Mo Salah

[giorno]

he doesn’t make me feel anything. clearly a good player and scores loads of goals. especially against us. but it doesn’t feel like it used to when someone like henry was scoring. could be because we were better then, could be that his goals tended to be worldies, rather than from balls that ricocheted off 5 people before landing at his feet for a tap in. he’s good, but he’s not memorable. i’m not telling my grandkids i was lucky enough to see salah play.

Eh. Think it has more to do with him playing foe Liverpool

I still kinda feel someone like Suarez 13/14 was better for some reason

Because he was. Numbers don't tell the whole story but they do give you an idea:

12/13 30G 7A
13/14 31G 13A
14/15 25G 23A
15/16 59G 24A
16/17 36G 20A
17/18 31G 20A

Luis Suarez has a case for being the 3rd best player of this century

 

[PickledRed]

he doesn’t make me feel anything. clearly a good player and scores loads of goals. especially against us. but it doesn’t feel like it used to when someone like henry was scoring. could be because we were better then, could be that his goals tended to be worldies, rather than from balls that ricocheted off 5 people before landing at his feet for a tap in. he’s good, but he’s not memorable. i’m not telling my grandkids i was lucky enough to see salah play.

I’ve been at Anfield when Salah scored 4 against Watford.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah almost took the net off with a thunderbastard against Chelsea.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah danced around the City defence and slotted home.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah nailed it into the top corner against Brighton to overturn a deficit.

Seven years between the first and last instance and I’ve seen loads in between.

He’s phenomenal. You not feeling anything is fine. Have your Henry nostalgia. I’m seeing a lot of therapeutic posts about the good old days recently.

Being in Anfield when Salah does something insane is incredible. Your grandkids are missing out.

 

[DarkLord1984]

I’ve been at Anfield when Salah scored 4 against Watford.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah almost took the net off with a thunderbastard against Chelsea.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah danced around the City defence and slotted home.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah nailed it into the top corner against Brighton to overturn a deficit.

Seven years between the first and last instance and I’ve seen loads in between.

He’s phenomenal. You not feeling anything is fine. Have your Henry nostalgia. I’m seeing a lot of therapeutic posts about the good old days recently.

Being in Anfield when Salah does something insane is incredible. Your grandkids are missing out.

I have never seen this term before. But it is awesome, and I will be using it going forwards. Thanks for this.

Thunderbastard!!!!

 

[rimaldo]

I’ve been at Anfield when Salah scored 4 against Watford.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah almost took the net off with a thunderbastard against Chelsea.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah danced around the City defence and slotted home.

I’ve been to Anfield when Salah nailed it into the top corner against Brighton to overturn a deficit.

Seven years between the first and last instance and I’ve seen loads in between.

He’s phenomenal. You not feeling anything is fine. Have your Henry nostalgia. I’m seeing a lot of therapeutic posts about the good old days recently.

Being in Anfield when Salah does something insane is incredible. Your grandkids are missing out.

your lot feel the same about jay spearing.

and it’s nothing to do with it being liverpool. i’ll remember gerrard more fondly than salah. i think van dijk and allisson are also more memorable. you can at least say they were the archetypal cb and goalkeeper for that generation of football.

salah’s good, but he’s not captivating. no amount of peter drury shouting “mo salah” as he smashes a 4th past check notes watford, will change that.

it’s obvious he’ll have liverpool hearts. i don’t think he’s winning many others though; other than the freaks who think football is best viewed via the medium of an excel pivot table.

raphina seems to be on a similar trajectory at barcelona, rodrygo at real madrid. good players, but i won’t look back with moist loins, wishing i was still watching them run fast past players who were out of position. i’m willing to say van nistelrooy is the same kind of player for us. adored by our fans, a great record, but clearly not in the parthenon on greats.

i will likely tell my grandkids how robotic the all new ‘ai v3.1 ghanaian hybrid winger with realistic human hair’ is that they’re idolising compared to how eden hazard used to float on the ball. i probably won’t compare him to salah, but i might blame salah for being the missing link between the two though.

 

[Melbourne Red]

I have never seen this term before. But it is awesome, and I will be using it going forwards. Thanks for this.

Thunderbastard!!!!

Pretty common one actually. Also, there's at least one thread on here called "Thunderbastards" devoted to history's greatest thunderbastards.

