Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool role is changing – and not in the way we expected | OneFootball

Brighton were due at Anfield and Mohamed Salah had told his family to come. It might have been his last game for Liverpool. And then, for different reasons, it might not have been. Salah was exiled from the squad after an outburst, not taken to Italy to face Inter in the Champions League. It was only on the Friday afternoon that it was confirmed he would face Brighton. Which, as a substitute, he did.

It is only 10 weeks ago. As Brighton return to Anfield, it is with Salah as a subplot and a safe assumption that his Liverpool career does not end now, or with an interview outside Elland Road. He did go after Brighton were beaten 2-0, but to the Africa Cup of Nations. Since he returned, Liverpool have played six games and he has started all six, completing five. The man who said he had been thrown under the bus has instead been thrown into the action.

With mixed returns, admittedly. Salah has three assists in his last four Premier League matches, drawing level with Steven Gerrard on 92 for Liverpool. But his only goal in those six appearances was his Champions League free kick against Qarabag. Salah has shot more, but his recent return stands at one goal in 12 games. The last time he found the net against English opposition came at the expense of Aston Villa on 1 November.

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At the time, it felt like Salah’s previous appearance against Brighton could have been his last for Liverpool (Reuters)

There are two trends, going in different directions. Starting with his rampant display as a substitute against Albion in December, Salah has been much more prominent. Yet his shot count for the season is still down significantly on last year.

Beginning with Brighton, Salah is averaging 3.7 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League, compared to 2.6 earlier in the campaign. Some 19.5 per cent of his touches are in the opposition’s box, up from 14.4 per cent. His expected goals per 90 minutes is about 50 per cent higher (0.47 to 0.31), and his expected assists per 90 has more than doubled, from 0.15 to 0.37.

Although, of course, it has been a barren spell for him, Qarabag apart. Salah has an xG of 2.22 in the Premier League since he came on against Brighton, but no goals. “Even last season, Mo had a period where he scored seven in four games, I think, and then five or six games where he didn’t score,” said Arne Slot, who has reintegrated the Egyptian but not got a reward on the scoresheet. “So let’s see where he is at the end of the season when it comes to goals and assists.” Last season, Salah’s eventual tallies were 29 and 18 respectively. It was a record-breaking level of productivity.

This season, it has gone down. Over the campaign as a whole, Salah’s xG per 90 is 0.38, around half the 0.74 he recorded then, showing he often had a higher quality of chance. His shots per game in 2024-25 was 3.45; it has not been below 3.4 in a full campaign at Anfield, whereas it stands at 2.79 for this season as a whole.

Slot wonders if he has suffered for his success. “There could be multiple reasons for that,” he said. “It could be the opponent is even more aware of his threat after such a great season last season, or having so many different right-backs behind him for the whole season has influenced that dynamic.” Indeed, this has been the season of Liverpool’s seven right-backs whereas, for years, Salah had both continuity and a creator behind him, in Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Merseysider was both passer and crosser, whereas Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong are more runners.

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Salah has not found the net against Premier League opposition since 1 November (Liverpool FC/Getty)

One possibility is that Salah has been affected by signings, by a shift in the style of play. This has turned into a transitional season for Liverpool; their attacking efforts were built around Salah for almost a decade, whereas Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike could have a centrality for the next decade. In the Salah years, Liverpool rarely had a No 10, nor a striker as speedy. That brings a different dynamic. But it is notable that, since early December, Wirtz’s xG and xA are higher than they were before, as is Ekitike’s xG. They are higher again in recent weeks, all signs the playmaker is settling.

“What I do see is that, in general, the team generates just as many chances as we did last season,” said Slot. “The team has the most ball possession in the league. I also see us being able to bring our forwards, and not only Mo, into very promising positions in many games. So it will be a combination of factors.”

The combination of Wirtz and Ekitike has brought six Premier League goals. Perhaps, as the German has started to have an impact, Salah has made and been given more chances. But not the goals that used to be his guarantee.