Analysis: Why Salah is having his best season yet

Adrian Clarke looks at key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 20.

Player analysis: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah was the most destructive forward in European football during 2024.

The Liverpool superstar’s 52 direct goal involvements - 29 goals and 23 assists in all competitions -  eclipsed every other player across the continent’s top five leagues.

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Looking to kick off the new year in style with another swashbuckling performance, this time against rivals Manchester United, Salah is the star attraction in Matchweek 20.

What's behind Salah's incredible form?

Arne Slot’s arrival has reignited Salah’s fire, and he is playing better than ever under the guidance of Liverpool’s head coach.

He is on target to land the Golden Boot and Playmaker awards this season, having scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists so far, and is looking to become the first player to finish top of both standings on two separate occasions, after previously doing so in 2021/22. 

The Dutchman’s switch from Jurgen Klopp’s 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation seems to be a factor behind Salah's improved output.

Having an extra attacker inside the opposition half has eased his workload off the ball, allowing him to conserve energy for those trademark explosive bursts.

The presence of a No 10 has acted as an added distraction for opposition defenders too, and with a floating "false nine" thrown into the mix, they appear more fluid and less predictable inside the final third.

Taking his game to another level 

The Egyptian turns 33 in June, but is on course to deliver the best minutes-per-goal contribution ratio in Premier League history.

Salah is averaging a goal or assist every 52.7 minutes and is the quickest to reach the 30 mark (17 goals and 13 assists), getting there one match faster than Luis Suarez did for Liverpool during the Uruguayan's phenomenal 2013/14 campaign.

PL players minutes per direct goal involvement

In terms of his goal threat, Salah’s finishing is the most clinical it has ever been.

Liverpool's No 11 has not produced better numbers since moving to Anfield, having converted 28.91 per cent of his chances (excluding blocks) and hitting the target with 64.41 per cent of those efforts.

Salah has made huge improvements from last season and the only campaign which is comparable is his first as a Reds player in 2017/18.

He scored 32 times in the league that season.

Salah's shooting stats per season

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Salah’s assist rate is off the scale in 2024/25, and way beyond anything he has supplied in previous campaigns.

He is creating a goal every 122 minutes, which easily surpasses the 212.4 minutes per assist he delivered in 2021/22; the closest season in terms of creativity.

Salah has matured as a player and is consistently picking the right option, something that is reflected in the quality opportunities he makes now compared to in his mid-20s.

Salah creativity stats per season

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How has he done it? 

From a tactical perspective, the presence of Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones as a central attacking midfielder has made it harder for Liverpool’s opponents to stop Salah hurting them in behind.

The first example of this was seen on the opening weekend when Szoboszlai drew an Ipswich Town central defender out of position, leaving space for the Egyptian to run in behind, before setting up Diogo Jota to score.

Liverpool's first goal v Ipswich

More recently there was a similar example, when Szoboszlai dragged a Tottenham Hotspur centre-back towards the ball for a header, flicking it on for Salah to run beyond the last man.

That set up a 4v2, with Salah returning the ball to Szoboszlai to score in a 6-3 success.

Szoboszlai's goal v Spurs

In Klopp’s 4-3-3, it would have been more difficult for Liverpool to manufacture these types of situations.

Last time out there was another terrific example in the 5-0 win at West Ham United.

Jones, playing in the position Szoboszlai usually occupies, dragged a central defender with him into midfield, encouraging a long pass over the top aimed towards Salah.

He let the ball run for Luis Diaz on this occasion, who had created chaos with his own positioning, before Salah darted into the box to set up Cody Gakpo.

Gakpo's goal v West Ham

There is also a sense Liverpool are filling the opposition box with more onrushing players under Slot’s stewardship.

They have always got men in the penalty area, but with a No 10 closer to the forwards, and one of the two other midfielders given license to rush into the area too, they consistently create numerical overloads.

This pinpoint cross by Salah for Gakpo helped them score at home to Fulham, with the Dutch wide man joining in to create a 3v2.

Gakpo's goal v Fulham

Salah also profited from Liverpool’s "numbers game" in the 3-3 draw against Newcastle United at St James’ Park, sprinting into the box to fashion a 3v2 that saw him finish from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross.

Liverpool target these kinds of moments with purposeful authority under Slot, where they occupy central defenders to help them score more goals.

Salah's first goal v Newcastle

Salah also seems to be staying wider under Slot, and without a right-sided box-to-box player in close proximity all the time, he is finding extra space.

These "passes received networks" show the difference between last season and 2024/25.

This subtle change usually means there are fewer defenders in Salah’s vicinity than before.

Salah's passes received network 23/24

Salah's passes received network 24/25

Does this help Salah isolate his markers with greater frequency? Yes, it does.

And pleasingly for the Egyptian, Slot’s Liverpool are just as willing to clip aerial passes over opposition left-backs for him to run onto.

Four Salah goals and four of his assists have directly come from angled passes lofted over the full-back for him to chase, with several others featuring that trait earlier in the move.

This Ryan Gravenberch pass (below) forced a dreadful mistake from Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, with Salah running through to score into an empty net.

Salah's first goal v Southampton

If opponents hold a high line with limited pressure on the ball they are asking for trouble against Liverpool, and in particular Salah, who lives for this type of sprint.

These charts from The Athletic highlight how Slot’s changes to Liverpool’s strategic approach have impacted Salah’s game.

This new set-up allows him to stretch play in wider positions, while simultaneously helping him get onto the ball more frequently inside the opposition box.

That is a win-win for the player and his head coach.

Relishing Man Utd encounter

Salah scored once and provided two assists in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford earlier this season, and will fancy extending his hot streak against a Man Utd side who are badly struggling for form.

They are one of his favourite opponents too, with Salah scoring 12 goals and supplying six assists against United, both more than any other team in Premier League history.

Based on their respective performance levels of late, it would be a surprise if Liverpool and Salah do not run wild at Anfield against Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered side.

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