Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has weighed-in on the debate around Mo Salah’s alarming poor form this season, pointing the finger of blame at two players, including one who is no longer at the club. Salah was benched for the recent win over Eintracht Frankfurt, but his behaviour after the final whistle has caused huge concern.

Early season struggles for champions

Salah has struggled to replicate his exceptional form from last season, with several factors to blame for the dip in performance, including the departure of key team-mates and the arrival of new players under Reds boss Arne Slot, which has disrupted Liverpool's settled right-side dynamic. Statistically, his output has dropped significantly this season compared to the same point last year, with fewer shots, shots on target, and touches in the opposition box. The tactical shift under Slot, which includes the arrivals of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, has also altered Salah's role. 

AdvertisementAFPIs Salah heading for the Anfield exit?

But it is Salah’s behaviour after the final whistle in Germany which has been a huge cause of concern for the Liverpool's Dutch boss. The Egypt international was seen to “storm down the tunnel” at the end of the 5-1 victory. And the morning after the match Salah removed all mention of Liverpool from his social media channel's bios, including Instagram and X, replacing the previous club-related photos for generic images of himself and others with his two daughters. 

Kop hero Owen makes stunning claim

Owen told Sky Bet: "Salah has been scoring goals for years and years. Nobody would be surprised if he scored in his next game and went on a run. If there's anyone in the Premier League you shouldn't doubt, it's him. That said, if there's something more going on, then age could be a factor – he's 33 now. I retired at that age myself, so you can't go on forever. That's one possible reason. Another is that there's no Trent Alexander-Arnold feeding him those balls anymore – the dynamic has changed."

He added: "Conor Bradley plays differently, he looks to run past Salah rather than serve him. I did some analysis on TV showing that Salah is picking up the ball about 10 per cent deeper on average than last season. The tactics haven't changed, but the personnel have. Or it could just be that the team isn't firing yet. Every attacking player goes through a spell like this. It's more likely just a blip, and he'll bounce back soon, but it could be a bit of all the above."

Getty Images SportSlot’s Kop conundrum

Next steps lay firmly with the boss Slot, he could hand a starting place back to Salah away to Brentford this weekend and the storm will blow over. But if he’s left out again the chatter about Salah leaving will only grow louder. The Reds host Crystal Palace in the League Cup on October 29th and there’s the massive Champions League fixture against Real Madrid on the horizon next month, too. 

Ahead of the clash with Frankfurt, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said Salah must understand his starting place is no longer guaranteed. He said: "When Mo Salah isn't being the legendary Mo Salah, he gets treated like one of the other players, which is right. He's 33 years of age and Liverpool will have three games in six days. At the moment, if he isn't at his best, he shouldn't play three games in six days. There are other options there as well. We know Liverpool have spent a lot of money. Liverpool have got a big game at the weekend as well, so great decision, Arne."