It’s hard to find an original way of describing Mo Salah‘s brilliance, but Harry McMullen is here to explain how Arne Slot is helping the Egyptian thrive.
Twenty goals and 17 assists in all competitions have driven Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table, top of the Champions League table and a Carabao Cup semi-final.
All trophies he previously won under Jurgen Klopp, but he’s on track to reclaim some or all of them with Arne Slot – and potentially the Ballon d’Or, too.
It seems there’s nothing Salah can’t do with the ball at his feet right now. But it’s how his role has changed without possession that has allowed him to maximise his impact.
Under the radar
For eight seasons now, Salah has led the line in a team that presses aggressively. And he’s generally been an underrated defensive presence – tracking back to support his right back on the rare occasions that Liverpool are starved of the ball.
This aspect of Salah’s game was often unsung, notable more by its absence – such as when Klopp occasionally used him more centrally as a counter-attacking outlet when Liverpool defended in a mid-block.
A goal you'll enjoy watching on repeat ?
Here's every angle of Mo Salah's magnificent winner against Man City, presented by @Sonos ? pic.twitter.com/QerOQh8gwz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 17, 2022
In fact, at one stage in last season’s marathon campaign, Klopp admitted that he’d told Salah to “just stop defending” in the latter stages of a 6-1 win over Sparta Prague – but added, “I told him not to run; I don’t think I’ve ever told a player to do that before!”
When we factor this defensive discipline into Salah’s advancing age and incredible durability, it should be little surprise that he tends to start seasons strongly but finish at a more human level.
Getting his No. 11 to produce for the whole campaign will have been an ambition of Slot’s upon arriving at Anfield. How is he doing it?
Finding his space
Slot’s ability to make small yet pivotal changes from game to game and in-game makes it difficult to definitively describe his setup.
But a general theme in many games has been a 4-4-2 / 4-2-4 pressing structure. This sees the advanced midfielder push up into the frontline to cut off any forward passes into midfield.
Opponents are forced to play out wide, where Liverpool can then shift into a player-to-player structure and “lock on” to their markers, pouncing on any attempted passes.
If the opponent does hit a ball long into the channels, the full-backs are usually narrower and deeper than they were under Klopp, leaving them better placed to defend.
Salah, however, has a unique role. If the ball is shifted across to the Reds’ left, he can often be seen allowing the opposition full-back to move forward unmarked.
This leaves a player free for the opposition, but it also creates space for Salah – space that he can capitalise on should his teammates win the ball back.
We saw this in the recent 5-0 win over West Ham. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is miles away from Salah in this still (below), but he’s also miles away from the ball, and therefore not a realistic target for a pass.
Liverpool’s midfield win the ball, and with Salah in lots of space, they’re able to feed him for a chance – which he finishes for 3-0.
Such a ploy carries risk. In this example from the 6-3 win against Tottenham, a lack of pressure on the ball allows Spurs to find the free man running off Salah.
However, the deep positioning of the full-backs allows Trent Alexander-Arnold to stop the dangerous forward pass. With Ryan Gravenberch shuttling across, the attack is delayed while Liverpool get into their shape…
…and the chance goes nowhere.
Simply the best
The best coaches make the game simple for their players. With this setup, Slot has empowered his No. 11 to focus on one thing: finding the most dangerous positions to cause maximum damage.
By leaving a player free, Salah creates space by standing still, while also putting himself 1v1 against an opposition centre-back rather than an opposition full-back.
As a result, he’s better placed to take a shot for himself or to create for others by dragging centre-backs out of shape.
None of this is to suggest Salah doesn’t run or doesn’t defend. He’s still a superb athlete who contributes massively to the team in every phase of play.
But his focus is even more sharply on the end product now, in a way that allows him to decide games – to live up to the advice from Arsene Wenger that “great players are always able to affect the game.”
Incredibly, of the 17 Premier League goals he has this season, 15 of them have come in the second half. Salah is notably fresher throughout games this season, right up to the closing stages when opponents are tiring.
It suggests that not only is he hitting an even higher level, but that he can sustain it to the end of the campaign.
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