A Change for Salah, Liverpool's Goal Rain

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY – Liverpool Manager Arne Slot's complaints about his squad's effectiveness in capitalizing on opportunities may be heard more frequently than the victories collected by "The Reds" this season. However, Slot has found a glimmer of hope for a solution to this sharpness issue, namely by positioning Mohamed Salah closer to the opponent's penalty area.

Salah may record the lowest contribution in his career wearing the Liverpool jersey during the 2025-2026 competition season. The player nicknamed "The King of Egypt" has only collected 10 goals and nine assists in 34 matches.

The figure includes one goal and one assist in the second match of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray at Anfield Stadium, Thursday (18/3/2026) early morning WIB. The match was won by Liverpool 4-0, resulting in an aggregate score of 4-1. The Reds will face the defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in the quarter-finals.

Referring to that performance, Salah is unlikely to replicate his contributions of 34 assists and 23 goals in the 2024-2025 season. In fact, the 33-year-old player will also find it challenging to match his total of 35 goal contributions, which is his lowest record with Liverpool in the 2019-2020 season.

However, Salah remains a threat and the most feared attacker of Liverpool by opponents. This necessitates that Slot facilitate changes for Salah to help him become more active in scoring goals.

Moreover, Liverpool's performance has been very inconsistent this season. This is attributed to the lack of sharpness in the performances of their forward players. This can be seen from the comparison between the actual number of goals and the potential goals generated from created opportunities.

In the Premier League, for example, Liverpool only managed to score 49 goals out of a reported 50 expected goals (xG). In the Champions League, they scored 24 goals, a lower figure than their 28 xG.

Facing Galatasaray, who had a 1-0 lead in the first match, Slot made some changes. The 4-2-4 formation became his main strategy. Salah was shifted more towards the center to partner as a forward alongside Hugo Ekitike. The left wing position was filled by Dominik Szoboszlai, who collaborated with Jeremie Frimpong.

He (Salah) provided an assist to Hugo (Ekitike) and scored his signature goal. This illustrates to all of us his mental strength.

Salah indeed performed poorly in the first half. He failed to score in the 29th minute when he was one-on-one with Galatasaray's goalkeeper, Ugurcan Cakir. Furthermore, Salah's penalty execution in the 45+4 minute also failed to increase the score for the Reds. At halftime, Liverpool had equalized the aggregate score through Szoboszlai's shot in the 25th minute.

However, Salah contributed to three of Liverpool's goals after the match resumed in the second half. This began with a very accurate assist to Ekitike in the 51st minute.

A precise shot from Salah, which was parried by Cakir, was capitalized on by Ryan Gravenberch to score the home team's third goal two minutes later. Salah capped off the flurry of goals for the Reds with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 62nd minute, a signature goal for Salah.

The goal was significant in bringing Salah to make history. He is the first player from Africa to score 50 goals in the Champions League, the most prestigious club football competition in the world.

"That goal showcased his quality after missing a penalty before halftime. He provided an assist for Hugo (Ekitike) and scored his signature goal. It illustrates to all of us his mental strength," said Slot after the match.

Despite having a clear advantage, Slot remains unsatisfied with his team's attacking performance. According to him, Liverpool players still find it easy to squander opportunities.

"I am pleased with the response from the players and the audience, especially in the second half. We continued to pressure them to keep scoring. We should have been able to score more goals, in line with the number of opportunities created," Slot stated afterward.

In that match, Liverpool recorded 5.02 xG from 32 shots taken. In addition to the penalty that did not result in a goal, Liverpool also had two goals disallowed by the referee.

Salah played for 74 minutes. An injury was the reason he had to leave the match early. After being substituted by Cody Gakpo, Salah immediately went to the dressing room for further treatment.

Despite the injury, Salah displayed a different performance compared to the 33 appearances he has made for the Reds this season. According to the heat map, Salah was predominantly roaming the right half-space of Galatasaray's defense.

This zone of movement contrasts sharply with Salah's previous matches. Salah's movements typically occur on the flank, or right wing, of the opponent's defense. He moves very close to the touchline.

The placement of that position helps Salah move closer to the central side of the opponent's penalty box. This change enables Salah to create opportunities while also threatening Galatasaray's goal more regularly.

SOFASCORE

He fired six accurate shots. The only accurate shot from Salah that did not result in a goal was thwarted by the crossbar. In addition, the player wearing number 11 created two significant opportunities for his teammates.

With those statistical records, Salah has proven himself worthy of occupying a new role that has the potential to keep Liverpool's trophy hopes alive in two competitions, namely the Champions League and the FA Cup. On the other hand, Salah also needs to play more calmly as he failed to convert five significant opportunities into additional goals.

Ekitike praised Salah's role in his goal. The French international striker said Salah was a central figure in Liverpool's offensive line.

"He (Salah) is a legend. Sometimes people say he's had a difficult season, but he's still an important player for us, just like in recent years," Ekitike told TNT Sports. (AFP)