Salah criticised, stats tell a different story

Mohamed Salah’s 2023-24 campaign has become a lightning rod for debate. Sections of supporters and pundits have questioned whether Liverpool’s talisman is fading, yet the raw numbers suggest the Egyptian remains firmly among Europe’s elite wide players.

The 31-year-old’s season has been punctuated by disruption: a thigh injury in January, a three-week absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, and sporadic substitute appearances while regaining match sharpness. Even so, Salah has still delivered 15 direct goal involvements in 26 appearances across all competitions. In the Premier League he has four goals and six assists; in the Champions League he added two goals and one assist.

Recent form hints at a renaissance. Over Liverpool’s last six matches Salah has had a hand in six goals, culminating in a decisive performance against Brighton in the FA Cup where he scored, created another, and won the penalty he converted himself.

Context is provided by two contemporaries operating at the summit of the European game. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé has 16 goal involvements in 21 matches, although nine of those fixtures have come in Ligue 1, a competition widely viewed as less physically demanding than England’s top flight. Barcelona’s Raphinha, meanwhile, has 13 involvements in 20 games, a tally Salah has already surpassed despite spending fewer minutes on the pitch.

The statistical comparison has not gone unnoticed inside the game. In an interview with French outlet After Foot, Manchester City’s treble-winning defender Aymeric Laporte endorsed Salah above a stellar cast of attacking names, choosing the Egyptian ahead of Heung-min Son, Sadio Mané, Harry Kane and Luis Suárez when pressed to select his preferred forward.

With speculation swirling over a potential summer move to Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad, Liverpool will point to the data as evidence that their No. 11 continues to deliver against the very best. The criticism may persist, but the numbers reveal a player whose output still stacks up against the continent’s most celebrated wingers.