Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes Mohamed Salah’s age and the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold are key reasons behind the Egyptian forward’s current dip in form. Owen is confident that Salah will return to his best soon and just needs a little time.
Speaking to Sky Bet, Owen pointed out that Salah is now 33 years old, which is the same age at which the Englishman himself retired from professional football. He suggested that the natural slowing down of the body could be a factor affecting Salah’s performances.
“Nobody would be surprised if he scored in his next game and went on a run. If there’s anyone in the Premier League you shouldn’t doubt, it’s him. That said, if there’s something more going on, then age could be a factor — he’s 33 now. I retired at that age myself, so you can’t go on forever. That’s one possible reason,” Owen explained.
Owen also highlighted the impact of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s absence on Salah’s game. He explained that the dynamic on the right flank has changed since Alexander-Arnold left, forcing Salah to drop deeper to get involved with the ball.
“Another is that there’s no Trent Alexander-Arnold feeding him those balls anymore. The dynamic has changed. Conor Bradley plays differently; he looks to run past Salah rather than serve him. I did some analysis on TV showing that Salah is picking up the ball about 10 percent deeper on average than last season,” Owen said.
He added, “The tactics haven’t changed, but the personnel have. Or it could just be that the team isn’t firing yet. Every attacking player goes through a spell like this. It’s more likely just a blip, and he’ll bounce back soon, but it could be a bit of all the above.”
This season, Mohamed Salah has scored just two goals and assisted twice in the Premier League. In the UEFA Champions League, the Liverpool star has managed only one goal and was even benched in the recent 5-1 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt and the 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray.
### Arne Slot Not Worried About Mohamed Salah’s Form
Liverpool manager Arne Slot addressed questions about Salah’s form in his pre-Brentford press conference, admitting that he is not worried about his star player.
“It was a new situation as the Egyptian is not used to missing chances. I don’t know if it’s sharpness or not. It’s so difficult for me to say why this is. I could come up with a few reasons, which I’m not sure are the reason. But I think in general, in football players miss chances, and Mo is a human being as well. We are not used to him missing chances, let alone a few in a row, but these things can happen,” Slot remarked.
Liverpool have lost their last three matches in the Premier League, causing them to slip from first to third place in the table.
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