Liverpool FC is having a season for the ages and the primary reason is the magic being created by Mohamed Salah. Salah has been nothing short of magnificent with his goal scoring and passionate play for LFC this season and it was rewarded tonight with him winning the PFA Player of the Year award. It’s a reward well-earned and long may his form continue. Salah beat out three Manchester City players, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Leroy Sane, David de Gea of Manchester United and Harry Kane from Tottenham for the award. While none can argue about the success Man City has had this season, led by De Bruyne, no player has had the impact Salah has had on his team and the results he gets on the pitch speak to that. City have been run away league winners this season but Salah has consistently stolen the spotlight because of his goal scoring and the energy he has breathed into a legendary club. He’s also had a profound impact on the International scene by leading his nation, Egypt, to the World Cup Finals which are being played this summer in Russia.
Nobody expected Salah to have the impact on Liverpool that he has had this season. After failing to sign him a few seasons back, Liverpool have managed to secure his services without much fanfare, although they did set a club record with the signing last summer. We all hoped he would make a positive influence on the team but we went into the season concerned that the team still did not have a legitimate center forward and our star player, Philipe Coutinho, was clearly unsettled by FC Barcelona’s attempt at signing him last summer. Bobby Firmino is a very good player and he was being considered a false 9 for Liverpool and we all hoped this arrangement would manifest into something positive for the team. We had Sadio Mane and we all knew he was good but how will they all work together? Will Coutinho be able to replicate last year’s form and play through all the drama surrounding his tumultuous summer? What has happened is nothing short of magnificent. In spite of ultimately losing Coutinho in January to Barca, the team pressed on and Firmino has solidified himself as not only a solid #9 center forward but he also creates many of the goals that both Salah and Mane have scored and he’s pitched in with 25 goals himself. Mane’s form has not been stellar this season but he still has 17 goals. Salah, however, has been the catalyst, as he draws so much attention from defenders because of his speed, desire and industry and this has led to an incredible 41 goals and 11 assists from 46 appearances this season, with more to come. His impact electrified the club before Coutinho’s departure and has buoyed the team after it to a point that many do not miss the Brazilian playmaker. To date, the team has banged in 123 goals in all competitions and we still have a handful of games left.
Liverpool are currently 3rd in the EPL table and this position seems secure as of this writing. It would take quite a bit of good fortune for Chelsea to catch Liverpool in the standings with only 3 games left for Liverpool and 4 for Chelsea, with a game between these two teams coming up in a couple of weeks. Chelsea have to win this game and get a ton of help from other teams to have any chance at catching Liverpool, as a Liverpool win would see them clinch a spot in the top 4. Outside of that, Liverpool find themselves in the semi-finals of the Champions League and are matched up with Salah’s former club, Roma. This element adds a ton of spice to this matchup as Salah was with Roma last season and he clearly enjoyed his time playing in Rome. The first leg is at Anfield and Liverpool will hope to take a lead and a clean sheet to Rome and secure a spot in the final. Liverpool are the darlings of the Champions League and I’m sure UEFA would love to match them up with either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final, no disrespect to Roma. It’s hard for me to pick a desired opponent, as Madrid have won this trophy more times than anyone and a Madrid/Liverpool final would be a huge draw but then there is Bayern, who have pursued Liverpool’s coach, Jurgen Klopp, in the past and I’m sure they would like nothing more than to bring Klopp back to his home country to lead them. But before we jump to conclusions, Salah must lead his current club past his old club in the Champions League and hold another one of his old clubs off in the EPL! You can’t write a better script for the end of this season and we will all be on the edge of our seats for the next few weeks while this all unfolds.
Liverpool have been exciting and frustrating this season and the main reason for all the excitement is the PFA Player of the Year, Mohamed Salah. Let’s hope that Salah and Liverpool can finish the EPL season strong and end the season with Champions League glory. The legendary season he has had deserves nothing less.