Salah has scored 20 plus goals in the Premier League for Liverpool in three out of four seasons and the one season he didn’t – he scored 19.
For one reason or another, Mohamed Salah is vastly underappreciated, not least by Liverpool fans. His goal return in his four seasons at Merseyside has been extraordinary, but for some reason, his magic left foot, blistering pace and killer-instinct in front of goal, doesn’t always get the accolades it deserves.
On the last Monday Night Football show of the season, former Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, and Manchester United hero Gary Neville, both picked their Premier League team of the year.
There were a few disagreements regarding the goalkeepers with Neville picking Chelsea’s Remy and Carragher opting for Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, some slight changes in midfield and both picking the obvious contenders such as Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Harry Kane.
However, one other striking similarity regarding the strikers, is that neither picked Mo Salah in their front three. Carragher chose Son, Kane and Foden, while Neville went with Rashford, Foden and Kane.
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)Salah currently sits second in the race for the golden boot at 20 goals, just one behind Spurs captain Harry Kane, three more than Son, 10 more than Rashford and 13 more than Foden.
Now anyone who knows anything about football isn’t going to take goals as the only variable considered when picking these teams. Phil Foden may be the bottom of that list, but his overall play and contribution for Man City this season easily makes him a no-brainer in the selection. He was also picked by both pundits as Young Player of the Year.
Assists are a key factor, with Salah only managing four compared to Son’s 17, Kane’s 13, Rashford’s nine and Foden’s five.
However, the Egyptian King has been playing alongside two struggling strike partners in Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, with his only other on-form friend being Diego Jota, who despite being deadly in front of goal, missed a large chunk of the season through injury.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)While Kane had the likes of Son to pick up the slack, Rashford was guided by Cavani or Fernandes, and Foden was blessed to be in one of the most complete teams that the Premier League has ever seen. Salah on the other hand, was carrying the load of a struggling, depleted Liverpool side riddled with injuries and out of form players.
Whether the former Chelsea and Roma star was playing for the Reds in a team that dominated the whole division or a team that couldn’t win at Anfield for love nor money, Salah still produced the goods in front of goal, and that sort of consistency is underappreciated.
In Salah’s four seasons in the Premier League, he has only made the PFA Team of the Year in his first one, where he also picked up the PFA Player of the Year. Despite going on to win another golden boot, the European Cup and the Premier League, he was overlooked on those occasions.
Does this all mean that he deserves to be in this season’s team of the year? – Not necessarily.
I looked at this & Son just edged Salah. Salah has also scored 6 pens Son 1. Relax! https://t.co/5FYOyNgd2p pic.twitter.com/HuRw9JkaA8
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) May 11, 2021
The Anfield hero did go through his own goal droughts throughout the season. There’s also his aforementioned lack of assists and the simple fact that he couldn’t help his team get over the line in any of the four major competitions they entered this year. Achieving fourth place in the league would be nothing short of miraculous considering the points they have threw away also.
You could say the same for Son and Kane, whose Spurs team are even further behind Liverpool, but that doesn’t change the fact that both have contributed to more goals on the pitch than the Reds’ number 11.
Neville’s selection of Rashford ahead of Salah and Son however, is a strange one. The stats don’t match the facts and the Englishman was accused of being wasteful in front of goal in key games this year, with Edison Cavani coming to the rescue more often than not.
Foden is the automatic choice; the season he’s had has been unbelievable, especially when you consider the fact that he is still only 20 years old.
All things considered, it probably is harsh on the two-time golden boot winner, but with rumours of Salah potentially leaving the club in the summer, the Premier League as a whole would miss him.
Maybe then he will get the appreciation he deserves.
