Salah was far from his usual best as Liverpool fell to back-to-back defeats after losing 1-0 to Galatasaray
The Reds were outworked by the Super Lig champions throughout the entirety of the clash at RAMS Park, with Victor Osimhen’s 16th-minute penalty proving the decisive goal.
Arne Slot experimented with his starting line-up in Istanbul, and his selection decisions backfired significantly, with summer signing Jeremie Frimpong struggling to impress alongside others.
Even Liverpool supporters were concerned about Ryan Gravenberch on Tuesday; the Dutchman has been one of the side’s most consistent performers this season, but he was also culpable for the loss.
Salah emerged from the bench midway through the second half and couldn’t make an impact on proceedings, and now ex-Red Daniel Sturridge believes he knows why.
Mohamed Salah Needs Chemistry With His Teammates
When speaking live on Amazon Prime’s match coverage, Sturridge claimed the lack of team chemistry at Anfield is affecting Salah’s performances.
“They’re not the same team they were last year. You can tell the chemistry isn’t there right now,” the former striker explained.
Chris Sutton echoed Sturridge’s opinion on the FPL podcast when discussing the Egyptian’s stats so far this season. He argued that Salah has not looked sharp enough and insisted Liverpool have been fortunate to scrape results with late goals.
Although he has recorded three goals and three assists in his opening eight appearances, Salah’s form has been dubbed “terrible” by critics who feel his influence has dropped dramatically.
Slot Must Lean Into Salah’s Strengths
At this stage last year, Salah had already scored 12 goals and provided three assists across all competitions. He was head and shoulders above most forwards in the Premier League, yet he has looked far less convincing this campaign.
While Salah is expected to recover his form, his decline is coinciding with Liverpool’s collective struggles, making it Slot’s biggest challenge to get his talisman firing again.
The wins earlier in the season had papered over the cracks, but consecutive defeats have exposed deeper flaws. The Reds appear too attack-minded, leaving themselves vulnerable defensively, and opponents have begun to punish them.
Slot must urgently strike the right balance between integrating his new signings and protecting the defensive shape. Above all, Liverpool need Salah at his best. Playing into the Egyptian’s strengths is the only way to restore stability and momentum, with Chelsea up next on Saturday.