Liverpool manager Arne Slot has backed Mohamed Salah to return to scoring form ahead of their crucial Premier League meeting with West Ham United on Saturday.
The Egyptian superstar enjoyed a remarkable 2024-25 season to lead the Reds to a record-equalling English top-flight title, but has been a shadow of himself this campaign.
Salah has now gone nine games without a goal in the Premier League, which stands as his longest since moving to Anfield in 2017, with his last league goal coming in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa in November.
However, Slot remains confident in the winger’s quality and has tipped him to return to form ahead of the run-in.
“He set his own standards and those are so, so, so high and the moment he doesn’t score for a few games people are immediately surprised — that is the biggest compliment he can get”, Slot said.
“We are used to Mo scoring a lot of goals and at this moment in time that is maybe the biggest difference in his performance and game time. But we also know this has happened before.
I don’t know if it happened nine games in a row but I’ve had these questions earlier if didn’t score for three or five but I know in the end he always starts scoring again. That is the challenge he has and we have now to make sure he starts scoring again”, the Liverpool boss added.
Salah has only scored four times in the Premier League this season and seven times across all competitions.
The 33-year-old recently scored in the win over Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round and will be hoping to end his barren run in the league.
“He is not our only attacker at this moment in time that doesn’t score as much as we are used to. The focus is totally on him because of everything he did for the club but Hugo [Ekitike] and Cody [Gakpo] haven’t scored that many goals recently as well”, Slot adder.
“It is a team thing which we have to improve. The good thing is we keep clean sheets so they don’t need to score as many, although against Qarabag we scored six and scored four against Newcastle.”
Liverpool host a struggling West Ham United on Saturday, hoping for a win to boost their chances of finishing in a Champions League spot at the end of the season.
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