Whenever a team are struggling, they look to their most important players to lead the turnaround.

For Liverpool over the past few seasons, that player has always been Mohamed Salah — the source of countless flashes of inspiration since he arrived on Merseyside in the summer of 2017.

More recently, however, these moments have proved elusive.

In the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final at home against Atalanta of Italy on April 11, Salah mistimed his run and had a ‘goal’ – which would have halved a 2-0 deficit – ruled out for offside; three days later, he had the chance to salvage a point at home to Crystal Palace but his close-range shot got blocked by Tyrick Mitchell; and finally, having scored an early penalty to seemingly light the touchpaper for an unlikely Liverpool comeback in the return with Atalanta, he then missed a golden chance late in the first half, with his team’s European campaign duly fizzling out after the interval.

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Perhaps most significant of all, with Liverpool needing to get their season back on track in the Premier League at Fulham on Sunday, manager Jurgen Klopp… left his talisman out of the starting XI.

The question is obvious — why are things not clicking for Salah?

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The Briefing: Atalanta 0 Liverpool 1 (3-1 agg) - Are Klopp's side out of gas?

Since then, he has five goals in 11 games – far from a crisis, but a definite dip in standards.

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We need to talk about Mohamed Salah

Looking at his attacking output per season since he joined Liverpool, Salah’s expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes this season is the highest it has been in the Premier League.

He is a player who relies on high volume rather than deadly finishing — only four Premier League players are averaging more shots this season than his 3.6 per 90.

What is noteworthy in the graphic below — which provides a 900-minute rolling average of non-penalty goals and xG over time — is that Salah will typically experience a spike of overperformance during a Premier League season.

Last season, it came late on.

Instead, he has become more creative at the top end of the field this season — and for multiple reasons.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold inverting into central areas, Joe Gomez lacking his predecessor’s same attacking instincts, and Conor Bradley still establishing himself, Liverpool’s right side has seen Salah take on more responsibility to provide for those ahead of him — primarily Darwin Nunez, who has had 21 chances created for him by Salah in all competitions, which is comfortably more than any other player.

Accounting for the injury absence of Alexander-Arnold, no Liverpool player this season has created more chances than Salah across the four competitions they have competed in.

His rate of 0.4 expected league assists (xA) — which measures the xG value of the shot that is created — per 90 minutes is his best as a Liverpool player.

The right-sided relationship between Salah and Alexander-Arnold has been crucial to Liverpool’s success, but they have only started twice together in 2024 – on New Year’s Day against Newcastle United and that trip to Italy last week.

Alexander-Arnold’s technical quality is matched by few players in world football.

Instead, a heavy first touch results in a Salah ball back to goalkeeper Alisson and another attack breaks down.

Here, in the final 15 minutes, Liverpool regain possession from a Palace attack and spring forward to punish the transitional moment.
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