MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR SALAH

Is he suffering a dip in form or does the Egyptian king need to reinvent himself in a revamped Liverpool team?

- BY IAN DOYLE

THE jeers that greeted Mohamed Salah on his latest return to former club Chelsea at the weekend were nothing new to the Liverpool winger.

But for arguably the first time in his Anfield career, the Egyptian is facing genuine questions about his place in the team.

A blunt showing at Stamford Bridge was the latest in a series of hugely underwhelming displays.

It isn't that the 33-year-old has stopped producing reasonable numbers, having registered three goals and three assists in 10 appearances this term.

Indeed, his tally of four goal contributions in seven Premier League games is bettered by only six players. But a deeper dive into the numbers highlights a player struggling for form.

Perhaps the most alarming statistic from Saturday was that Salah didn't complete a successful dribble or go past a player once, and had the fewest touches of any outfield player who played 90 minutes.

His successful dribble rate is now just 12.5 percent, compared to 42.3 percent last season.