6 days ago
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Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The Liverpool manager says you don’t win big individual prizes without team titles—and Salah’s committed game against City is what winning those will take.
Mohamed Salah has been the best attacker in Europe’s top leagues this season. He has arguably been the best football player on the planet. He’s led Liverpool to the top of the Premier League and into the knockouts of the Champions League as the top side in the league phase.
On Sunday against defending champions Manchester City, he scored and got an assist in Liverpool’s 2-0 win. He’s the first player in the history of the Premier League to register at least 25 goals and 15 assists in a season. As a result of which there has been an increasing amount of Ballon d’Or talk.
“It’s a good thing that Mo is in the discussion because it means he does well and it means we are doing well,” said manager Arne Slot when asked about the chatter. “But for him to stay in that discussion he should bring in the same performances as he’s done for seven or eight months now.
“I think in general, someone that wins the Ballon d’Or needs to win something as well, so it is a great challenge in front of us and also for him. What I like a lot is he takes this challenge not only by scoring a big goal and a great assist also because his defensive work-rate [against City] was outstanding.”
With Liverpool up two goals and conceding possession to City, daring the Pep Guadiola’s side to unpack their defence, Salah suffered along with his teammates—doing the hard running off the ball that helped to ensure a clean sheet and three points to go eleven points clear in the title race.
It wasn’t just a high quality attacking performance on the ball from Salah, then. It was a fully committed one off it as well. It was the performance of a player determined not to see his side stumble; not to let the chance of Premier League glory and another league winners medal slip away.
“I think that is what it takes for us to have a chance of winning something and as a team,” Slot added. “And if we win something, he will have a far better chance to win an individual prize like the Ballon d’Or. Mo understands really well and his work-rate was very good and very helpful for us win.”
