Emile Heskey, who joined the Reds from Leicester in 2000, spent four years there before joining Birmingham in 2004. Heskey believes a decline in performance is inevitable, but adds that if Salah doesn’t score, it’s like playing with ten men.
Salah is struggling to regain his level from last season.
Salah scored for the first time in over a month last weekend, scoring a late consolation goal in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at Brentford. The goal was the third of the season for the 33-year-old, who has already scored six in nine games in 2024/25. Additionally, he has scored as many goals for Egypt as he has for Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
The Egyptian did not play for the Reds in midweek, during Liverpool’s EFL Cup elimination against Crystal Palace. Coach Arne Slot had fielded an inexperienced eleven for this 3-0 defeat against the Eagles. The result means Liverpool have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions, apart from a 5-1 win in Frankfurt against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Salah did not start in Germany, coming on late in the match, in what was arguably Liverpool’s best performance of the season. Heskey believes the striker, who turns 34 next June, is on the decline.
“If he doesn’t score, he can appear anonymous. »
Asked about Salah’s form, Heskey told 10bet Casino: “I think it’s a bit of both. Yes, he’s not in the best shape, but there’s also some inevitable decline with age. From the age of 30, we begin to observe a slight decline. It won’t be dramatic, because he is a great professional who takes great care of himself. For me, this is nothing new. It’s not sudden, it’s been going on for two or three seasons.
“There were games where he didn’t perform well overall, but he scored a goal and we forget the rest of his performance. Whether it’s one or two goals, a penalty or an easy goal at the end of the match, we forget the rest of the match because of the goal. » Currently, he has not scored any goals and has not been decisive in recent times. We therefore hold him responsible, and this is not the first time that this has happened.
“Mo, however, is a special case. He’s the kind of player you never want to take out because he’s always a threat no matter what form he’s in. That’s the problem with him sometimes. It’s difficult for a coach, because you always want to keep Mo Salah on the pitch. He is a constant threat in front of goal, but if he doesn’t score he can appear invisible, as if the team were playing with ten men. »
Heskey added that the Reds’ decline must stop if they are to retain their Premier League title. Defeat against Brentford last weekend means Liverpool have already lost as many league games this season as last, and this dip in form means the Mersey side are now seven points behind leaders Arsenal.
“ No, they can’t afford to lose a single game if they want to win the Premier League.”Heskey replied when asked if Liverpool could afford to lose more games if they wanted to defend their title.
“They cannot afford to fall further away from the top of the rankings. The title is now within Arsenal’s reach, I think. However, I think all the competing teams will drop points at one point or another, but it won’t be dramatic, so Liverpool can’t afford another misstep. »