Some proper thunderbastards in there.

 

[rimaldo]

Eh. Think it has more to do with him playing foe Liverpool

look at the unbridled skill here;



when i think of fullbacks i think of cafu, carlos, maldini, o’shea.

 

[erikcred]

your lot feel the same about jay spearing.

and it’s nothing to do with it being liverpool. i’ll remember gerrard more fondly than salah. i think van dijk and allisson are also more memorable. you can at least say they were the archetypal cb and goalkeeper for that generation of football.

salah’s good, but he’s not captivating. no amount of peter drury shouting “mo salah” as he smashes a 4th past check notes watford, will change that.

it’s obvious he’ll have liverpool hearts. i don’t think he’s winning many others though; other than the freaks who think football is best viewed via the medium of an excel pivot table.

raphina seems to be on a similar trajectory at barcelona, rodrygo at real madrid. good players, but i won’t look back with moist loins, wishing i was still watching them run fast past players who were out of position. i’m willing to say van nistelrooy is the same kind of player for us. adored by our fans, a great record, but clearly not in the parthenon on greats.

i will likely tell my grandkids how robotic the all new ‘ai v3.1 ghanaian hybrid winger with realistic human hair’ is that they’re idolising compared to how eden hazard used to float on the ball. i probably won’t compare him to salah, but i might blame salah for being the missing link between the two though.

Holy copium. It's okay, the title is gone. There's always next season.

 

[DarkLord1984]

Pretty common one actually. Also, there's at least one thread on here called "Thunderbastards" devoted to history's greatest thunderbastards.

Some proper thunderbastards in there.

Magnificent.

 

[rimaldo]

Holy copium. It's okay, the title is gone. There's always next season.

i haven’t cared about the title for over a decade now. we’re nowhere near one. anyway, must dash ‘hubert reginald xg hunter’ has just dropped a video on youtube about the most press resistant players ever. despite never stepping foot onto grass to play football in his life, he just gets football.

 

[PickledRed]

your lot feel the same about jay spearing.

and it’s nothing to do with it being liverpool. i’ll remember gerrard more fondly than salah. i think van dijk and allisson are also more memorable. you can at least say they were the archetypal cb and goalkeeper for that generation of football.

salah’s good, but he’s not captivating. no amount of peter drury shouting “mo salah” as he smashes a 4th past check notes watford, will change that.

it’s obvious he’ll have liverpool hearts. i don’t think he’s winning many others though; other than the freaks who think football is best viewed via the medium of an excel pivot table.

raphina seems to be on a similar trajectory at barcelona, rodrygo at real madrid. good players, but i won’t look back with moist loins, wishing i was still watching them run fast past players who were out of position. i’m willing to say van nistelrooy is the same kind of player for us. adored by our fans, a great record, but clearly not in the parthenon on greats.

i will likely tell my grandkids how robotic the all new ‘ai v3.1 ghanaian hybrid winger with realistic human hair’ is that they’re idolising compared to how eden hazard used to float on the ball. i probably won’t compare him to salah, but i might blame salah for being the missing link between the two though.

He’s acclaimed by the football world. He’s rightly seen as a great. But he’s teetering towards Henry-levels so we’ll pretend he’s just efficient.

The soothing balm of mental gymnastics. Lovely.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

He’s acclaimed by the football world. He’s rightly seen as a great. But he’s teetering towards Henry-levels so we’ll pretend he’s just efficient.

The soothing balm of mental gymnastics. Lovely.

It's amusing to watch
All rationality goes out the window at times.

 

[Remember the geese]

He’s acclaimed by the football world. He’s rightly seen as a great. But he’s teetering towards Henry-levels so we’ll pretend he’s just efficient.

The soothing balm of mental gymnastics. Lovely.

In my view, Henry was a lot more captivating. He was an entertainer in a way that Salah isn't. More naturally talented and a better player in general.

