Mohamed Salah ‘not world class’ as worrying stat emerges at Liverpool
Liverpool have had a week to forget after being knocked out of the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final.
Although he is Liverpool’s star man, Mohamed Salah has performed well below standards in all three games and has come under criticism at Anfield.
After crashing out of the Champions League on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain, the Reds went on to lose 2-1 against Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday.
With Salah’s contract at Anfield expiring at the end of the season, there is a decision to be made by the Reds ahead of the new campaign.
Troy Deeney offers Salah verdict
Although Salah scored his penalty against PSG on Tuesday (11 March), he otherwise failed to contribute in both legs of the Champions League tie.
In the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, the 32-year-old failed to register an attempt or create a chance against a Newcastle side that kept him very quiet.
With his exciting Premier League form this season, there has been plenty of discussion about Salah in regards to the Ballon d’Or, as well as his contract.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 29 | 27 | 17 |
If the attacker was labelled as the best in the world, it would surely encourage Liverpool to extend his deal immediately.
However, if Troy Deeney’s opinion is anything to go by, that is not an award Salah will be getting with the pundit arguing he is not up to standard.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (18 March, 8:11am), Deeney admitted: “In 2019, Champions League he scored one goal, zero assists, scored from a penalty. But from 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, 2021 AFCON, 2022 FA Cup, 22 Champions League, 22 Carabao Cup, 24 Carabao Cup and 2025, all bar one being out injured, he hasn’t scored or had an assist.
“I think when you look at all of that, like that is quite difficult to argue against the fact that he’s, you’d say he’s not turned up in those games. I’ll just talk about this weekend. I didn’t see a moment in that game where I thought he was going to score, I didn’t. I thought they played against him really well Newcastle.”
Deeney went on to make a blunt claim as he said: “I’m a big fan of Salah’s but I just don’t think he’s world-class. I think his numbers are excellent but that’s just my opinion.”
Salah still has work to do at Liverpool
Given the quality he has, it’s no real surprise that Salah has come under criticism for going missing in the big games, as you would expect him to deliver more on the pitch when it matters.
However, when you consider how well he does in general, he is only getting blasted so much because his standards are so high in comparison to even his teammates.
Liverpool have only got the Premier League left to win this term, meaning they will need to up their standards even more next season to be more successful.
With that in mind, the Reds must be looking to extend Salah’s time on Merseyside, allowing him to contribute further next season.
Salah may be a standout player but clearly, he has more he can prove at Anfield and with that in mind, he may well want to stick around and show he can perform when it matters.
As for Deeney, Salah likely won’t even know who he is.