Forward has struggled for form and focus this season but Galatasaray display was reminder of his brilliance
I
t was perhaps as well that Mohamed Salah’s last game before the announcement of his departure from Liverpool was the home game against Galatasaray. After all the frustrations and disappointments of this season, all the games of drifting forlorn and disconnected on the right, after the missed penalty in the first half, here at last was a reminder of the player he had been.
It wasn’t just his goal, a characteristic left-footed whip into the top corner after cutting in from the right after a one‑two with Florian Wirtz, or even the low cross for Hugo Ekitiké’s goal or the fearsome shot that led to Ryan Gravenberch’s; it was the sense of menace, of gleeful mischief, of the way the crowd was gripped by anticipation when the ball came to him. Even if he is not granted another spell like that this season, at least he and Anfield had that chance to remember old times.
But this has been a troubled season, the loss of form, focus and confidence startlingly sharp. The death of Diogo Jota has, almost certainly, played a part. The season began with Salah standing alone before the Kop after scoring in the 4‑2 win against Bournemouth, as they sang their tribute to Jota and he wiped away the tears with his cuff. But there is rarely only one factor at play.
