Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing - 7M sport

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing

LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah's performance against Everton was the kind of display that saw him sold by Chelsea.


Posted Wednesday, March 06, 2019 by Express.co.uk

That's the verdict of Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.

The Reds drew 0-0 against their Merseyside neighbours as they gave up top spot in the Premier League to title rivals Manchester City for the first time in December.

Salah missed two excellent goalscoring opportunities at Goodison Park with the Egyptian having only scored once in his last seven games in all competitions.

The 26-year-old has just one top-flight  game left if he is to draw level with Alan Shearer to become the joint-fastest player to 50 goals in the Premier League era.

After drawing blanks in his last three domestic matches, Salah is on 49 goals in 65 games for the Reds - with Shearer hitting his half-century in 66 matches.

But Merson thinks Salah and Liverpool strike partners Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have all lost form, though the latter has six goals in his last seven games.

More worryingly for Reds fans, he believes that Salah is no longer providing the kind of off-the-ball movement that saw him score a record-breaking 32 times in the league last year en-route to the Golden Boot.

"You look at the front three of Liverpool, they've completely lost form all at the same time, all of them," Merson said on The Debate in the wake of Liverpool's goalless derby draw.

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Mohamed Salah's end product was disappointing at Everton (Image: GETTY)

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Mohamed Salah was twice thwarted one-on-one by Jordan Pickford last Sunday (Image: GETTY)

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Mohamed Salah's form has been questioned of late (Image: GETTY)

"If Salah would have come on trial to your club last week and he trained all week and he had a practice match [like his performance vs Everton], you wouldn't have him back.

"It was one of them games. That's what they're all doing now, they're having them games.

"It happens, you lose form. The way he played at Chelsea was the way he played at Everton, that's why he was sold.

"What he's not doing that he was doing before, he was the best player in the world without the ball. He isn't now, he isn't making those runs where he bursts and even if he didn't get the ball, defenders go with him.

"Their front three were as hard working as anyone in the country or in Europe, I don't see that anymore. I don't see them pressing and putting teams under pressure."

Yet Merson sympathises with the attacking triumvirate to some degree and believes Jurgen Klopp needs to be more attack-minded with his midfield set-up.

He continued: "Liverpool have got one of the best defences in the country and the best defender in the world, let alone the country and they still play three holding midfielders in front of them. What's all that about?

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Paul Merson has called on Jurgen Klopp to be more attacking with his midfield selection (Image: GETTY)

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Merson also believes Sadio Mane is out of form despite his recent goalscoring streak (Image: GETTY)

Mohamed Salah: Chelsea transfer claim made, Liverpool star no longer doing ONE key thing
Merson believes Roberto Firmino, Salah and Mane have all allowed nerves to get the better of them (Image: GETTY)

"The three up front have to have service. If you're not getting the service… It's just not happening.

"The midfield have brought nothing to the party really goals-wise. There's not a lot of goals between them.

"They [the front three] look nervous. When they broke, everyone is starting to think what they're doing when they receive the ball. Before, at the start of the season, they were breaking and it was all off the cuff.

"Even Salah down the right at the end when they broke, he chipped the ball straight into the goalie's hands. They were 3-v-2. Two, three, four, five months ago, that was in the back of the net.

"They have got to get back to playing with that freedom, expressing themselves and having smiles on their faces. They don't have to be nervous - they won't let in a lot of goals as they have an unbelievable defence, an unbelievable goalie and a holding midfield player."

Liverpool return to action against Burnley on Saturday (5.30pm) and will hope for a similar Anfield performance to their last home game, when they put five past Watford.



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