Souness: Salah’s Collapse Is Liverpool’s Core Problem

Liverpool great Graeme Souness has laid the club’s stuttering season at the feet of Mohamed Salah, branding the Egyptian’s downturn “the single biggest reason” for the Reds’ under-performance.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Souness did not mince words, claiming the 31-year-old has “fallen off a cliff” rather than eased into decline. The numbers appear to support his blunt assessment: Salah’s 10 goals and nine assists in all competitions this term lag miles behind the 44 goal contributions he had amassed at the same juncture last season, and even the 34 he recorded the previous year. His lowest returns during Liverpool’s title-chasing campaigns of 2018-19 and 2019-20 still reached 27 involvements—comfortably eclipsing his current output.

Souness, who captained Liverpool during a 359-appearance career at Anfield, argues the slump has destabilised the entire squad. With Salah failing to deliver decisive moments, other senior figures have not filled the void, creating a domino effect that has undermined both Jurgen Klopp’s farewell stretch and Arne Slot’s opening months. The Scot went as far as suggesting the club should contemplate life after Salah, despite a contract that runs until 2027, insisting the forward’s peak is firmly in the rear-view mirror.

Yet while Salah’s regression is undeniable, critics counter that Souness’ verdict veers toward scapegoating. Liverpool’s midfield balance has skewed, the back line looks vulnerable, and the team’s structure no longer disguises its flaws—flaws a prime Salah once papered over with explosive goals and assists. When the day arrives to replace even a fading icon, the scale of the task will highlight how simplistic it is to pin collective shortcomings on one man, however talismanic he once was.

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