Jürgen Klopp is aware that Liverpool may face another issue with Mohamed Salah and that will

After Mohamed Salah departs for the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool will be counting down the days until he gets back, but past performance indicates there might be more issues ahead.

Jürgen Klopp is aware that Liverpool may face another issue with Mohamed Salah and that will

Mohamed Salah, a forward for Liverpool, had a fantastic run of form until he left for the Africa Cup of Nations halfway through the 2021–2022 season. He scored an incredible 23 goals and added 10 assists in his first 26 games for the Reds that season, perhaps making him the best player on the planet at the time.

 

Between his comeback in February and the end of the season, he would play almost as many games (25), but his production drastically decreased over the following three and a half months, with just eight goals and six assists. It’s important to note that only five of the goals came from open play.

 

So why was this the situation? What caused Salah to slide from his exceptional form to what was, in comparison, subpar? It was probably cumulative tiredness, but it could have also been the psychological trauma of leading Egypt to the AFCON final and then losing to Sadio Mané’s Senegal on penalties.

Since all four of Egypt’s knockout matches ended in a draw after ninety minutes, requiring extra time, Salah played every minute of the competition. It makes sense why he appeared to be tired.

 

There’s obviously no guarantee that Egypt makes it to the finals once more as he gets ready for the 2024 competition in the Ivory Coast. For example, as we reported on Friday, the Pharaohs are headed for a quarterfinal matchup with what is perhaps the strongest club in the competition in Morocco. It is unlikely that they will play nearly as much football as they did against all the other teams.

Nevertheless, Salah is already reuniting with his nation after bearing a significant burden. In terms of minutes played this season, he leads Liverpool with 1,955, over 200 more than Dominik Szoboszlai in second place (1,776). Only two attackers have spent more time on the pitch in the Premier League than him: Dejan Kulusevski of Tottenham (1,669) and Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa (1,666). Despite his superhuman abilities, he has aged by two years since the previous AFCON.

 

Even though his stats aren’t quite as impressive as they were later in 2021, Salah is still having a fantastic season. He leads the team with 16 goals—seven more than anybody else—and eight assists, which he shared with Trent Alexander-Arnold. But the real question is whether Liverpool can cope not just with his absence but also with the potential for a decline in performance upon his return.

 

With nine goals in 18 games this season, Diogo Jota has been playing well for Liverpool. However, the three other forwards—Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz, and Cody Gakpo—have only scored 20 goals in 74 combined appearances. In fact, the Reds’ inability to win enough games without their lucky right winger has raised doubts in light of their recent troubles.

Liverpool’s match against Newcastle on Monday is Salah’s final pre-tournament match, and the Anfield supporters will be hoping for a speedy and healthy comeback from him. However, they must be aware that Jürgen Klopp’s offensive issues might not go away even once he returns.