Mo Salah

One thing I'll say, he's done this before. Had an amazing first half of a season then gone off the boil second half. Happened in 21/22 when he was unplayable first half of the season (hat trick at OT, wonder goals vs City and Watford). Then second half he slowed down massively. Mane was the one who picked up.
 
One thing I'll say, he's done this before. Had an amazing first half of a season then gone off the boil second half. Happened in 21/22 when he was unplayable first half of the season (hat trick at OT, wonder goals vs City and Watford). Then second half he slowed down massively. Mane was the one who picked up.
Afcon is usually a big reason for this. Happened in 21/22 and again in 23/24. It’s very taxing on a player's body to play an international tournament midway a club season.
 
Nobody like him on the market. He is invaluable. You pay what you need to pay, or next year, these games are losses.
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.
Assists are the most unimportant stat in football. They don't include the sitters your team mates miss
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.

He's not as aesthetically pleasing as Henry but in that final third he's as decisive as they come. Brilliant football brain on him.
 
Assists are the most unimportant stat in football. They don't include the sitters your team mates miss
He plays with Nunez. Safe to say that in the “sitters your team mates miss” stat, Salah is an all time great.
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.
Stats are funny. He's nowhere near as good as Henry was.
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.
There's more goals per game in football generally in Salah's era than Henry's.

Not that that diminishes Salah's achievements. It's just slightly easier to score and assist at the big teams now than it was in the past
 
There's more goals per game in football generally in Salah's era than Henry's.

Not that that diminishes Salah's achievements. It's just slightly easier to score and assist at the big teams now than it was in the past

Personally i think this is bullsh*t.

Henry was playing at a time when the PL was a very average league and it was consistently United vs Arsenal just as it was Henry vs RVN. Everyone was crap so it was very lopsided & a 2 sided league that is still seen in most leagues to date.

Salah is playing in a league that has City, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Spurs, Aston Villa, Newcastle and so many good teams and obviously Liverpool themselves which increases the calibre of even more average teams like brighton for example.

Its the best league in the world & its been much more tough than in the past imo.
 
Personally i think this is bullsh*t.

Henry was playing at a time when the PL was a very average league and it was consistently United vs Arsenal just as it was Henry vs RVN. Everyone was crap so it was very lopsided & a 2 sided league that is still seen in most leagues to date.

Salah is playing against City, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Spurs, Aston Villa, Newcastle and so many good teams and obviously Liverpool themselves.

Its the best league in the world & its been much more tough than in the past imo.

Villa, Newcastle, Spurs of today aren’t better than Chelsea, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle of Henry’s time.
 
Personally i think this is bullsh*t.

Henry was playing at a time when the PL was a very average league and it was consistently United vs Arsenal just as it was Henry vs RVN. Everyone was crap so it was very lopsided & a 2 sided league that is still seen in most leagues to date.

Salah is playing in a league that has City, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Spurs, Aston Villa, Newcastle and so many good teams and obviously Liverpool themselves which increases the calibre of even more average teams like brighton for example.

Its the best league in the world & its been much more tough than in the past imo.
You can't think it's harder now surely?
The physicality allowed from defenders is much lower, there's very few top defenders now.

And most importantly Henry would just get it 30 yards out and be absolutely impossible to stop with pace and beating players. Salah's a totally different player, not in the same bracket.

And I'll never accept Ronaldo isn't above both as the only one of the 3 who won the b'allon dor in England.
Going on to be better after, or not having as many years here doesn't diminish that for me.
 
Stats are funny. He's nowhere near as good as Henry was.
Henry reached a cult status as one of, if not, the best players in premier league history. But to claim Salah isn't even close is ridiculous. Salah is up there amongst the best ever in the premier league.
 
Personally i think this is bullsh*t.

Henry was playing at a time when the PL was a very average league and it was consistently United vs Arsenal just as it was Henry vs RVN. Everyone was crap so it was very lopsided & a 2 sided league that is still seen in most leagues to date.

Salah is playing in a league that has City, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Spurs, Aston Villa, Newcastle and so many good teams and obviously Liverpool themselves which increases the calibre of even more average teams like brighton for example.

Its the best league in the world & its been much more tough than in the past imo.
A list of some of the CBs who Henry was up against for multiple seasons:

Rio
Terry
Campbell
Carvalho
Stam
Vidic
King

How many PL players can you name that Salah has been up against who are better at defending than the aforementioned players?
 
A list of some of the CBs who Henry was up against for multiple seasons:

Rio
Terry
Campbell
Carvalho
Stam
Vidic
King

How many PL players can you name that Salah has been up against who are better at defending than the aforementioned players?

Thats true, but did Henry have to play against things like teams pressing them & holding on to possession?

For me ever since Guardiola's Barcelona - football turned from an individualistic sport (where central defenders and central attackers were the main focus) to a much more team based organised sport.

I have to agree that individually the players are better (possibly seen more due to lack of team based tactics) but i dont think they played to the tactical level seen today.

You cant do it alone most of the time anymore - and just as much as the attacking output has increased due to more team based cohesion (what the original post was saying) defensively teams are playing much more team based defensive tactics aswell.

There's definitely less legendary defenders in current football but this is arguably seen with less legendary strikers in the modern game aswell and players/tactics like inside forwards which show the shift in tactics in this generation especially again after Guardiola's Barcelona where a cohesive team would out do players balanced much more on their individual ability as seen especially since the CL final we lost.

