Coach Arne Slot is going through a completely unfamiliar period, when Liverpool lost 2 consecutive matches - the second time since he took over the team.
Mohamed Salah is no exception. The star who played a big part in Liverpool's Premier League title last season with goals and assists is now showing clear signs of decline.
Salah has not scored any goals from live-fire situations in the Premier League since the opening day of the season. His achievements are declining in all aspects. From the number of actual goals and expected goals, to the touches and touches in the box, the number of shots and opportunities created. In general, everyone is going down compared to his previous self.
The season is still very long. An explosive performance against their former team Chelsea could be a turning point for a player who always sets sky-high standards. But what is hidden behind Salah's slow start?
Perhaps age has begun to impress the striker. He just turned 33 in June. However, the more important factor is probably the absence of a teammate who has contributed greatly to Salah's success. Liverpool are missing Trent Alexander-Arnold and the defender's departure seems to have affected Salah more deeply than anyone else.
The right-wing consultation was once considered Liverpool's most harmful weapon. Not only because of the number of passes Salah receives from Alexander-Arnold, but also because of the quality and characteristic type of pass.
The English defender always gives Salah exactly what he needs. Last season, Alexander-Arnold made 147 passes to Salah - more than 36% of any other Premier League partner. Second on the list are Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku of Manchester City, with 108 passes.
Alexander-Arnold's defensive weakness has often attracted a lot of attention, but he is still an excellent right-back. Alexander-Arnold's ability to break the defensive structure and overcome opponents with ball distribution skills has helped Salah often receive the ball in good positions.
The Kop's instability in the right-back position this season has had a significant impact on Salah. Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley are both injured, forcing Arne Slot to use Dominik Szoboszlai in this position. However, in reality, no one can replace Alexander-Arnold's contributions.
Szoboszlai has become the main source of breakthrough passes for Salah in recent times. However, his average of 3.5 passes per 90 minutes is still far behind Alexander-Arnold's 5.6 last season. It is not surprising that Salah's achievements have therefore declined significantly.
Alexander-Arnold has of course spent years building a partnership with Salah, while Bradley and Frimpong are still in the early stages of that process. Liverpool understand that they have lost irreplaceable qualities after Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid.
This is one of the reasons, along with the tragic death of Diogo Jota, that Liverpool have to invest heavily in the attack in the summer. They hope that the appearance of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak will significantly improve their attacking power.
This could become a reality as the season continues. However, if Salah still has difficulty shining without Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool will need a really special factor to make up for this gap.
