Irishman John Aldridge, the legend of the English football club Liverpool, believes that the reason for the decline in the level of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah in penalty kicks is due to his lack of good mental condition for taking them.
And Mohamed Salah has caused a lot of controversy lately, conceding two consecutive penalties in less than a month.
The Egyptian “Pharaoh” did not convert a penalty in the match between Liverpool and its guest Arsenal (2: 2), which brought them together last Sunday evening, at the Anfield stadium, at the end of the 30th round of the English Premier League . .
Salah converted a penalty taken by fellow Portuguese striker Diogo Jota in the 30th minute, when the result indicated Arsenal’s progress (1-2), but hit the ball close to the left post, which was the second time he missed a penalty through month after the meeting with Bournemouth.
John Aldridge wrote in an article for the Liverpool Echo newspaper: “I used to tell some old players that I expected Mohamed Salah to miss a penalty. I could imagine what he would do with every punch. a lot of corners, but he had no confidence. “the same as it was.”
He added: “I previously conceded a penalty in the FA Cup Final in 1988 and after that we got a penalty against Manchester United and I asked Ian Molby to take it for me because I was not in the right mood. and he scored and we won 1-0.”
And the Liverpool legend continued: “I know what it’s like when you’re not in a good mood, Mohamed Salah is not in the mood to take a penalty at that moment, I think he should pass it on to someone.” otherwise, only until next season, when he can take over the job again.”
And he continued: “This kick will remain in his memory. I don’t think there will be another decisive match, because we are outside the top four places in the league. Unfortunately, at best we can play in the Europa League. This is where we are Now”.
And in conclusion, John Aldridge said: “If there are decisive penalties coming, I think Mo should take the responsibility off himself and give others the opportunity to pay them, but having said that, at the moment I don’t think we will play any other big game. “.
Germany’s Jurgen Klopp, manager of the Liverpool team, spoke about the possibility of Mohamed Salah’s penalty being removed in the coming period, indicating that he would hold a session with the player about this.
Klopp said in statements to the media after the Arsenal draw: “We’ll talk about that, but not here,” which opens the door a lot to the possibility of it happening in the future.
According to media reports, there are several players who can replace the Egyptian pharaoh in penalties, and this list is headed by the duo of James Milner and Fabinho, and the situation will become clearer in the coming period.
The irony is that Mohamed Salah mentioned in a previous media interview early last month that he hates taking penalties.
Mohamed Salah has conceded 4 of Liverpool’s last nine penalties and also missed an important penalty for Egypt when he missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Overall, Mohamed Salah has only conceded 5 of the 29 penalties he has converted for Liverpool in his 6 seasons with the team since 2017.
Source: media