African MVP of the weekend: Mohamed Salah, the Pharaoh awakens
Mohamed Salah is rediscovering his form at just the right time for Liverpool. The Egyptian scored twice at Tottenham this weekend
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We knew the film "The Mummy Returns", but today at Liverpool, we are witnessing "the awakening of the Pharaoh". Mohamed Salah scored twice to give the Reds a 2-1 win at Tottenham in the Premier League's 15th-round showdown. That return to form for the 30-year-old Egyptian began on 12 October against Glasgow Rangers. Remember, SNA highlighted Salah's quiet start to the season that day. The response: a hat-trick, the fastest in Champions League history. No less.
Mohamed Salah is also the Champions League's top scorer with 7 goals. With his brace on Sunday, he now has 6 goals in the Premier League. Even though he is a long way behind leader Erling Haaland, the Reds' number 11 is rediscovering his scoring touch.
Mohamed Salah scores against Tottenham ⚽️
(🎥 @CanalplusFoot) pic.twitter.com/jjWMqTi5sV
— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) November 6, 2022
The return of the giant "killer"
Since that famous 12 October and SNA's warning, Mohamed Salah has scored nine goals in nine games in all competitions, 4 of them in the league. However, what stands out most is the opposition the Egypt international (83 caps, 45 goals) has taken down in that time. Four days after his hat-trick against Rangers, the former Roma man inflicted Manchester City's first (and only) defeat of the season (1-0).
Salah then scored against Ajax, and also against Leeds. This week in the Champions League, the 30-year-old found the net to beat Napoli and hand them their first defeat of the season in all competitions. He then struck against Tottenham on Sunday.
The World Cup to recharge the batteries
At the start of the season, Mohamed Salah clearly worried the many observers in England. Beyond his lack of efficiency, it was above all his physical condition that raised concern. Unable to dribble past opponents, outpace defenders or make as many runs as before, he struggled through his slump on the pitch. The numbers: just 5 goals in 11 games before facing Glasgow Rangers.
It must be said that last season, between Liverpool and Egypt, Salah ran himself ragged. The Egyptian played 51 games for the Merseyside club, 45 of them starts (31 goals, 15 assists). Liverpool reached the final of the Champions League, the League Cup and the FA Cup. With Egypt, he also reached the Africa Cup of Nations final and played in the 2022 World Cup play-offs against Senegal. In the Premier League, his side battled for the title until the last day. However, with no place at the 2022 World Cup, the Pharaoh will be able to rest before returning in late December. As a result, we should see an even more dazzling Mo Salah than in recent weeks. Liverpool (8th in the Premier League) can therefore aim for better in the second half of the season.