{"id":1427258,"date":"2026-01-29T13:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1427258"},"modified":"2026-01-29T13:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:03:57","slug":"liverpool-analysis-mo-salah-better-in-team-florian-wirtz","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/liverpool-analysis-mo-salah-better-in-team-florian-wirtz\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool analysis: Mo Salah shows why Reds are better with him in the starting XI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/liverpool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Liverpool<\/a>&#8216;s recent defeat to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/afc-bournemouth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bournemouth<\/a> ended a 10-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cherries scored in the last minute to clinch a deserved victory over the Reds. But the loss just so happened to coincide with Mo Salah&#8217;s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> start since Liverpool&#8217;s previous defeat to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/nottingham-forest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nottingham Forest<\/a> in mid-November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, of course, talk turned to whether Liverpool can blanace their team with Salah in the starting XI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arne Slot\u2019s side went from being fairly robust defensively &#8212; albeit having adopted a more defensive mindset in general across their 10 match unbeaten streak in the Premier League &#8212; to giving up three goals and allowing an Expected Goals total of 3.39 against the Cherries.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For context, Liverpool conceded nine goals from 8.1 xGC across their previous league games. Some fans even claimed that Liverpool were a top six team with Salah in the starting XI, and a title contender without him. This was a wild suggestion given none of the numbers, underlying or advanced, backed this idea up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there was some pressure on the Egyptian heading into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/champions-league-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Champions League<\/a> clash with Qarabag. If the Reds failed to win, regardless of whether or not he was directly involved in chances conceded, Salah&#8217;s role in the team would be unfairly scrutinised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-a-strong-qarabag-performance\" data-level=\"3\">A strong Qarabag performance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-salah-silencing-doubters\" data-level=\"3\">Salah silencing doubters<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-salah-s-position-change\" data-level=\"3\">Salah&#8217;s position change<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>SpreadEx Sign-Up Offer:\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n<p>SpreadEx are offering new customers the chance to get \u00a360 in free bets when they join and place \u00a310 in qualifying bets.<\/p>\r\n<p>To claim this offer, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Create your account by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/spreadex?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this link<\/a> or the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Register for your account by adding your details. It only takes a few minutes.<\/li>\r\n<li>Make your first deposit then place a \u00a310 single or \u00a310 each-way fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1\/2<\/li>\r\n<li>Get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets on consecutive days and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1393518\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-400x204.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-392x200.png 392w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-118x60.png 118w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-40x20.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86.png 1338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review\">\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review__bet\">\r\n<div class=\"warning\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a \u00a310 fixed odds single or \u00a310 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1\/2 and get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-strong-qarabag-performance\">A strong Qarabag performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The emphatic 6-0 win over Qarabag has gone some way to easing the pressure on Slot, Salah and the entire Liverpool team. It is difficult to take much from the victory over the Azerbaijani side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have been one of the surprises of the Champions League, beating Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica and Copenhagen, while also drawing with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/chelsea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chelsea<\/a>. But they are weak defensively. Qarabag went into the final matchday with an xGC of 14.14 from their opening seven games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The performance, and the result, isn&#8217;t a glimpse into the future. It should be treated as a game in isolation. But it doesn&#8217;t mean that certain performances should be ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexis Mac Allister scored twice and probably should have netted a hat-trick. Virgil van Dijk shocked everyone by registering three assists. Florian Wirtz continued his run of good form in front of goal with another effort from distance. Hugo Ekitike was, once again, a menace in attack, scoring and assisting. Because of this, some performances went a little under the radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those was Salah. He scored one goal, from a free-kick routine, and failed to provide an assist in a game that saw Liverpool have 38 shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yet it was one of his best performances of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-salah-silencing-doubters\">Salah silencing doubters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The game put to bed the idea that Salah can&#8217;t co-exist in the same XI as Wirtz. Prior to this, when one has impressed, the other has generally struggled. In this game, both players held their own.