Is Mohamed Salah Underrated?
Mohamed Salah is one of the most beloved players in Liverpool Football Club’s history. The Egyptian forward has been a key figure in the Reds’ success over the past few years, and his influence on the team is undeniable. But is he actually underrated by some supporters, and why might that be? This was the topic of discussion this week on This Is Anfield’s podcast with The Late Challenge.
The Debate
Gareth Roberts and Paul Cope debated the Egyptian’s legacy and asked why some football supporters may still undervalue Salah’s ability. After using NME’s ‘Godlike Genius’ award to describe Salah, Roberts said: “Someone I know sent me a comment they’d seen online from a Red, who said: ‘You can’t be putting him in the same category as someone like Ian Rush’. Why not?”
Cope had a similar viewpoint, adding: “They say things like: ‘His touch isn’t as good as it could be; his finishing isn’t as good as it could be; he hasn’t scored as many goals as Ian Rush; he’s scoring less than he used to; he’s godlike but he’s not as godlike as a bigger god we used to have’. These are all nonsense points!”
The Numbers Don’t Lie
With a better games per goal ratio than Ian Rush (1.64 matches to 1.91) the Reds’ No. 11 is the fifth highest goalscorer in the history of the club. In fact, Cope thinks Salah is still improving and said: “He still scores goals every season and now he’s evolving his game. He’s getting better, he’s evolved his game. Now, he’s setting up loads of goals, I think he might be our most creative player.”
Roberts then chimed in, saying: “Maybe you should think back to [Mario] Balotelli, [Ricky] Lambert, these type of lads that we had coming in.” The match-going Red added another reason to hold Salah to in such high esteem. “One of the things about Billy Liddell was that [Bill] Shankly said: ‘He was made out of granite’,” explained Roberts. “He never missed games, was hard in games as well.”
The least Salah has played in a single campaign for Liverpool is 48 times and, in five of the his six full seasons, he’s played more than 50 matches. That’s despite the heavy-handed defending; despite him being a marked man; despite defenders, coaches, managers, everyone knowing what a threat he is. Roberts summarised by saying: “For me, he is an absolute legend. For me, he’s one of the best players who has played for the club, certainly in the modern era.”
Conclusion
It’s clear that Mohamed Salah is one of the greatest players ever to wear a Liverpool shirt. His stats speak for themselves, and his influence on the team cannot be understated. He has been a consistent performer for the Reds over the past few years and is still improving his game. His durability and consistency make him an invaluable asset to the team and it’s clear that he deserves to be lauded by Liverpool supporters all over the world.