 

[RobinLFC]

your lot feel the same about jay spearing.

and it’s nothing to do with it being liverpool. i’ll remember gerrard more fondly than salah. i think van dijk and allisson are also more memorable. you can at least say they were the archetypal cb and goalkeeper for that generation of football.

salah’s good, but he’s not captivating. no amount of peter drury shouting “mo salah” as he smashes a 4th past check notes watford, will change that.

it’s obvious he’ll have liverpool hearts. i don’t think he’s winning many others though; other than the freaks who think football is best viewed via the medium of an excel pivot table.

raphina seems to be on a similar trajectory at barcelona, rodrygo at real madrid. good players, but i won’t look back with moist loins, wishing i was still watching them run fast past players who were out of position. i’m willing to say van nistelrooy is the same kind of player for us. adored by our fans, a great record, but clearly not in the parthenon on greats.

i will likely tell my grandkids how robotic the all new ‘ai v3.1 ghanaian hybrid winger with realistic human hair’ is that they’re idolising compared to how eden hazard used to float on the ball. i probably won’t compare him to salah, but i might blame salah for being the missing link between the two though.

Which current players fit that mould then? Hazard is a good example, but the more the game evolves the fewer players are like that. It's not like every other great team has a Ronaldinho, young Cristiano, Neymar, ... these days. And the ones who have that abililty likely get it coached out of them because it doesn't fit the overall tactical picture.

 

[rimaldo]

It's amusing to watch
All rationality goes out the window at times.

and that’s what your brain’s trust doesn’t seem to understand. when it comes to “best ever,” “best of a generation,” these are never objective. they’re based on emotion, they’re based on how those moments felt. salah might win minds with his output, but he won’t win hearts. when i watch him do something with a ball, i never think “shit, how has he done that?”

it’s not his fault, football is currently all percentages and stats, i don’t watch sport for that though. i watch sport to escape from that.

ronaldo’s ego is in danger of collapsing in on itself as he can’t understand why he’s not universally heralded as the best ever. it’s because he was actually at his best during his first stint with us. he got you on the edge of your seat, you expected him to do something out of the world whenever he got the ball. he then turned i”himself into a stats monster and then it’s “oh he scored again, how surprising.” he lost the mystique that made him stand out. salah doesn’t have that.

tennis is the same, novak is the best on paper, but he doesn’t have the game that makes you think “i’d trade it all for nadal’s forehand. or federer’s backhand.” no amount of grandslams changes that.

 

[ekestubbe]

I still kinda feel someone like Suarez 13/14 was better for some reason

Didn't Suarez miss like 10 games due to suspension that season?

 

[giorno]

tennis is the same, novak is the best on paper, but he doesn’t have the game that makes you think “i’d trade it all for nadal’s forehand. or federer’s backhand.” no amount of grandslams changes that.

I get what you're saying but what you'd take is Fed's backhand?!?!

 

[DannyCAFC]

Eh. Think it has more to do with him playing foe Liverpool


Because he was. Numbers don't tell the whole story but they do give you an idea:

12/13 30G 7A
13/14 31G 13A
14/15 25G 23A
15/16 59G 24A
16/17 36G 20A
17/18 31G 20A

Luis Suarez has a case for being the 3rd best player of this century

So how does that make Suarez 13/14 season better exactly?

Suarez 31+12 in 33 games (1.3 goal contributions per game / per 69 mins)
Salah 25+17 in 28 games so far (1.5 goal contributions per game / per 59 mins)

You are contradicting yourself saying numbers give you a strong idea, quoting the numbers, yet they show Salah is more productive.

 

[Hammondo]

and that’s what your brain’s trust doesn’t seem to understand. when it comes to “best ever,” “best of a generation,” these are never objective. they’re based on emotion, they’re based on how those moments felt. salah might win minds with his output, but he won’t win hearts. when i watch him do something with a ball, i never think “shit, how has he done that?”

it’s not his fault, football is currently all percentages and stats, i don’t watch sport for that though. i watch sport to escape from that.

ronaldo’s ego is in danger of collapsing in on itself as he can’t understand why he’s not universally heralded as the best ever. it’s because he was actually at his best during his first stint with us. he got you on the edge of your seat, you expected him to do something out of the world whenever he got the ball. he then turned i”himself into a stats monster and then it’s “oh he scored again, how surprising.” he lost the mystique that made him stand out. salah doesn’t have that.

tennis is the same, novak is the best on paper, but he doesn’t have the game that makes you think “i’d trade it all for nadal’s forehand. or federer’s backhand.” no amount of grandslams changes that.

Rose tinted glasses on maximum here.

