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RAMA-DAWN SALAH: Liverpool's Over-Reliance on Mohamed Salah Exposed by Ramadan

  Hassan Afolabi March 20, 2025

Mohamed Salah has experienced a dip in form since the start of the Ramadan period, a sight with underscores the fact that he is only human – yet, it has had a devastating effect on Liverpool's season.

It was always going to take a poor run from the Egyptian to upset Liverpool's season, and although it has come at the worst time possible, the Premier League title is worth more than a consolation for a club starting a new era under Arne Slot.

In the few games played during the month of Ramadan, Liverpool's season has gone from great to grate, with a UEFA Champions League exit in the hands of PSG, followed by a Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle United, who picked up their first title in the competition in 70 years.

During this (Ramadan) period, Salah, who had not only been the club's best player but the overall best of the world, experienced dip in form, and was found wanting over the two legs of their UCL round of 16 tie with PSG Paris Saint-Germain.

He was completely taken out by Nuno Mendes, who won 21 duels over the two legs, restricting Salah to just one shot in the entire tie, which was off the target anyway.

Also in the Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle United at Wembley, Salah was a shadow of his glorious self and was rather ineffective as Liverpool's attack broke down, offering nothing until the Magpies had the game won.

As a result, he has gone from being the outright frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or award to just being a Premier League sensation, with no shot at all at the prestigious award that celebrates the best football player over 12 months.

Salah has been at the heart of everything good for Liverpool this season, putting in sensational performances that have the Reds now 12 points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.

He has set new standards on productivity, already equaling the record for most goal contributions in a 38-game Premier League season by a single player (44), despite having nine more gameweeks before the end of the season.

He leads the way for both goals and assists, has created more big chances than anyone, scored more winning goals, and set up decisive ones as well.

He has been directly involved in more than 65 percent of Liverpool's 67 Premier League goals, while registering goal involvement in all but a few games so far.

He has both scored and assisted in the same Premier League game eleven different times, a record for most in a single campaign in English top-flight history (41), also overtaking Wayne Rooney's (36) record for all time total as a result.

Salah has also delivered for Liverpool in the big games. He scored against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle United in the league.

He could have done it as well on the bigger stage (PSG in the Champions League and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final) but aside his rather unimpressive record in finals, he was just a man not in the right condition.

During this Ramadan fasting period, his performances and productivity were visibly affected, and despite the ruins, the club can be grateful that there was no significant League fixtures in their schedule at the time, for things may have been worse.

In the four games played since the start of Ramadan fasting, Mohamed Salah has only scored two goals, which were both penalties in a 3-1 win over Southampton in Anfield. Coincidence?

What Next for Liverpool and Their Over-reliance on Mohamed Salah

The good news for Liverpool and Arne Slot is that by the next time they set out for a Premier League game, the fasting period would be gone, and they will have their red-hot Mohamed Salah back in action.

The international break has come at a great time for their cause, as it also ensures that they have quality time to relax and reflect on where they're getting it wrong. It also gives them a break from their run of poor form.

While the Reds appear to be closing in on the Premier League title, it is imperative that Arne Slot realizes that much work has to be done to remain competitive in the near future, because it is unrealistic that Salah repeats a season as good as this one.

They don't appear to be a team lacking much, but their other attackers have got to step up when Mohamed Salah is having a rare tough time.

Cody Gakpo was having a good season until a minor injury disrupted his rhythm. The Dutchman has been unable to win back his spot in the team, although the frequently used ones are not justifying their selection.

One good game and three bad ones, and then again. The likes of Luis Diaz and, more so, Darwin Nunez have to do much better.

Liverpool's defence and midfield have been very solid under Slot. They have exerted control in the majority of their games, while they have also looked comfortable surrendering possession to their opponent while still being able to grind out positive results.

However, their over-reliance on Mohamed Salah can not be overemphasized, and it really affected their overall performance during the down period of the Egyptian.

This season, it is Ramadan fasting. The next season, it could be something else. Salah's dip in form last season proved costly for Jurgen Klopp in the run-in, and it is a possibility that such a reoccurrence. It could also be injury, just as it has plagued the season of their top rivals, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Going forward, Arne Slot has to realize that even though he'll get praised for winning the Premier League title, which has become inevitable, there is still much work to be done to achieve a great team, in whose image they have lived when Salah was firing on all cylinders.

Otherwise, the future could get really long and frustrating because for a team competing in the English top-flight, nothing is impossible. He can also take a lesson from the fate of the defending champions, who are currently out of a UCL spot.

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