Salah’s Scoring Struggles: Why is Liverpool’s Egyptian King Struggling with his Midas Touch

The sight of Mohamed Salah trudging off the Stamford Bridge pitch in defeat was a painful reminder that even kings can fall from grace. After missing two golden opportunities against his former club Chelsea, Liverpool’s Egyptian superstar found himself at the center of uncomfortable questions about his declining form. With just two goals in seven Premier League games this season and none from open play since Matchday 1, Salah’s struggles represent one of the most concerning developments for Liverpool as they navigate a challenging campaign under Arne Slot.

It was particularly galling that this setback came after Salah had already shown glimpses of his enduring class with a terrific goal against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League – a rare moment of brilliance in what has been a frustrating 2025-26 campaign. The early season success had masked underlying issues, but three defeats in eight days against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea exposed the reality of Liverpool’s situation.

The Unwelcome Pattern of Defeat

The parallels were impossible to ignore. For the second consecutive weekend, Liverpool traveled to London to face a team beginning with ‘C’ and suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to a goal deep in stoppage time. The déjà vu experience was particularly galling for Salah, who had enjoyed so many memorable moments scoring late winners earlier in his career, but now found himself on the wrong end of such dramatic conclusions.

This latest setback against Chelsea highlighted the broader issues plaguing both Salah and Liverpool throughout the early stages of the 2025-26 season. While the team began with five consecutive league victories from their opening-day win over Bournemouth, the underlying performances were far from convincing. Liverpool had enjoyed a seven-game winning streak including an EFL Cup victory against Southampton, but people wondered whether results or performances would change first – unfortunately for the Reds, it was the former as the losses mounted.

The Statistical Decline: Numbers Don’t Lie

The stark contrast between Salah’s current form and his record-breaking 2024-25 campaign is evident in every meaningful metric. Last season, the 33-year-old recorded an extraordinary 57 goal involvements in all competitions (34 goals, 23 assists), representing the highest total from any player in Europe’s top five leagues. His 47 goal involvements in the Premier League alone set a new record for a 38-game season, cementing his status as one of the competition’s greatest performers.

It was frankly baffling to see Salah finish as low as fourth in the voting for the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or after such a remarkable season, but it summed up how things have been for him in recent weeks. The disappointment seemed to carry over into the new campaign, where early goals came at crucial moments – he scored twice in Liverpool’s first five league wins, both in second-half stoppage time, including a late winner from the penalty spot at Burnley.

However, the current campaign tells a dramatically different story. Salah is averaging just 42.6 touches per 90 minutes compared to 48.6 last season – a significant drop that reflects his diminished involvement in Liverpool’s attacking play. More concerning is the reduction in his touches within the opposition’s penalty area, which have plummeted from 9.6 per 90 to just 5.5. This represents the lowest figure since his first season at Anfield, when he averaged 8.5 touches in the box per 90 minutes.

The Dribbling Dilemma

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Salah’s decline concerns his dribbling statistics. The Egyptian, who built his reputation on his ability to beat defenders in one-on-one situations, attempted 3.5 dribbles per 90 minutes last season with a respectable 39.3% success rate. In the current campaign, these figures have crashed to just 1.6 attempts per 90 with a woeful 20% success rate.

The Premier League statistics paint an even more concerning picture. Salah has completed just one of 11 attempted dribbles (9.1%) in domestic competition, compared to 58 of 137 (42.3%) in the previous campaign. Whether this decline stems from age-related factors or defenders adopting more sophisticated tactics to neutralize his threat, the impact on his overall effectiveness is undeniable.

The Alexander-Arnold Effect: Missing Link

The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid during the summer has created a void that Liverpool have struggled to fill, particularly in terms of their service to Salah. The England international’s unique ability to find the Egyptian with line-breaking passes was a crucial component of Liverpool’s attacking strategy during their successful partnership.

Despite losing Alexander-Arnold to Madrid, Liverpool have made the most line-breaking passes in the Premier League again in 2025-26 (444), with their 17 chances created from such passes also the most. Only Manchester City (9) have scored more than their eight goals following line-breaking passes.

Dominik Szoboszlai to Salah is the third-most common line-breaking pass combination (23) in the league. No other Liverpool player has found him with more than 10, though despite the Hungarian playing some games at right-back this season, most of his passes to the Egyptian have come from midfield positions. On a per-game basis, Szoboszlai is finding Salah with around 3.3 line-breaking passes in the Premier League this season, while Alexander-Arnold did so with 4.5 per 90 in 2024-25.

