Arne Slot has done the unthinkable.
He’s, somehow, managed to improve Mohamed Salah.
The three-time Golden Boot winner was already regarded as one of the best forwards in Premier League history. The way he’s been performing this season has shifted the conversation entirely.
There’s now talk that he’s the best forward in Premier League history.
On current form, it is hard to argue against it.
The Liverpool No11 has 17 goals and 13 assists in 18 Premier League appearances this term. He’s on 30 goal involvements for the campaign already with 20 games to go.
For added context here, Cole Palmer had the most goal involvements in the English top-flight last season with 33.
Salah is just three away from that haul.
The 32-year-old is breaking records on an almost weekly basis right now.
He’s scored and assisted in eight Premier League matches this season, a record already with half of a season still to play.
He’s eclipsed David Beckham’s return of 80 assists in the Premier League. No player has reached 30 goal involvements in fewer matches either.
Twenty goals for Mohamed Salah for the eighth season in a row! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/w6Igj3iu7h
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 29, 2024
His goal and two assists in the 5-0 win over West Ham took him to 52 goal involvements in the English top-flight in 2024. No player across the top five European leagues managed more.
Salah was the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas following his star showing against Spurs, while he is also the first player since the competition began in 1992 to do the double-double, 10+ goals and 10+ assists, in four consecutive seasons.
The 2024/25 campaign is also the sixth Premier League season in which Salah has both scored and assisted 10 or more goals; the most of any player in the competition’s history.
Prior to this campaign, he was level with Wayne Rooney on five.
Records appear to be toppling on a matchday basis.
Thierry Henry’s record of 24 goals and 20 assists in a single campaign, a feat used to hammer home why the Arsenal forward is the greatest ever in the Premier League, appears to be in danger.
Salah needs just three goals and seven assists in 20 matches to become only the second player in history to register 20+ goals and 20+ assists.
People had shoehorned Eden Hazard into the Salah discussion when really the focus should’ve been on when Salah was going to replace Henry as the greatest ever attacker in Premier League history.
We’ll know the answer to that by the end of this season.
What has Slot done with Salah?
So how has Slot helped Salah develop from one of the best to the best?
The Dutch tactician deserves some credit for the numbers being put up by the Egypt international, though you do have to acknowledge a bit of luck was involved.
The former Roma man had a full pre-season for the first time in a long time. He’s benefited from it, as have Liverpool.
But there have been tactical tweaks to Salah’s role made by Slot and it is paying dividends.
For example, the 0.82 expected goals (xG) per 90 average is the highest of Salah’s career. The 0.63 non-penalty xG per 90 average is the second highest of his career, as is the 0.41 expected assists (xA) average he’s putting up.
The non-penalty expected goals involvement of 1.04 is the highest of his career.
The key attacking metrics are all up. Yet he’s taking fewer shots (3.5) than he’s averaged since the move to Merseyside.
He’s also attempted fewer passes (30) and had fewer touches in general.
Sometimes, less is more.
Slot has engineered situations for Salah to be more impactful by being less involved. When he gets the ball, he’s able to make things happen. The focus is on output.
The ex-Feyenoord boss is simply allowing the one-time Fiorentina forward to do what he is good at and that is to influence things in the final third.
It’s why, to go with the fewer touches and passes, he’s also averaging fewer tackles and challenges. Liverpool have stripped back his defensive responsibilities. They aren’t asking him to waste energy and time doing non-goalscoring things.
They aren’t tasking him with keeping the width either in the same way that Jurgen Klopp was.
The new shape being used by Slot, the 4-2-4, eases the physical burden on Salah.
Dominik Szoboszlai makes it a front four, moving up from midfield. From there, he does a lot of pressing and he’s high energy. It eases the workload on the right-winger so he’s fresher for the moments that matter.
When Szoboszlai isn’t in the starting XI, Curtis Jones will run himself into the ground.
Slot is putting a lot of emphasis on protecting and dominating the middle of the pitch. He then leaves Salah on the right and one from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz on the left to isolate their full-backs.
During transitional moments, the wide forwards thrive.
The Dutch manager has created a system whereby the attackers are having fewer shots and seeing less of the ball but they’re more threatening when they do get these opportunities.
Salah is having better value chances, as shown in the xG data, and he’s more of a threat even though his shot volume is down.
Slot has given Salah a platform to just score and assist. And that is exactly what he’s doing.
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