Arne Slot ponders Mohamed Salah 'compliment' as Liverpool goalless streak continues
Arne Slot said that it is a reflection of just how good Mohamed Salah has been this season that people are taking notice of him being on a four-game goalless run for Liverpool.
The Egypt international has scored 32 goals this term but his only goals in his last seven appearances for the Reds came from the penalty spot against Southampton last month.
Salah drew another blank at Craven Cottage on Sunday as Liverpool fell to a 3-2 defeat by Fulham, and he missed a presentable opportunity when the Reds were 3-1 down, sending a half-volley well over the crossbar with his right foot from eight yards out.
READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Fulham as Mohamed Salah and 2 more poor
READ MORE: How many points Liverpool needs and when it can win Premier League title after Fulham loss
Despite his star man's struggles of late, Slot is not concerned by Salah's drop in form. He told the BBC: "Maybe he should see it as a compliment [that people are talking about it] because his numbers were not normal [when he was scoring]. The good thing about Mo is he knows what kjnd of player he is. Mo will show up again, I don't worry about that."
Slot also addressed Salah's recent goal drought during his pre-match press conference, explaining that the difficulty of Liverpool's fixtures had been a contributing factor to the forward struggling to find the net.
"Sometimes the fixture list is more difficult than at other periods," Slot said. "PSG are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment. Newcastle were all over us in the Carabao final and Everton were so difficult with 10 people in their own 18-yard box all the time.
"I know Mo, he lives for goals. It would be weird if he was happy not scoring but probably his biggest quality is he can play a poor game and still score so his head is not all over the place.
"That is why he scores so many, because he wants it so much. Yes, there were probably periods this season he smiled a bit more but that's not just him, it's all the players."
Salah's last club goal from open play came at the Etihad Stadium, when he scored in the first half of a 2-0 victory over Manchester City on February 23.
At that point, he was the firm favorite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or but his chances have diminished in recent weeks as a result of Liverpool's Champions League exit.
Barcelona star Raphinha and Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe are now the joint favorites, with Salah the fourth favorite behind Ousmane Dembele, who is enjoying a brilliant season with Paris Saint-Germain.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Club World Cup: Jack Grealish left out of Man City squad
MIAMI (AP) — Jack Grealish has been left out of Manchester City's squad for the Club World Cup. City manager Pep Guardiola named a 27-man squad for the tournament, which kicks off in Miami on Saturday, with Grealish a notable omission. Advertisement The England forward was a British record signing when he moved to City from Aston Villa for 100 million pounds ($139 million then) in 2021 and went on to help the club win three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a host of other trophies. But he has become an increasingly peripheral figure and made only seven league starts last season. The 29-year-old Grealish's absence from the Club World Cup will add to the growing expectation that he will leave during the offseason, with Guardiola embarking on a squad rebuild following the team's first trophyless season in eight years. City's squad includes four new players signed in time to take part in the month-long tournament in the United States: Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli. Advertisement In January, City also spent big to sign Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis as Guardiola began his overhaul of a squad that saw its dominance of English soccer broken by Liverpool last season. If Grealish goes, he is likely to be one of a number of players to move on. Kevin De Bruyne is leaving at the end of his contract this month and Kyle Walker is also likely to go after a loan move to AC Milan in January; as expected, neither player was in the squad. City's first match at the 32-team tournament is against Wydad Casablanca next Wednesday in Philadelphia. The other teams in the group are Juventus and Abu Dhabi's Al Ain. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer: James Robson, The Associated Press
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea player ratings as Palmer and Sancho star in Conference League final triumph over Real Betis
Chelsea completed an impressive 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the Conference League final to claim a first trophy of the Enzo Maresca era. The Blues were pretty dismal in the first half in Wroclaw and deservedly trailed 1-0 but were a side transformed after the break. Cole Palmer's creativity created goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson before the impressive Jadon Sancho came off the bench to add a third and Moises Caicedo completed the victory with a fourth in injury time. Advertisement It means the Blues become the first team in history to have won every single major European trophy, as the Conference League crown was added to previous successes in the Champions League, Europa League and European Cup Winners' Cup. Having already secured Champions League qualification for next season by coming fourth in the Premier League, this win completes a pretty impressive first campaign for Maresca and a young squad may well be