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-820x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1427271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-820x1024.png 820w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-1229x1536.png 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-214x267.png 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-160x200.png 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-48x60.png 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2-32x40.png 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123516\/image1-2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Salah may not have provided an assist, but he did created a joint-high seven chances. The only other player to carve out as many openings as Salah was Andrew Robertson. Salah also ranked second for Expected Assists with 1.12. The creative maestro that is Van Dijk topped the charts with 1.25 xA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salah adopted the role of creator at Anfield on Wednesday evening and the attack seemed to benefit from it. On another day, with the same chances created, he likely finishes with a couple of assists and everyone is waxing lyrical over his performance.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/smarkets-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SBK betting offer<\/a>: Bet \u00a310, get \u00a340 in free bets<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Eligible readers* interested in this SBK betting offer can follow <strong><a href=\"\/en\/go\/smarkets?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">THIS LINK<\/a> <\/strong>or click the image below.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/smarkets?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1422500\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145.png 625w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-208x267.png 208w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-156x200.png 156w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-47x60.png 47w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-117x150.png 117w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2022\/04\/06120811\/image-145-31x40.png 31w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">New UK customers only. 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A further \u00a310 Free Bet token will be credited 48 hours after the qualifying bet has been settled.\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/help.getsbk.com\/hc\/en-gb\/articles\/21601526176669-UK-Welcome-bonus-Bet-10-get-40-in-Free-Bets-T-C-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/help.getsbk.com\/hc\/en-gb\/articles\/21601526176669-UK-Welcome-bonus-Bet-10-get-40-in-Free-Bets-T-C-s\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Full T&amp;Cs<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">\u00a0apply, 18+.\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"http:\/\/gambleaware.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/GambleAware.org\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">GambleAware.org<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">.<\/i><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-salah-s-position-change\">Salah&#8217;s position change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Salah&#8217;s positioning on Wednesday night was interesting. Against Bournemouth, Salah was high and wide despite playing as a split striker alongside Cody Gakpo. With possession, Salah was supposed to be in more central areas. Without the ball, he&#8217;d drift to the right to make it a front four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when he was in possession, Salah had a lot of the ball in wide areas. He was isolated and failed to complete a take-on against the Cherries. He also created just two chances.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1427273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-1536x960.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-400x250.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-320x200.png 320w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-96x60.png 96w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-150x94.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3-40x25.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123525\/image3-3.png 1999w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>By comparison, Salah found himself a lot more central against Qarabag. He was able to combine with Wirtz and act more as a playmaker. He was the right-sided creator, with Wirtz on the left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s what fans that pictured in the summer when Wirtz was announced. It hasn&#8217;t been the case much this season, but Qarabag got to witness it first hand.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-820x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1427272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-820x1024.png 820w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-1229x1536.png 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-214x267.png 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-160x200.png 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-48x60.png 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4-32x40.png 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29123521\/image2-4.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With more space, Salah was able to complete more dribbles and create almost four times as many chances. As a whole, Liverpool were able to rack up 6.7 xG, thanks to everyone having a good game in attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Replicating that sort of output is going to be near impossible. But if the Reds can replicate that sort of dynamic in attack, both Wirtz and Salah can thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/champions-league-tips\/\"><strong>Champions League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/champions-league-outright-odds-qualification\/\"><strong>Champions League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liverpool&#8216;s recent defeat to Bournemouth ended a 10-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. The Cherries scored in the last minute to clinch a deserved victory over the Reds. But the loss just so happened to coincide with Mo Salah&#8217;s first Premier League start since Liverpool&#8217;s previous defeat to Nottingham Forest in mid-November. So, of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3567,"featured_media":1427259,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Mohamed Salah has reminded Liverpool fans of his quality and proved why the Reds are a much better side when he starts.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1427258","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Liverpool analysis: Mo Salah shows why Reds are better with him in the starting XI | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mohamed Salah has reminded Liverpool fans of his quality and proved why the Reds are a much better side when he starts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/liverpool-analysis-mo-salah-better-in-team-florian-wirtz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Liverpool analysis: Mo Salah shows why Reds are better with him in the starting XI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mohamed Salah has reminded Liverpool fans of his quality and proved why the Reds are a much better side when he starts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/liverpool-analysis-mo-salah-better-in-team-florian-wirtz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta 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