2023/24 Season Report Card - Mo Salah

I’m doing this rating based on the numbers he’s produced rather than how I’ve felt watching him. I don’t think he had a good season and there were times when he was inexplicably bad, whether it’s horribly missing chances, continually just running into full backs or breaking down our attacks with sloppy passes.

He’s a world class player who does a lot of things that you wouldn’t normally see from world class players. He also still scores and creates more than anyone else in the team though so it feels churlish to criticise him. I think it’s the way he misses the chances that makes it seem worse. Also the timing of his poor form killed us, but he wasn't alone in that as virtually everyone stunk during that period. At least Salah had the excuse that he was coming back from injury.

On top of that, he doesn’t press and he doesn’t track back much. So in a lot of ways the team (and by that I suppose I mostly mean Klopp) has indulged him because of the incredible things he’s done in terms of goals and assists. Now, with a new manager who has no emotional attachment or loyalty to him, that might change. There is also the added issue that he doesn’t take people on anymore. At least not successfully.

How many times did he beat a man this season? I can barely remember him doing it at all. Slot likes his wingers to be great in one v ones, so maybe we’ll see Salah in a different position next season. Either that or Slot changes what he does with his wide men, because I don't see him contributing much if his role is to stand out wide and try to beat the full back.

It's a weird one to judge because the eye test tells a hugely different story to the spreadsheet. Mo put up decent numbers and in the first half of the season he was playing pretty well fort the most part. Then AFCON comes along and fucks up his (and our) season. Not for the first time either. Two years ago he was on course to break all kinds of records and had 23 goals before heading off to AFCON. When he came back he scored just eight goals in 25 games and looked nothing like himself.

This time he came back with an injury and couldn't play for weeks. Then when he did come back once again he looked like a shadow of the player he is. I'm not worried about that poor form, it doesn't really mean anything and there's no AFCON this season either.

The injury he picked up is a concern though as it has never happened before. He's been indestructible. But he's approaching his mid-thirties and he can't just play 90 minutes of every game without there being a toll to play. Does he know that though, and will he accept it? We saw the reaction to Klopp when he didn't start at West Ham. If he can do that to someone as revered and respected as Jurgen Klopp then how is he going to react when Slot leaves him out of subs him? He might be fine, we'll see. It is something that concerns me a little though.

Previous Season Ratings:

2022/23:  8

2021/22:   9

2020/21:   Season doesn’t count

2019/20:   8/10

2018/19:   8.5/10

2017/18:   10/10 

This Season’s Rating: 8

I think it's too high, but the numbers are hard to argue with. Not just the goals either, his assist numbers are good and would have been even higher but for wasteful finishing by others. 25 goals and 14 assists is a good return, regardless of how he looked getting them.

Best Moment: 

Probably the goal against Arsenal when he collected the ball in the corner, breezed past Zinchenko and lashed one in like the Salah of old.

Worst Moment:

I could mention some of the sitters, or the AFCON injury, but clearly it's the spat with Klopp.

The Future?

I don't know. He's got one year left on his deal but even if a massive offer came in this summer (which it won't) it doesn't matter. The club might want to cash in but if he doesn't want to leave (which he doesn't) then he's going nowhere until his contract runs out. Will he get a new deal? Doubtful, because it would need a significant pay cut which he's unlikely to agree to. I think he has one more year and then he moves on. What is more unclear to me is where he will play, how he will play and how much he will play. That doesn't just go for Mo though, I have similar questions about most of the squad because with a new manager none of us know how things are going to play out.