Ferdinand, Crouch agree on ‘lost’ Liverpool star amid inconsistent Reds form
Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch both think Liverpool forward Mo Salah looks “lost at times” when he plays down the middle for the Reds.
The Egypt international has been out of sorts for large parts of this season with Jurgen Klopp trying to fix Liverpool’s poor start to the new campaign.
He has played down the middle and out wide at times this term but he’s only managed three goals in 11 Premier League starts.
Salah has fared much better in the Champions League, scoring six goals in five matches, including the opening goal as Liverpool beat Ajax 3-0 in the Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday night.
It has been argued that Salah’s recent lack of goals has been one of the main reasons why Liverpool have struggled this season, while others have put it down to Klopp’s tactics.
Ahead of their victory over Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday, Ferdinand and Crouch both demanded more from “lost” Salah.
Ferdinand said on BT Sport: “The big thing is the experience coming back into the team. You looked at the midfield at the weekend and there wasn’t that experience, and I am sure they will be able to navigate this game a little bit easier.
“When you look at the front three, in the final third you need that decision making in the final third and it didn’t happen against Forest, and I am sure today that the manager will have been working on that in the build-up to this game [vs Ajax].”
Crouch added: “I prefer Salah playing out wide as well, through the middle he is a little bit lost at times, out wide he is more dynamic. He makes players’ minds up and then they play the passes into those dangerous areas.
“If you highlight the positioning of Salah, look at his movement. When he is central, he is not as dynamic as he is out wide when he can make players’ minds up. Some of the movement, you have to make players make the pass and into your feet, or in behind.”
Darwin Nunez, who Liverpool signed for big money in the summer, was guilty of missing a huge chance before the interval in the Netherlands but he made up for it with a goal in the second half.
On Liverpool’s performance against Ajax and Nunez’s miss, Andy Robertson said: “We knew they had to win. They tried to start fast and I don’t think we calmed down quickly enough but the important thing was we didn’t concede. We managed to keep it tight and then it was about getting the first goal.
“We got the goal and in the second half we came through. Nice to get through before the last game.
“We had control. Darwin was really angry with himself at half-time. I sat next to him at half-time and told him I would put a cross in to his head for him to score.
“3-0 at this place, a really tough place to come and the clean sheet is so important for us now.”
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