 

[giorno]

So how does that make Suarez 13/14 season better exactly?

my point was Suarez was a better player, not that he had a better season

 

[rimaldo]

Which current players fit that mould then? Hazard is a good example, but the more the game evolves the fewer players are like that. It's not like every other great team has a Ronaldinho, young Cristiano, Neymar, ... these days. And the ones who have that abililty likely get it coached out of them because it doesn't fit the overall tactical picture.

totally agree. it’s really tricky with football currently. all that individuality is sacrificed for percentages. salah is immense at making the right decision with the ball and he’s had great success at liverpool. i’m not knocking salah’s output, or what he is doing week in, week out. he’s a modern day marvel, he just leaves me cold.

I get what you're saying but what you'd take is Fed's backhand?!?!

compared to novak, yes. might be his floppy hair, but there’s something poetic about his body shape and the way he hit his backhand down the line.

Rose tinted glasses on maximum here.

thank you. you understand.

 

[DannyCAFC]

my point was Suarez was a better player, not that he had a better season

But that's not what the post said that you responded to with your argument? The comment was solely Suarez 13/14 season vs Salah this season.

 

[CunningLinguist]

he’s good, but he’s not memorable. i’m not telling my grandkids i was lucky enough to see salah play.

Possibly, but he's been putting in such insane numbers which will ensure that your grandkids will be asking you about him.

 

[Pexbo]

Possibly, but he's been putting in such insane numbers which will ensure that your grandkids will be asking you about him.

You clearly haven’t met his grandkids

 

[Morty_]

Would anyone really rather watch Torres over Salah? I've always found the former rather overrated, overly reliant on pace, and once that was gone, he was done as a top player, short peak too.

This just sounds like nostalgia to me.

 

[Kwabs]

he doesn’t make me feel anything. clearly a good player and scores loads of goals. especially against us. but it doesn’t feel like it used to when someone like henry was scoring. could be because we were better then, could be that his goals tended to be worldies, rather than from balls that ricocheted off 5 people before landing at his feet for a tap in. he’s good, but he’s not memorable. i’m not telling my grandkids i was lucky enough to see salah play.

I feel similarly. People will always try and throw his numbers at you, but I'm just basing my opinion on watching him play. However, I do think it is fair to say that he's the best player in the Premier League right now, quite easily.

 

[horsechoker]

We must sign the next Mo Salah

 

[Kwabs]

Going to absolutely batter Henry 20/20 season. Could probably do it in their next PL game if he is not rested against Southampton.

In numbers, yes. Not in quality.

 

[B20]

Would anyone really rather watch Torres over Salah? I've always found the former rather overrated, overly reliant on pace, and once that was gone, he was done as a top player, short peak too.

This just sounds like nostalgia to me.

The efficiency part is a weird angle. Yes he's efficient, obviously. But one gets the impression it gets formed along the lines of

Salah curls an outside of the boot through-ball over 25 yards for a team mate to score - ....
Salah dribbles past the entire city defence to score - ....
Salah pounces on a loose ball in the box to slot home - "he's efficient, I'll give you that, but that's all he is."

 

[Morty_]

The efficiency part is a weird angle. Yes he's efficient, obviously. But one gets the impression it gets formed along the lines of

Salah curls an outside of the boot through-ball over 25 yards for a team mate to score - ....
Salah dribbles past the entire city defence to score - ....
Salah pounces on a loose ball in the box to slot home - "he's efficient, I'll give you that, but that's all he is."

Yeah, Salah is plenty impressive, and yet he gets talked about by some here like he he camps the box like Inzaghi or something.

 

[Fenômeno]

Some are talking like he just scores tap ins (similar to how Ronaldo detractors incorrectly describe him). As he has aged he's conserving his energy more and is drifting in and out of games so it may appear he's less influential, but the goals he scores are very varied and a lot are aesthetically pleasing too demonstrating a high level of technique and skill, what's also remarkable is his assist record and his final third passing and crossing is top class.

During his younger days he was more involved in the game and dribbled a lot more, but it's a sign of a good player that you can adapt as you change physically. I think Haaland is more of a fair description of someone who has an extremely high output but scores mostly 'boring' goals while also not being remarkable at any other aspect of the game, this certainly does not apply to Salah.

