Mohamed Salah is closing on a return to action and time on the sidelines could work in Liverpool’s favour over rest of season
If ever there was a Liverpool player who encapsulates the smoke and mirrors often associated with football statistics, it’s Mohamed Salah.
Consider this cracker. In the five-and-a-half years since Salah arrived at Anfield, the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal earlier this month was the first time the Reds had lost a Premier League game where the attacker had been missing.
Extend it to all competitions, and it was only a fourth loss with Salah absent. And two of those had mitigating circumstances, one being when Liverpool were compelled to field an Academy side in the League Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa in December 2019, the other the Europa League dead rubber away to Union Saint-Gilloise earlier this campaign.
Indeed, perhaps the greatest result in Anfield history, the 4-0 Champions League semi-final second leg turnaround against Barcelona, was achieved with Salah on the sidelines.
In the 39 games Liverpool have played since the start of the 2017/18 season in which Salah has not played, they have won 30, drawn five and lost four. Given the importance of the Egypt international during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, it would appear Liverpool are rather comfortable carrying on without their leading goalscorer.
Except, of course, that somewhat overlooks the fact a Salah absence is remarkably rare, particularly in the Premier League where, now in his sixth season at Liverpool, he has not been in the matchday squad on only 11 occasions. His durability is such he has featured in 332 out of 371 possible games – astonishing given the high-octane nature of his game and the scant protection he is often afforded up against the physicality of opposing players.
Salah’s current absence of eight games – two due to Africa Cup of Nations duty, the rest because of the hamstring issue sustained during the tournament – is the longest spell out of his Liverpool career. And while nobody could ever term it a blessing in disguise, there could be positives taken from the situation for both the player and club, especially given what happened after the last AFCON two years ago.
Back then, Salah was missing for seven games as Egypt went all the way to the final before dramatically losing on penalties before the forward had a chance to take his in the shoot-out. His insistence on getting back on the saddle immediately meant he was back in action for Liverpool four days later, and notched three goals in the next fortnight.
But while Salah had left for the tournament having scored 23 times in 26 appearances for the Reds, afterwards he notched only eight in 25, the impact of the AFCON exacerbated by, the following month, again losing a penalty shoot-out to Senegal in their World Cup qualifying play-off with Salah among those to miss from the spot. The numbers dictate obvious disappointment had a lingering impact.
Approaching 32 in the summer, few players look after their physical condition as intently as Salah, which goes some way to explaining his regular availability. But constantly operating at a high-pressured, elite level for more than half-a-decade will eventually take a toll on both the body and mind. The forward will have benefited from being forced to step away for a short time.
Now, having posted regular updates on his progress in the gym on social media, Salah is back in team training and will expect to be in contention for the Premier League visit to Brentford in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
Liverpool have again shown they can largely cope without the Egyptian, the remaining forwards stepping up to the plate admirably by netting 14 of the 22 goals scored.
But for the Reds to have their most potent player back and refreshed is a timely boost as they attempt to ensure a glorious farewell to the Klopp era. Opponents be warned – Salah will be a rested development.
