Fantasy Premier League

GW6 Lessons: Salah and Liverpool a growing concern

By The Scout 5 Sep 2022

Reds’ key players continue to disappoint at both ends of the pitch after goalless draw at Everton

An inconsistent start to the season from Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) is causing big problems for his owners in Fantasy Premier League.

After Liverpool's goalless draw at Everton, the Egyptian has blanked in three of his first six matches.

Although Salah’s total of 38 points puts him joint-fourth among midfielders, it compares poorly with his tally of 57 points over the same period at the start of last season.

As a result, he has been transferred out of over 1.5million teams since the beginning of the campaign, making him the sixth most-sold player.

The underlying numbers highlight why Salah is yet to find his best form.

He recorded eight big chances and 12 shots on target in the first six Gameweeks of 2021/22, but those totals are down by at least half this term.

Salah in GW1-6 over last two seasons

	2021/22	2022/23		2021/22	2022/23
Shots	25	17	Key passes	15	24
Shots in box	22	14	Goals	5	2
Shots on target	12	5	Assists	3	3
Big chances	8	4	FPL points	57	38

Salah's appeal as both the go-to premium player and captain has been further reduced by the impact of Erling Haaland (£12.0m) at Manchester City.

The Norwegian has produced returns in all six of the opening Gameweeks and is the top-scoring player in Fantasy on 67 points.

Indeed, Haaland was the overwhelming armband favourite for Gameweek 6, captained by a record 5.9m managers compared with Salah’s 1.6m.

Abandon Liverpool's full-backs?

In defence, Jurgen Klopp’s rotation meant full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and Andrew Robertson (£6.8m) each managed just a single point against Everton.

Alexander-Arnold was replaced just before the hour-mark, missing out on clean-sheet points, while Robertson appeared off the bench midway through the second half.

Neither player features among the top 10 defenders this season, claiming just 24 and 16 points respectively.

Bearing in mind Liverpool’s key players are among the most expensive in their positions in Fantasy, managers face a big decision in whether to keep faith or spend their budget elsewhere.