Micah Richards appeared to have been slightly underwhelmed by the output of one Liverpool player in the 4-1 win over Ipswich on Saturday.
Cody Gakpo grabbed the headlines with two goals at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah also on target for Arne Slot’s side as they eased to victory over the Tractor Boys.
The Egyptian took his goal tally for the season to 23 in all competitions (along with his 17 assists), although the pundit was seemingly banking on the 32-year-old to have done even more damage against the East Anglian outfit.
Richards makes tongue-in-cheek Salah remark
Richards had made Salah the captain of his Fantasy Premier League team and remarked with tongue in cheek that, given the scoreline Liverpool racked up, our number 11 ought to have come away with more than just one goal from the match.
The ex-Manchester City defender said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I expected a little bit more, to be honest. Gakpo was the man. I expected more [from Salah]. When you see that many goals go in, you think ‘Come on, a couple of goals and an assist!’, but yeah, I can’t complain.”
Salah’s Liverpool future still hanging precariously in the balance
Salah mightn’t have scored as many FPL points as what Richards had been hoping, but the Egyptian was superb against Ipswich at the weekend.
Aside from his brilliantly taken goal, he won seven duels and two tackles, completed four of his six dribbles and recorded one key pass (Sofascore); and he terrorised Leif Davis to such an extent that the young left-back – who’s been having a fine season for Kieran McKenna’s side – was substituted at half-time.
There was also one piece of brilliant off-the-ball work as he raced back to dispossess Jaden Philogene and thwart a potentially dangerous counterattack from the Tractor Boys.
The discourse over the Egyptian’s future at Anfield shows no sign of slowing down as he enters the final five months of his Liverpool contract, with Al-Hilal reportedly set to lodge a ‘huge financial offer’ to try and entice the winger to Saudi Arabia.
Richards might’ve been expecting a higher G/A return from Salah on Saturday, but LFC fans will have been expecting far more proactivity on the club’s part to ensure that one of the greatest players in our history doesn’t prematurely slip away on a free transfer in the summer.
Even with major silverware well within our reach this season, securing a new deal for the 32-year-old would prompt almost as much joy from supporters as winning a trophy.