In terms of other players who have featured at right-back for Slot this season, Conor Bradley has played eight line-breaking passes to Salah in five appearances, though one came from a throw-in inside his own half, while four were short passes into not-particularly-threatening positions. Jeremie Frimpong is yet to play any line-breaking passes to Salah in his three league games.

Alexander-Arnold’s 147 line-breaking passes to Salah in the Premier League last season were at least 39 more than any other combination in the competition. Of these, 37 broke the opposition’s defensive line, highlighting the devastating potential of their partnership. Josko Gvardiol to Jérémy Doku (108) was the only other combination to total at least 100 line-breaking passes in 2024-25, while Alex Iwobi to Antonee Robinson (29) and Bruno Fernandes to Alejandro Garnacho (21) were the only other combinations to even reach 20 defensive line-breaking passes.

The next highest combination for Liverpool was, perhaps surprisingly, Ibrahima Konaté to Salah (89), with the French defender finding his teammate with 10 line-breaking passes this season.

Positional Concerns and Tactical Adjustments

Analysis of Salah’s heat maps reveals another troubling trend. The Egyptian is receiving significantly more touches in the area by the right touchline, halfway inside the opposition’s half, but fewer in the penalty boxes at either end of the pitch. This suggests his positioning has become more predictable, allowing defenders to better contain his threat.

His 13.0 open-play touches per 90 minutes in this wide area represent a significant increase from previous seasons, but the location is problematic. By the touchline and outside the penalty area, these touches rarely translate into immediate goal-scoring opportunities, which explains his reduced shot frequency and expected goals figures.

The data shows Salah received 297 progressive passes in the Premier League last season – the most of any player by a margin of 74. In the current campaign, he has received just 41 such passes, ranking only sixth in the division. While Liverpool continue to make the most progressive passes as a team (29.6 per game), they are clearly targeting Salah less frequently, potentially due to the arrival of new attacking options.

The Wirtz Factor: New Weapons, Old Problems

The arrival of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a nine-figure fee was supposed to compensate for Alexander-Arnold’s creative loss and provide Liverpool with additional attacking dimension. However, the integration of the German playmaker has yet to yield the expected dividends in terms of service to Salah.

Wirtz has delivered just seven line-breaking passes to Salah in seven Premier League appearances – a modest return that suggests their partnership requires more time to develop. The promising moment when Wirtz created a chance for Salah early in the second half against Chelsea, producing a delightful reverse hooked flick, offered a glimpse of their potential, but the Egyptian’s subsequent miss highlighted his current confidence issues.

The Confidence Crisis: Mental Challenges

Beyond the tactical and statistical analysis lies a more fundamental issue: Salah’s apparent loss of confidence. The player who once dispatched chances with ruthless efficiency now appears hesitant in key moments, as evidenced by his missed opportunities at Stamford Bridge. Rather than displaying his usual swagger and self-belief, Salah resembles a player wrestling with doubt and frustration.

This psychological aspect cannot be understated. Across his last 24 games in all competitions at club level, Salah has scored just four non-penalty goals from 52 shots – a conversion rate that would concern any striker, let alone a player of his caliber. The weight of expectation, combined with his lucrative contract extension and the pressure to justify Liverpool’s faith in him, may be contributing to his struggles.

Salah will always be under more scrutiny than most, especially after landing a new bumper contract last season to add another two years to his deal at Anfield. The idea was that keeping Salah and adding star names like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak would ensure further domination from the English champions. It’s still early days and Liverpool remain second in the league, just one point behind Arsenal, but things aren’t looking great at the moment.

Salah didn’t score in any of those three consecutive defeats – albeit he started on the bench in Istanbul against Galatasaray – but arguably most noticeable was how unlikely scoring seemed, especially in the first two defeats. At Stamford Bridge, he had two presentable chances but rather than putting them away with his usual clinical finishing, he resembled a player shorn of his usual swagger and confidence.

Tactical Evolution and Team Dynamics

Liverpool’s tactical approach under Arne Slot has inevitably influenced Salah’s role within the team. While his creative numbers haven’t declined as dramatically as his scoring statistics – he’s creating 1.6 chances per 90 compared to 2.1 last season – the team’s overall style has evolved in ways that don’t necessarily favor his strengths.

The arrival of new attacking weapons like Alexander Isak has provided Liverpool with alternative goal-scoring threats, potentially reducing the team’s reliance on Salah as the primary source of goals. However, this tactical evolution appears to have come at the cost of maximizing the Egyptian’s individual effectiveness.

The statistics reveal a telling story about Liverpool’s attacking evolution. Of their 13 Premier League goals this season, only one – Salah’s penalty at Burnley – has been scored with a left-footed shot. This represents a dramatic shift from last season, when 40 of Liverpool’s 86 goals came via left-footed attempts, largely due to Salah’s prolific contributions.

