What does Mohamed Salah's rocky season mean for his future Liverpool career?

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If there was a silver lining to Liverpool’s miserable 2-1 defeat at Molineux against Wolves, it was that Mohamed Salah broke his barren Premier League record of 12 games without scoring.Despite it being a well-taken finish, outside of the left foot, it offered little consolation to the reality that Salah was merely a passenger for large portions of the game, as well as this season on the whole.The subtext of Liverpool’s season so far is that he certainly isn’t the only one, but Liverpool’s talisman offering just 17 goal contributions this season so far suggests that he will finish well short of his previous lowest total for the club, 37.What are the reasons for this downturn in form, and does it determine his standing in Arne Slot’s defending champions?Is age all-encompassing?At face value, the decline of a 33-year-old athlete doesn’t sound off any alarm bells, but when a player who has failed to score at least 25 goals a season just once in eight years, it’s rather difficult not to be dramatic.The echo of the timeless, albeit fictional Rocky Balboa rings true: time takes everybody out; it is undefeated.The reality is, the once blistering pace offered by Salah has dissipated, as has the accuracy of his sharp passes.And in the watchful eyes of the Kop, his trademark shuffle into the box just before unleashing a deadly strike with his left foot, which they have grown accustomed to, is no longer as effective.Tottenham Hotspur FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League | Shaun Brooks - CameraSport/GettyImagesFurthermore, the numbers only corroborate the eye test, with Salah averaging 1.63 shots on target per game over the past eight seasons, compared to 0.67 this campaign.Comparatively, his expected goals too make for grim reading, as the Egyptian once boasted an average xG of 0.69, but this season’s figure of 0.25 documents how little of an impact he is having on Liverpool’s new-look attack.Last summer, Liverpool broke a long-standing precedent when Salah signed a two-year extension at the club, reaping the rewards of a record-breaking season in which his attacking prowess led the Merseyside club to a 20th league title.Now on an exorbitant wage package, the holdouts in the Anfield hierarchy will feel vindicated in their initial stance of refusing to award blockbuster contracts to players above the age of 32.Smooth rebuild hampered by injuriesDespite losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, Liverpool would have taken solace in the fact that both Virgil van Dijk and Salah committed their future to the club.This, combined with a £450 million spending spree for Arne Slot, who more than earned this ‘war chest’, as he embarked on an ambitious rebuild, as the era of Jurgen Klopp was well and truly over.Fast forward eight months, and fans would seldom believe that Liverpool would be sitting in sixth place in the Premier League, below rivals Manchester United, and Salah yet to reach 10 goals in all competitions.Of the Reds’ 5 key summer signings, only Hugo Ekitike has shone throughout this tumultuous season, becoming only the second Liverpool player to reach double figures before Salah, the other being Sadio Mane.Among several other factors, the Reds’ troubling start to the season can be attributed to two key reasons: a lack of chemistry in the squad and injuries to key players.German playmaker Florian Wirtz, took almost three months to get to grips with English football, while Milos Kerkez, no stranger to the Premier League, also took some time to adapt to the Anfield outfit.British record signing Alexander Isak has failed to kickstart his Liverpool career due to a host of injuries, leaving the burden on Salah and Ekitike to fire in the goals.A newlook attack and disjointed midfield hardly prelude another record-breaking season like Salah’s previous campaign, and perhaps Liverpool fans should have expected a drop off of sorts – but this is far beyond anyone expected.Still the Egyptian King without his chief creator?Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side saw the swashbuckling fullback duo Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold assume the creative responsibilities of the side, combining to produce record-breaking assists for defenders in England’s top flight.Salah especially benefitted from Alexander-Arnold’s lethal crossing ability, who was often able to find him anywhere on the pitch, delivering the ball for him to run onto with his blistering pace.Since his departure, van Dijk has assumed creative responsibilities, especially when playing out from the back.Aston Villa v Liverpool - Premier League - Villa Park | Martin Rickett - PA Images/GettyImagesThis in turn has hampered Salah, who has since had to play with a whole host of right-backs due to injury.Moreover, while Salah was playing in a similar position last season, his lack of pressing was made up for by the well drilled unit of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and sometimes Darwin Nunez.The Reds’ energetic forwards, flanked by Dominik Szoboszlai, ensured that the opposition was forced into making a mistake, often capitalised on by Salah himself.However, the newer profiles of the likes of Ekitike and Wirtz offer an entirely new dimension to the side, one that certainly does not benefit Salah in his current state – perhaps explaining his reduced output to an extent.VerdictAs with all world-class players, they rarely tend to stay quiet for long, and so Liverpool fans will be hoping that his recent upturn in form could bode well for their season, which could yet produce something special.For Salah himself, one would imagine that he will look for greener pastures at the end of the campaign, with dealmakers in Saudi Arabia eager to make him their crowning jewel, having been rebuffed on multiple occasions.It would be a deal that suits all parties, in that Liverpool would not lose him on a free transfer, and his hefty wages could be used elsewhere, and Salah can go back to enjoying his football wholeheartedly.TOPSHOT-FBL-EUR-C1-LIVERPOOL-QARABAG | PAUL ELLIS/GettyImagesWhile it is undoubtedly true that the footballing world pays far too much attention to stats such as goal contributions, the drop in Salah’s performances suggests that it is time for the likes of Ekitike, Isak and Wirtz to lead the Reds’ attack into the future.But for all that has been said and done, Salah is a champion and will go down as an all-time great, regardless of which direction the future pulls him in.