People Need to Stop Panicking, and Stop Blaming Mohamed Salah

I would be lying if I said that Liverpool had been playing well recently, they haven’t. They have been abysmal. Appalling. Atrocious. Just not good in general.

But holy cow, some of the reaction to this has been over the top. Liverpool’s season is over, x, y and z need to be sold, Klopp out etc. The absolute works. I’m all for a bit of mass hysteria, but this nonsense is making me feel like to only sane person around – which those with the misfortune to have met me can tell you is not a good thing.

If, though, I’m to be the voice of reason, then fine. Here is my take: Liverpool are in bad form, but are the reigning champions of England, the world, and recently of Europe too. The squad have not suddenly become bad players – form is temporary, class is permanent and all that. So calm the fuck down people; the empire will strike back.

Here’s another nonsensical overreaction I’m not happy with: that it’s all Mohamed Salah’s fault that Liverpool aren’t playing well. This is the message from certain elements of the media (cough, Don Hutchinson, cough cough). Now, I’m not going to make a dick of myself by trying to argue that Salah has been playing well – he has been poor since Christmas.

He is, however, a long, long, long, long, long way from alone in performing poorly. Let’s run through some other Liverpool slackers shall we? Sadio Mane has scored six Premier League goals this season. Roberto Firmino has five. Together, that is two less than Salah’s thirteen. If Salah is the one holding the Front Three back, then my understanding of football must be flawed – I thought goals were good?

Then there is the rest of the team. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s main creative force last season, has managed just two assists so far this time around. And having suffered through watching him all year, I can assure you that poor finishing is not to blame for that – I can’t remember the last decent cross he put in. Liverpool also have their two best midfielders playing at centreback (all the other centrebacks are injured), and consequently offer no aerial threat whatsoever.

All Salah’s fault then? I think not. If Salah not scoring means the team doesn’t score then the indictment is on the rest of the squad, not on him. If anyone has been carried this season it has been Liverpool on his back, not the other way around.

Firmino, Alexander-Arnold and Mane in happier times

Such, though, is the nature of headline-making that Salah has come under criticism before when he has gone a couple of games without scoring. In early 2019 he went eight games without a goal before running half the length of the field to batter the ball past Southampton’s Angus Gunn and pull Liverpool ahead in the game and in the title race. He went on to finish tied for the Golden Boot that season.

He too will strike back.