Chris Waddle believes time is starting to catch up with Mohamed Salah and that Arne Slot has a tough balancing act on his hands at Liverpool.
Speaking to WhichBookie, the former Premier League winger said that even the very best eventually feel the pace of the modern game.
Waddle said Salah is finding it harder to keep up with the work required off the ball and that Liverpool have already seen moments this season where the right side has been exposed because he hasn’t been tracking back. He thinks the only way around that is to give Salah more freedom higher up the pitch, similar to how Florian Wirtz operates, and build the team around the idea that others will do the defensive legwork.
Players never want to admit age is becoming a factor, but Waddle feels it’s only natural. He believes Slot is handling things well by using Salah when it makes sense rather than throwing him into every game just because of his status.
Things like form, confidence and players adjusting their roles all influence match outcomes, and that’s exactly what we look at when putting together our daily footy tips.
Waddle also gave his thoughts on Sunderland and said their strong season so far owes a lot to the arrival of Granit Xhaka. He admitted he didn’t expect them to hit the ground running after spending heavily on players who weren’t household names, but everything has clicked so far. Xhaka, in particular, has been huge for them. Waddle described him as a leader on the pitch, someone who organises the team and brings real experience. Sunderland will face a tricky spell during AFCON, but he believes Xhaka will continue to be a steadying influence.
On Newcastle, Waddle praised Eddie Howe for turning the team into an attacking side that the fans love watching. Their midfield and wide players have been a big part of that. The concern, though, is the number of games. Their success last season means they’re involved in several competitions, and the added workload could catch up with them later in the campaign.
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