Mohamed Salah’s record as a forward could prove the making of an alternative plan

Mohamed Salah has an incredible record when it comes to playing as a forward. It’s something that could prove the creation of Jurgen Klopp’s alternative plan.

We have written quite recently about Liverpool playing 4-2-3-1. It’s an alternate system that we rarely saw last season but, more importantly, we saw in Community Shield this year.

Liverpool started that game terribly, but Jurgen Klopp turned things around in the second half. He played with a two in the middle of the field, put Roberto Firmino back at number 10, moved Sadio Mane to the right and led Takumi Minamino to play down the left.

And he made Salah the center forward.

Salah fit

Salah was fantastic on the weekend. He ran for Leeds United, tried to create, scored a fantastic goal and proved to be clinical from the penalty spot. His hat-trick was more than decisive: he saved Liverpool from embarrassment.

And it also showed just how good Salah can be when he’s at his game. He is virtually unstoppable, outscores defenders, and finds opportunities.

All of that combines wonderfully well if Klopp wants to go 4-2-3-1 this season, then, as Salah’s record in that system is phenomenal.

Central room

No matter where he plays, Salah is the main attacking threat in Liverpool. Mane can certainly have spells as the most dangerous player on the team, but things happen for Salah. After all, he had the most goals last season, as well as the most assists off the wing.

According to Understat, Salah played 30 games from the right last season. That generated the kind of result you’d expect: 17 goals and 10 assists. Fantastic numbers from an elite player.

But he also played as a forward three times last season, scoring two. And when you look at the previous season, the numbers get out of hand.

Salah played 24 bandwidth times in 18/19, scoring just nine and assisting two. But Klopp used 4-2-3-1 a lot that season, mainly as Fabinho got used to 4-3-3. As a result, Salah played 13 games as a forward.

And in that time, Salah scored 13 goals. Not only that, but he got another five assists. Overall, Salah’s track record as a center forward in his three years as a Liverpool player reads like this:

18 outputs
17 goals
5 assists

Those are truly sensational numbers.

Going forward

If Klopp wants to try an alternative system this year, then 4-2-3-1 is almost certainly the way to go. And if you really want to take advantage of the Salah form, then you could say the same.

The Egyptian thrives as a forward, putting up the kind of numbers few players in the world handle. Liverpool may not be at their best in the system, after all they are the best in the world at 4-3-3, but Salah is.

So the change would not only make Liverpool unpredictable, it would not only refresh the squad without the need for transfers, but it would further improve their best attacker.

And that’s a tremendously exciting prospect.