Ian Wright has explained how Liverpool’s current setup has turned Mohamed Salah into “a passenger” this season.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has offered his take on why Mohamed Salah’s form for Liverpool has dipped so dramatically this season.
The Egyptian forward was unstoppable last term, winning the Golden Boot and helping the Reds secure the Premier League title. But this season, he looks far from his best — and Wright believes the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold has played a major role.
According to Wright, the former Liverpool right-back was crucial to Salah’s success, consistently providing the precise passes that allowed him to thrive. With that partnership now gone, Wright claims Salah has been left looking like “a passenger.”
Speaking on The Overlap, Wright joined other pundits in dissecting Liverpool’s struggles. While Paul Scholes criticised Milos Kerkez’s underwhelming start since his summer move from Bournemouth, Wright pinpointed Salah’s lack of supply from Alexander-Arnold as a major problem.
“If you haven’t got someone like Trent to release him when he’s in that zone — when he’s free — someone who can pick him out straight away, then he looks exactly like he does now. They’ve taken that away from him. They’ve taken that away from Mo Salah,” Wright said.
“He can’t get that early ball, that perfect pass from Trent that lets him do his thing. Now, he just looks like a passenger.”
Whether Salah can rediscover his spark remains to be seen. Arne Slot faces a tough task to reignite the forward’s form amid a new tactical setup and several new players still finding their rhythm.
With Alexander-Arnold sidelined and Salah edging further into his thirties, there are growing doubts about whether he can ever replicate the heights of last season.