I didnt really rate Salah before, but after his form at the age of 32 & looking at his goals and stats - he has become a player i think is just a slight tier below the Messi/Ronaldo level & will go down as a legendary player if he can win one more significant trophy for Liverpool.
 
Thats true, but did Henry have to play against things like teams pressing them & holding on to possession?

For me ever since Guardiola's Barcelona - football turned from an individualistic sport (where central defenders and central attackers were the main focus) to a much more team based organised sport.

I have to agree that individually the players are better (possibly seen more due to lack of team based tactics) but i dont think they played to the tactical level seen today.

You cant do it alone most of the time anymore - and just as much as the attacking output has increased due to more team based cohesion (what the original post was saying) defensively teams are playing much more team based defensive tactics aswell.

There's definitely less legendary defenders in current football but this is arguably seen with less legendary strikers in the modern game aswell and players/tactics like inside forwards which show the shift in tactics in this generation especially again after Guardiola's Barcelona where a cohesive team would out do players balanced much more on their individual ability as seen especially since the CL final we lost.

I didnt really rate Salah before, but after his form at the age of 32 & looking at his goals and stats - he has become a player i think is just a slight tier below the Messi/Ronaldo level & will go down as a legendary player if he can win one more significant trophy for Liverpool.
Fair points. I agree that individual brilliance is being coached out of players at the expense of team based tactics, which I guess is why I struggle to put any of the current players in Europe on par with the some of the mavericks we saw 15-25 years ago.
 
He's now played 370 games for Liverpool, the same as Henry played for Arsenal, and scored 226 goals, the same as Henry scored for Arsenal.

Henry however, only had 93 assists vs Salah's 101 assists.
Said months ago in the Salah vs Bale (I think) thread that Henry was a fairer comparison. Glad the stats back that up
 
Henry reached a cult status as one of, if not, the best players in premier league history. But to claim Salah isn't even close is ridiculous. Salah is up there amongst the best ever in the premier league.
That's all well and good. It is my opinion that Salah isn't as good as Henry. Clear gap between them.
 
Thats true, but did Henry have to play against things like teams pressing them & holding on to possession?

For me ever since Guardiola's Barcelona - football turned from an individualistic sport (where central defenders and central attackers were the main focus) to a much more team based organised sport.

I have to agree that individually the players are better (possibly seen more due to lack of team based tactics) but i dont think they played to the tactical level seen today.

You cant do it alone most of the time anymore - and just as much as the attacking output has increased due to more team based cohesion (what the original post was saying) defensively teams are playing much more team based defensive tactics aswell.

There's definitely less legendary defenders in current football but this is arguably seen with less legendary strikers in the modern game aswell and players/tactics like inside forwards which show the shift in tactics in this generation especially again after Guardiola's Barcelona where a cohesive team would out do players balanced much more on their individual ability as seen especially since the CL final we lost.

I didnt really rate Salah before, but after his form at the age of 32 & looking at his goals and stats - he has become a player i think is just a slight tier below the Messi/Ronaldo level & will go down as a legendary player if he can win one more significant trophy for Liverpool.
Only a few teams do that….

why do people alwaaaaays do this. It’s a couple of teams who play that way successfully. Most teams Salah plays against won’t.
 
Only a few teams do that….

why do people alwaaaaays do this. It’s a couple of teams who play that way successfully. Most teams Salah plays against won’t.

Fair point but this also goes against the previous argument made that Henry faced some of the best defenders to ever play in the PL. Sure it's true that he did but the vast majority of them played for the top teams, the likes of Everton and Southampton didn't exactly line up with Maldini-Baresi at the back.
 
Everything they said about Mbappe, he's that and then some. He's done it year in, year out, absolute class player, shame he plays for that lot.
 
Thats true, but did Henry have to play against things like teams pressing them & holding on to possession?

For me ever since Guardiola's Barcelona - football turned from an individualistic sport (where central defenders and central attackers were the main focus) to a much more team based organised sport.

I have to agree that individually the players are better (possibly seen more due to lack of team based tactics) but i dont think they played to the tactical level seen today.

You cant do it alone most of the time anymore - and just as much as the attacking output has increased due to more team based cohesion (what the original post was saying) defensively teams are playing much more team based defensive tactics aswell.

There's definitely less legendary defenders in current football but this is arguably seen with less legendary strikers in the modern game aswell and players/tactics like inside forwards which show the shift in tactics in this generation especially again after Guardiola's Barcelona where a cohesive team would out do players balanced much more on their individual ability as seen especially since the CL final we lost.

I didnt really rate Salah before, but after his form at the age of 32 & looking at his goals and stats - he has become a player i think is just a slight tier below the Messi/Ronaldo level & will go down as a legendary player if he can win one more significant trophy for Liverpool.
You're right, it's turned into team based organised sport where the whole objective for the top teams is to get their best attackers into advanced positions to score and assist.

If Henry played for a top team today he'd be putting up even better numbers than he actually did.
 
You're right, it's turned into team based organised sport where the whole objective for the top teams is to get their best attackers into advanced positions to score and assist.

If Henry played for a top team today he'd be putting up even better numbers than he actually did.
If Henry played today, much of his flair and what made him Henry would've probably been coached out of him.
 
Comparing apples and oranges, different types of players. They would both get into the all time PL 11.