The Fixture Challenge: Quality of Opposition

While Salah’s individual struggles cannot be entirely attributed to external factors, Liverpool’s difficult fixture list has undoubtedly contributed to his reduced output. Five of their seven Premier League opponents this season currently occupy positions in the top eight, with only Burnley representing a supposedly “easier” opponent.

The quality of opposition has forced Liverpool to adapt their approach, often prioritizing defensive solidity over attacking freedom. This tactical caution has reduced the space and time available to Salah, contributing to his decreased involvement in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Personal Tragedy and Emotional Impact

The sudden death of teammate Diogo Jota in July cast a shadow over Liverpool’s pre-season preparations and continues to affect the squad’s emotional well-being. Salah’s tears after the opening-day victory over Bournemouth, as the Kop sang Jota’s song, demonstrated the profound impact of losing a close friend and teammate.

The emotional toll of such tragedy cannot be underestimated in its effect on performance. While professional athletes are expected to compartmentalize personal grief, the reality is that such losses inevitably influence form and confidence. Salah’s struggles may partly reflect the psychological challenge of navigating a title defense while simultaneously processing grief.

Historical Perspective: The Precedent for Recovery

Despite the concerning nature of Salah’s current form, history suggests that writing off the Egyptian would be premature. The parallels with his situation at the end of the 2023-24 season are instructive – he scored just one non-penalty goal in his final nine Premier League appearances of that campaign, leading some to question his continued effectiveness.

Salah responded to those doubts by producing one of the greatest individual seasons in Premier League history, scoring 29 goals and contributing 18 assists to help Liverpool secure the title. His ability to bounce back from adversity has been a consistent theme throughout his career, suggesting that his current struggles may represent a temporary blip rather than permanent decline.

Tactical Solutions: Unlocking Salah’s Potential

For Arne Slot and Liverpool’s coaching staff, the challenge lies in adapting their tactical approach to better utilize Salah’s remaining strengths while accommodating the team’s evolving style. This may require reverting to more direct attacking patterns that get the Egyptian into dangerous positions more frequently.

The integration of Wirtz and other new signings must be balanced against the need to maximize Salah’s impact. Given his proven track record and importance to the team’s success, Liverpool cannot afford to accept his current output as the new normal.

The Contract Conundrum: Pressure and Expectations

Salah’s lucrative contract extension, signed in April 2025 and running until 2027, was intended to secure Liverpool’s long-term future and end speculation about a move to the Saudi Pro League. However, the financial commitment also brings increased pressure and scrutiny of his performances.

The expectation was that retaining Salah while adding talents like Wirtz and Isak would ensure continued dominance in English football. While Liverpool remain competitive and sit just one point behind Arsenal in the league table, Salah’s individual struggles threaten to undermine these ambitious plans.

Looking Forward: The Path to Redemption

The remainder of the season will prove crucial in determining whether Salah’s current form represents a temporary dip or the beginning of a more significant decline. His age – 33 – means that some regression is inevitable, but the extent of his struggles suggests factors beyond natural aging are at play.

Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures against supposedly weaker opposition should provide opportunities for Salah to rebuild his confidence and rediscover his scoring touch. Most immediately, the Reds face Manchester United next – a fixture that could prove perfect for Salah’s renaissance. The Egyptian has a remarkable record against United, having scored more goals against them (16) than any other Premier League opponent. In fact, Salah loves playing against Manchester United, with his 22 direct goal contributions (16 goals, 6 assists) representing the most by any player against United in Premier League history.

His record at Old Trafford is particularly impressive, where he has scored 7 goals in just 6 appearances – more than any other visiting player in Premier League history at that venue. Even considering United’s current struggles under their new management, Salah’s psychological advantage and historical dominance in this fixture could provide the perfect platform for him to rediscover his scoring touch.

The team’s continued reliance on his creativity, as evidenced by his assist for Ryan Gravenberch against Everton and his inch-perfect cross to Isak against Chelsea, suggests his overall contribution remains valuable even when goals are scarce. However, for a player of Salah’s caliber and reputation, goal contributions remain the primary measure of success.

The challenge for Slot is clear: find a way to get the best out of Mohamed Salah while building a team capable of competing at the highest level with or without his peak contribution. After all, they don’t call him the ‘Egyptian King’ for nothing, and kings, historically, have always found ways to reclaim their thrones.

Read More: Marc Guehi Departure Confirmed: Crystal Palace Star Set for High-Profile Exit in 2026

FAQs