The current Mohamed Salah form is nowhere near his usual one. As Liverpool continue their woeful run, with seven defeats in their last 10 matches across all competitions, the Egyptian’s lacklustre performance has come under scrutiny.
Salah recently reached the wonderful landmark of 250 Liverpool goals, but has not done much. Moreover, his apparent inability to track back and contribute to the defence has been a major worry. However, Salah is not the only winger having that problem.
Mohamed Salah Form Point Towards Prevalent Issue Among Wingers
The current Mohammed Salah form has been aggravated by the fact that he does not track back often enough to help Conor Bradley, the Liverpool right-back. Bradley was given a torrid time by Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku in the Cityzens’ 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend.
He got very little support from Salah. However, at 33, Salah is not expected to cover the field like he did a decade ago. Moreover, he is not the only winger found wanting in terms of his defensive duties.
Marcus Rashford, the Manchester United winger currently on loan to Barcelona, faced a similar problem at United. The same is true of the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Vinicius Junior and Doku himself. Manchester United’s Amad Diallo looks very comfortable going forward, but struggles to mark opposition attackers while playing as a wing-back.
The exceptions in this regard are Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal winger. However, it is to be remembered here that Mikel Arteta gives emphasis to the defensive discipline of his side. The PSG winger, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, also performs his defensive duties really well.
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Should Wingers Be Able To Perform a Dual Role?
The question remains whether a winger should be able to play both on the flanks and as the wing-back as per the demand of the situation. However, it is not realistically possible for a genuine attacking player to be good at defending, too.
A player here and there might be able to play both as a winger and a wing-back, but such a man should be an exception, and not the rule. The likes of Saka and Martinelli have occasionally played as wing-backs for either their club or countries, but not everyone has done so.
Most teams play with a double-pivot these days and one of the two defensive midfielders should be in a position to give cover to the full-back/wing-back. Positionally speaking, the holding midfielder is usually nearer to the full-back than the winger and it is easier for him to give cover to him.
The Mohamed Salah form is worrying, because he is not being able to hurt the opposition through counter-attacks this season, as he used to do previously. However, the focus on his inability to contribute to the defence should probably not be highlighted. When he is registering goals and assists in plenty, this shortcoming gets suppressed, but otherwise, it gets exposed.
It remains to be seen whether Arne Slot decides to drop the Egyptian winger for Liverpool’s next match. If he does so, it will be because of the fact that Salah has temporarily lost his attacking edge and not because of his defensive frailties.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo
Recording Date: 09.11.2025
