Arne Slot explains why Salah standards are causing overreaction
· Yahoo Sports
Arne Slot has publicly backed Mo Salah ahead of the Premier League meeting with West Ham United, insisting the scrutiny around the forward’s form is actually a reflection of the standards the Egyptian has created himself.
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The 33-year-old has recently been questioned after a quieter run in front of goal, particularly following the 1-0 victory away to Nottingham Forest, yet Slot’s comments suggest there is no concern inside the club.
Slot explains Salah criticism and expectations
Our Dutch manager made it clear the conversation around Salah is largely driven by his historic consistency.
“He set his own standards, and those are so, so, so high and at the moment when he doesn’t score for a few games, people are immediately surprised, so that is only something that’s probably the biggest compliment he can get.”
Slot also pointed out how statistics can easily be framed negatively when analysing short spells of matches.
“You can change data and saying he did not score in nine Premier League games. That’s the standard he set for himself.”
The 47-year-old referenced a recent performance to underline the point.
“I think it’s quite recently, three games ago that he had an assist and a goal against Brighton. That’s a very good Premier League team.”
The message was clear: internally, the club still views Salah as performing.
That contrasts sharply with outside reaction after the Forest game, where pundit Pat Nevin even joked a plastic bag on the pitch had more impact than the Egyptian attacker.
Salah’s Liverpool impact still evident in the numbers
(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
When looking beyond goals, the statistics support Slot’s stance.
According to Sofascore data, Salah has scored four Premier League goals and provided six assists this season while creating 10 big chances and averaging 2.2 key passes per match.
Those numbers actually show the attacker remains heavily involved creatively, even if the finishing has dipped compared to previous years.
Across his last seven matches he still has two goals and four assists, suggesting the Forest display was more an outlier than a trend.
That context also matters when speculation about his future appears, with Gus Poyet recently suggesting the Egyptian could edge toward a summer exit, even though he remains under contract until June 2027 and is still one of the most decisive players in our squad.
Liverpool currently sit sixth in the table on 45 points and chasing Champions League qualification, and with Florian Wirtz injured, the responsibility on Salah’s shoulders arguably increases rather than decreases.
Slot’s stance indicates the club still trusts its most experienced attacker, and the real question now is not whether Salah is declining, but whether we are judging him against standards almost no forward in Premier League history could realistically maintain year after year.
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