Liverpool forward Mo Salah put in an uncharacteristically quiet performance at Wembley on Sunday, which saw him record an unwanted statistic for the first time in his Reds career.
After having already scored 32 times this season, Liverpool fans could forgive Salah for an off day against Newcastle in the League Cup final. The Egyptian failed to really get involved in the game, with Tino Livramento doing an excellent job at keeping the in-form star quiet over the course of the 90 minutes.
For former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, watching the lack of influence Mohamed Salah had on the game made him "feel sorry" for the 32-year-old. Highlighting his lack of service and help he received from Liverpool's other attackers, Carragher suggested that more forwards are needed to provide even more opportunities for Salah to flourish.
Liverpool star Mo Salah has difficulties highlighted
“It was probably one of the worst performances I’ve seen from Liverpool in a cup final,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “But they’ve given so much this season and they’ve lost one league game. It’s hard to be too critical but it has shone a light on areas where Liverpool still need to improve.
“I think the lack of pace in attack is glaring. And I almost feel a little bit sorry for Mo Salah. He took a bit of criticism after the two PSG games, against possibly the best left-back in the world Mendes, who was fantastic, he didn’t do too much and he wasn’t great today.
"He doesn’t get help from the other attackers. This isn’t like under Jurgen Klopp where [Sadio] Mane or [Roberto] Firmino could bail them out of trouble. The other attackers Liverpool have got are good players but they’re not great players.
“They’ve relied on him (Salah) too much, so I don’t want to see too much criticism of Mo Salah over this last week. What it’s shone a light on is that Liverpool need to go out and buy two attackers – not as squad players, but possibly to play alongside Mo Salah, hopefully, next season."
Salah's lack of influence did see him register just 23 touches of the ball during the final, a remarkably low number considering his usual involvement in high-pressured matches.
However, it's his failure to attempt a single shot or create a chance that stood out especially, with Opta highlighting that it's the first time that has happened in Salah's 391-game Liverpool career prior to the game at Wembley.
"For the first time in his Liverpool career, Mohamed Salah neither attempted a shot nor created a chance in a match where he played 90+ minutes," Opta said.
In FourFourTwo's view, Salah should certainly have done more during the match for a player of his quality, but Carragher is also right to a large extent. He needs better service and other players around him to ensure spaces open up, otherwise he is suffocated by opposition defences a lot easier than he should be.