able to use this as a springboard moving forward. Here's how the Chelsea players rated as they completed the European trophy set with Conference League victory over Betis: Filip Jorgensen – 6 Couldn't do anything about Betis's goal and then made a good save during the Spanish side's dominant start to the match. Looked comfortable enough on the ball and wasn't hugely tested beyond those early moments. Advertisement Malo Gusto – 3 Constantly inverted into central midfield alongside Caicedo and Enzo, leaving Chelsea exposed with a three at the back, and the impressive Ezzalzouli subsequently made hay down Chelsea's right early on. That included scoring the opening after Gusto gave the ball away and he was subbed off at half-time for Reece James. A largely dismal day. Malo Gusto struggled in Wroclaw (AP) Trevoh Chalobah – 6 Part of the defence run ragged in the first half and caught out by Betis's lively forwards on a couple of occasions. Was tested less in the second half as Chelsea were largely on top and that was probably a good thing. Looked decent enough on the ball. Advertisement Benoit Badiashile – 4 Like Chalobah, gets pinged for being part of the defence that were given the runaround early on and then got himself booked on 55 minutes before being subbed off on the hour mark. Marc Cucurella – 7 On the left side of the three created by Gusto inverting into the midfield, he looked as uncomfortable as his defensive partners when Ezzalzouli, Isco and Antony were causing havoc. Showed ambition when playing the ball forward though, especially in the second half, and helped keep Antony quiet after the early issues. Enzo Fernandez –8 Wanted to drive Chelsea forward from a central role and although he was quiet in the first half, popped up with the vital equaliser as he drifted between two defenders and headed home Palmer's sumptuous cross. Finals are about moments and he produced a key one. Enzo Fernandez scored the vital equaliser for Chelsea (Getty) Moises Caicedo – 8 The be-masked midfielder has quietly had a good season for Chelsea and performed his traditional role of tidying up/doing the dirty work here. Gave away free-kicks in key positions on a couple of occasions in the first half but helped steady the ship after the break as the Blues began to thrive. Got himself on the scoresheet with a superb injury-time strike, starting the move, continuing his run forward and thumping home. Advertisement Pedro Neto – 4 Largely quiet although did fire a 35th-minute shot well over the bar. Showed flickers of life early in the second half but subbed off on 60 minutes with Jadon Sancho coming on as Maresca sought a spark and the Man United loanee completely outshone him. Needs more end product next season. Cole Palmer – 9 Easily the man of the match. More capable of a defining moment of quality than anyone else in the squad and produced it for the equaliser as he floated a stunning cross on to Enzo's head. Looked dangerous every time he touched the ball in the second half and brilliantly created the second goal as well, turning his man inside out before dinking another glorious cross for Jackson to force home. The creative heart who won the Blues this final before receiving a standing ovation when subbed off with a couple of minutes remaining. Cole Palmer inspired Chelsea's comeback (AP) Noni Madueke – 7 Keen to run at opposite number Sabaly whenever he got on the ball and won a couple of corners in the first half before showing more verve and spark after the break. The goals came from Palmer's creativity and Sancho's quality finish but Madueke also looked threatening. Advertisement Nicolas Jackson – 7 Led the press effectively enough early on but was starved of service in the first half and did little with what he did get. Livelier after the break as Chelsea improved and was in the right place at the right time to score the goal that put them 2-1 up, using his shoulder/chest to force Palmer's pinpoint cross home. Not pretty but he'd made the perfect run to be there. Then made a complete hash of a one on one, with the heaviest touch you will ever see to highlight the frustration Chelsea fans have with him. Hobbled off with 10 minutes left Substitutes Reece James for Gusto, 45 – 8 Answered the half-time SOS to replace the struggling Gusto and Chelsea immediately looked more fluent. He put a good cross into the box straight away, saw a shot deflected wide and generally seemed to spark his side into life. Reece James's introduction helped turn things round for Chelsea (PA) Jadon Sancho for Neto, 61 – 8 Brought on for Neto to try and make an impact and did exactly that. Constantly ran at the Betis defence and curled in a superb third goal after shifting it on to his right foot that sealed victory for Maresca's men. Assisted Caicedo for the cherry-on-top fourth for good measure. Advertisement Levi Colwill for Badiashile, 61 – 7 Chelsea's best passer in defence and brought on for the yellow-carded Badiashile as much for that attacking ability as for as his defensive prowess. Did exactly what was asked. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for Jackson, 80 – 7 Got the assist for Sancho's goal after he aggressively drove forward. Perhaps a bit lucky that his pass made it to Sancho but deserved that fortune because of the ambition of the run. Marc Guiu for Palmer, 87 – N/A Simply brought on to waste time and so that Palmer could receive a standing ovation from Chelsea fans. Not enough time to make an impact.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Harry Kane dilemma Thomas Tuchel faces ahead of the World Cup
