-time and will deserve a statue outside Anfield at some point in the future. His legacy as a Liverpool legend is already secure no matter what happens between now and 2027 when Salah’s contract expires.

 

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid in the summer has impacted Salah with the Egyptian more frequently encountering another full back in the space Alexander-Arnold would have vacated in the past. Alexander-Arnold was happy to overlap or cut inside depending on what got Salah into the most space.

 

The summer arrival of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz has also disrupted Liverpool’s forward line. Neither have shown much of an understanding with Salah yet while Hugo Ekitike tends to operate off the left side of the pitch where he can dovetail and link up with Cody Gakpo.

 

There are challenges for Liverpool and Salah to overcome to ensure a successful 2025/26 season, but the Egyptian is much more likely to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. He will add to his tally of 250 Liverpool goals before one day departing Anfield and every single strike is testament to the quality he still possesses even at this stage of his career.