Mo Salah’s season has not got off to a flyer.
Depending on their level of ability, footballers are held to different standards of performance. A 30-goal season for Lionel Messi would be deemed disappointing, whereas someone like Shane Long could only dream of scoring more than 11 goals over the course of a season.
For Mohamed Salah, expectations have significantly changed since his 46-goal season last term. Before his drastic rise to the top of the goalscoring charts, he ranged between 12 and 20 goals per season – that was his level. But he has set the bar very high for himself after last season, and some concerns over his ‘slow’ start to the season have been voiced.
Salah has scored three goals this season in nine matches. One in every three is not a bad return, but Liverpool fans have come to expect an average of more than one in two, and his lack of efficiency in front of goal has some of them worried.
Virgil Van Dijk, however, is “not worried at all”.
“We are seven games in and Mo’s working hard. He’s still the same Mo, and he needs a bit of luck as well,” Van Dijk said.
“I’m not worried at all, and he should not be worried either. We do it all together, we’ll always be there for him and he’ll deliver as well.
“He had a tough game against Chelsea [on Saturday], but it’s part of football.”
Salah was taken off after an hour against Chelsea, and was replaced by Xherdan Shaqiri, who secured assisted Daniel Sturridge’s equaliser.
Liverpool face Napoli in the Champions League this week before welcoming Manchester City to Anfield at the weekend for a clash between the two favourites for the Premier League title this season.
The Reds will be relying on Salah to step up to the plate when it really matters.
