Home All The News Neville points out Liverpool star who’s ‘frustrating’ his team-mates
Date published: Monday 8th February 2021 10:03 – Joe Williams
Gary Neville thinks Mo Salah will be “frustrating” his Liverpool team-mates with how much he gives the ball away in the opponents half.
The Egyptian has contributed 22 goals and six assists in all competitions this season and bagged the Reds’ only goal of the game as they lost 4-1 to Manchester City on Sunday.
That result means Jurgen Klopp’s men are now 10 points behind leaders City, who also have a game in hand, while they now look in danger of slipping out of the top four.
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Despite Salah converting a spot-kick to equalise for Liverpool, Neville thinks his team-mates must get frustrated by how much the 28-year-old gives the ball away,
“This is a place where they’ve been invincible for so long and you’ve just never seen Liverpool anything other than positive here,” the former Manchester United defender said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “They just are really tentative. They’re playing extra passes, they’re not being as direct in their attacking.
“That will point towards Thiago [Alcantara], naturally, I don’t think it’s just him, it’s just the fact that all across the team they’re being more safe. Liverpool’s team over the past three years have been breathtaking but they played with risk all the time.
“Salah. How many times does he give it away in the opposing half of the pitch where he tries to beat people? It’s frustrating. You see the rest of his team-mates frustrated. Mane as well, Firmino.
“The direct passes into them are not there. The risk is in their game isn’t there. The running in their game isn’t there. And things aren’t falling for them.
“They’ve had injuries. They’ve had a few years going for it at full pelt, the strange season that we’ve had, a number of things can actually just happen at once and it just feels like the perfect storm in terms of what’s happening at Liverpool.
“I don’t see it being a massive concern. There will be concern, you can go down the route of they’re one-season wonders, they were never that great. That’s not the right time to say these things. This Liverpool team have been great for three years, they need an opportunity to reset in this next few months, come back next season and go again.”