Liverpool may be the current Premier League champions, but their title defence petered out before the year's end. Arne Slot's team have also found the battle for the top four challenging and were ousted from the Carabao Cup. However, they have reached the quarter-finals of both the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Whilst many of Liverpool's key players have underperformed this season, Mohamed Salah, as the club's figurehead, has perhaps borne the brunt of criticism more than most. Yet, the 33-year-old seemed to turn back time with a spectacular goal in the midweek Champions League match against Galatasaray.
However, his efforts haven't swayed a Liverpool legend who has lambasted the star. Meanwhile, another Anfield great has voiced his astonishment at a development involving Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Reds legend Graeme Souness believes Salah should conclude his Anfield tenure this summer, attributing the Reds' lacklustre season to the Egyptian.
Salah has had a difficult season in front of goal, netting just five times in the Premier League, and had a disagreement with Slot at the end of last year, which has since been resolved. Explaining his viewpoint to the Daily Mail, Souness said: "What happens, in my opinion and in my experience, is your career happens one of two ways.
"When you get to that sort of 33-34 age area, it's either falling off a cliff, or it's a slow decline. I think Salah is the former. I went to see the very first game of the season, the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, and I was sitting next to my young son, I said, 'I don't know what's wrong with him?' And then I thought, maybe he needs half a dozen games to get up to speed.
"But he's never improved. His numbers tell you that. His numbers are way down, and he is the single biggest reason why Liverpool are having an indifferent season. Because within that group of players, there'll be some that are feeling the pain, some are feeling the negativity that's around the place, and they're not responding very well to it.
"And when you're in that position, you need big players to stand up and be counted. And I think that's been a bit of a shock to Liverpool supporters, the manager and coaching staff, that those guys have not done that."
Asked whether the iconic winger should depart this summer, the three-time European Cup-winner responded: "Yes. His best is behind him now, there's no doubt about that.
"The first person to know that is yourself, and it happens to everyone. I don't see the same sparkle. I think if you're looking for the single biggest reason (for Liverpool's shaky form), it's because he's not been getting the numbers.
"He's been for six, seven years the Liverpool go-to man. He has completely changed games when it wasn't going their way, and he has scored a ridiculous number of goals every season. He's a great - a Liverpool great - but his best season is behind him."
Former Reds legend Gerrard has revealed that Trent Alexander-Arnold's England omission for this month's international fixtures came as a shock. The Real Madrid star was excluded from Thomas Tuchel's 35-man squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Alexander-Arnold hasn't featured for his country since the 1-0 victory over Andorra in June. Tino Livramento and Djed Spence were selected as England's right-backs, with Reece James sidelined through injury.
Gerrard was questioned about the right-back's absence on Saturday, and whether Tuchel's call had caught him off guard. He said: "Very much so.
"Listen, we've got some good options at right-back, Reece James is world class, I really like Livramento, I know he's had a couple of injuries but he can play both sides. I understand the selection, but I just think, 'is Trent among the best 35 players in this country?' Of course he is.
"There's going to be certain games where England have to open the door, they might be against a low block where it's really frustrating, and Trent is one of these players who can come off the bench and just completely change the game with one pass, he's that level of a player.
"So I am surprised, and I'm disappointed for him. But there's a lot of other situations that you've got to take into consideration. How much has he played? Is he physically at his best? Is there stuff going on off the pitch? Is it where he (Tuchel) doesn't want a group of players where those who aren't going to be in the XI that might be different people around the place.
"There's a lot that gets taken into consideration before you select a squad across a six-week period rather than for a one-off game."
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