Harry Kane was already in his thirties, albeit by less than two weeks, when Thomas Tuchel agreed to pay €100m for him. Bayern Munich have since seen a return in the form of 82 goals in two seasons and if Tuchel need not worry how much resale value the striker has, he only needs to concern himself if Kane can keep going until a World Cup that ends just before his 33rd birthday. The England captain has looked far further into the future, however. An admirer of Tom Brady, Kane has spoken of a desire to play into his forties. He admires Cristiano Ronaldo for his longevity and, at the age of 40, the Portugal captain has scored in both the Nations League semi-final and final in the last week. Can Kane follow in his footsteps? Tuchel believes it will not be easy. Ronaldo is an anomaly in many respects. His age is one of them. Advertisement Tuchel said: 'I think it gets more and more difficult nowadays. Cristiano took a step into a not-as competitive a league as [the] Premier League or Spain as part of keeping his performance up. I think he is always the exception to the rule. We cannot go now from Cristiano Ronaldo and think everyone can play until 39 and 40 in today's game. Harry has this natural ability to score goals. There are at the moment no signs he cannot do it at a high level. How long he can do it, I have not a crystal ball, [so] let's see. He is in a club where they play dominant football, I think that can suit him. Just the outlook until the World Cup, he knows that it is a crucial year for him, also in terms of fitness and being ready to compete in the heat, in the humidity.' It is a matter of more than just the attitude that means Kane wants to play every game. Tuchel has acceded to his wishes and said it is 'likely' that he starts against Senegal on Tuesday, though he played against Andorra on Saturday. 'He scored his 450th [career] goal in this match. It was a very decisive goal, a very important one,' noted Tuchel. Calling a goal against Andorra decisive and important reflected the reality that no one else scored any – it was a 1-0 win. Harry Kane applauds the England fans after the World Cup qualifier against Andorra (PA) And that, in turn, was an indication that Tuchel's appointment alone was not a quick fix to the problem of England looking less than the sum of their considerable parts and struggling to accommodate the various creators who all want to gravitate towards the middle. Cole Palmer started against Andorra. So far, however, one of only four Englishmen to score in the final of a major international tournament has had a greater impact for his country as a substitute than a starter. Right now, too, he isn't really Tuchel's idea of a winger. Advertisement 'If we want to have players in, and we don't have enough No 10 positions, we could have Cole play on the wing and play then more inside,' he said. 'But at the moment, we decide to have the wingers high and aggressive and wide, where they have their biggest strength. Everything is a big learning.' Cole Palmer isn't really Thomas Tuchel's idea of a winger (Getty) If one lesson is that England rarely have the Palmer of Chelsea or the Phil Foden of Manchester City, Tuchel had a point when he argued their clubs haven't seen that much of late either. Palmer delivered a star turn in the Conference League final but only has one goal in his last 23 games. Tuchel nevertheless accepts the broader issue. 'That's the question that needs to be answered,' he said. 'It is a fair question. I think that even Cole struggled lately at Chelsea to have an impact. Phil, unfortunately, struggled over many months now to have the impact that he can have.' Advertisement Part of the puzzle for Tuchel involves personnel. Bukayo Saka is set to feature for the first time in his reign against Senegal – another reason not to pick Palmer off the right – and there is a quest for chemistry. Bukayo Saka should be back for England's game on Tuesday against Senegal (PA) 'It's on us, it's on me to find the right balance, to find the right connections, like who loves to play with each other, who has a genuine connection, who takes care of each other,' he reflected. 'We need to improve in connections, in support, in interactions in the group. I feel we are too isolated on the pitch. We have not clicked yet. I don't see it has clicked between the players.' That could be part tactical, part mental. 'We can do better,' Tuchel added. 'We can do more fluid. We can be more exciting, which since a longer time I feel has been a bit of a problem. I feel a bit stuck.' Advertisement Gareth Southgate could probably empathise. It is not as simple, however, as liberating footballers with one word. 'It's difficult to prescribe freedom, to play with freedom and suddenly everyone plays with freedom,' Tuchel said. Tuchel believes he is 'very impatient' when it comes to seeing England improve (PA) The England shirt can hang heavy on players. 'Like a heavy shirt?' mused Tuchel. 'Do we expect too much? Don't we feel the freedom? Do we not feel the same freedom to express ourselves that we feel like in the clubs? Does Phil feel free in his club? Is he really free in his club to express himself? Not since many months. He struggles also there.' Free or not, Foden isn't in the squad to face Senegal. But many another flair player is and so far Tuchel's reign has brought six goals: one from an attacking midfielder, in Eberechi Eze, but two from defenders and three from Kane. A reliance on the captain is nothing new. He has 72 international goals, the rest of the squad 40 between them. It may not be Tuchel's problem but his successor might hope Kane shows the staying power of Ronaldo. You can sign up to DAZN to watch every Club World Cup game for free