 

[B20]

Some are talking like he just scores tap ins (similar to how Ronaldo detractors incorrectly describe him). As he has aged he's conserving his energy more and is drifting in and out of games so it may appear he's less influential, but the goals he scores are very varied and a lot aesthetically pleasing too demonstrating a high level of technique and skill, what's also remarkable is his assist record and his final third passing and crossing is top class.

You can add hold-up play and forward carries to his outstanding qualities as well.

 

[RobinLFC]

Might be because he runs a bit funny and doesn't move as gracefully as Henry did.

I thought multiple times yesterday he looked a bit greedy and too eager to score when he should've passed the ball earlier on the right side of the box, but I guess that's understandable once the win is secured and you want your name on the scoresheet. Hopefully he scores early on against Southampton otherwise Slot might leave him on for the entire game instead of giving him some well earned rest.

 

[rimaldo]

I feel similarly. People will always try and throw his numbers at you, but I'm just basing my opinion on watching him play. However, I do think it is fair to say that he's the best player in the Premier League right now, quite easily.

agreed.

 

[rimaldo]

Might be because he runs a bit funny and doesn't move as gracefully as Henry did.

I thought multiple times yesterday he looked a bit greedy and too eager to score when he should've passed the ball earlier on the right side of the box, but I guess that's understandable once the win is secured and you want your name on the scoresheet. Hopefully he scores early on against Southampton otherwise Slot might leave him on for the entire game instead of giving him some well earned rest.

as stupid as it sounds, that’s kind of the crux of it. kids might be pretending to be mo salah on the playground, but i don’t think they’re imitating him.

 

[Kwabs]

The efficiency part is a weird angle. Yes he's efficient, obviously. But one gets the impression it gets formed along the lines of

Salah curls an outside of the boot through-ball over 25 yards for a team mate to score - ....
Salah dribbles past the entire city defence to score - ....
Salah pounces on a loose ball in the box to slot home - "he's efficient, I'll give you that, but that's all he is."

No one is saying that he's Inzaghi (despite another poster's strawman attempt in this regard) or that he's not a creative player, but there is something lacking with him in his all round performances, in comparison to his generational great to all time great peers. I don't think that's a controversial opinion.

I mean, I saw what it was like when Henry was really flying and so I can't be gaslit into thinking that Salah is not just 'very efficient' in comparison. There is certainly less magic there.

 

[Bole Top]

there are very few players left that are worth watching and he's one of them.

 

[JP77]

Eh. Think it has more to do with him playing foe Liverpool


Because he was. Numbers don't tell the whole story but they do give you an idea:

12/13 30G 7A
13/14 31G 13A
14/15 25G 23A
15/16 59G 24A
16/17 36G 20A
17/18 31G 20A

Luis Suarez has a case for being the 3rd best player of this century

Suarez is most certainly not the third best player of this century, that’s insane.

 

[JP77]

As for Salah, he’s insanely good at this point, it’s quite surprising imo how great he’s been this season in fact as despite the numbers last year he wasn’t anywhere near as good as he’s playing this season. There’s not a better footballer currently in world football, not just the premier league. Can’t really argue that he’s one of the best at this point in Premier League history.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

and that’s what your brain’s trust doesn’t seem to understand. when it comes to “best ever,” “best of a generation,” these are never objective. they’re based on emotion, they’re based on how those moments felt. salah might win minds with his output, but he won’t win hearts. when i watch him do something with a ball, i never think “shit, how has he done that?”

it’s not his fault, football is currently all percentages and stats, i don’t watch sport for that though. i watch sport to escape from that.

ronaldo’s ego is in danger of collapsing in on itself as he can’t understand why he’s not universally heralded as the best ever. it’s because he was actually at his best during his first stint with us. he got you on the edge of your seat, you expected him to do something out of the world whenever he got the ball. he then turned i”himself into a stats monster and then it’s “oh he scored again, how surprising.” he lost the mystique that made him stand out. salah doesn’t have that.

tennis is the same, novak is the best on paper, but he doesn’t have the game that makes you think “i’d trade it all for nadal’s forehand. or federer’s backhand.” no amount of grandslams changes that.

Way to make his point

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

But that's not what the post said that you responded to with your argument? The comment was solely Suarez 13/14 season vs Salah this season.

True. I think that Suarez is the better overall player but Salah is playing at a higher level than Suarez ever did during his Premier League days.