Mohamed Salah must be a source of motivation for winger Jack Grealish.
Salah is the Premier League’s gold standard for wide forwards, and Grealish would most certainly study his style to achieve comparable heights as a player.
The two players are considerably different, with the Liverpool great being far more productive than the Manchester City technician, who profiles as a wide playmaker.
Jack Grealish has yet to reach half of Salah’s total league goal contributions in three and a half seasons with City, demonstrating the level he needs reach to be considered equal to the Egyptian.
As a result, it may be prudent for the Englishman to consider how he may improve his game by studying the factors that contributed to Mohamed Salah’s success.
After all, the former Roma forward is one of the most complete players in international football, let alone among widemen.
Jack Grealish feels Mohamed Salah has become a “incredible” playmaker at Liverpool.
Grealish has played against Salah numerous times and saw him wreak havoc in the flesh, so he is well aware of the latter’s exceptional abilities.
In any case, the 32-year-old has a good record against Manchester City, as evidenced by his assist and goal for Liverpool in their 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s side earlier this season.
Grealish told Bleacher Report that while Salah used to be significantly more direct, he has since grown into an excellent playmaker.
“Bro, Salah’s playmaking over the last couple of years is incredible and I’m not saying he couldn’t do it before but before, he was more like so direct, scoring and stuff.”
“But he gets so many assists now.”
Salah, one of Arsene Wenger’s favourite players, has clearly developed into a world-class creator, with 14 league assists this season and only seven away from matching Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s joint-record of 20 in a single season with 13 games remaining.
The one thing Grealish needs to learn from Salah to resurrect his Manchester City career
Finally, most wingers struggle to match the Champions League winner’s criteria.
Every wide attacker, including Grealish, can learn something from Salah.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the former’s style that the three-time Premier League winner should attempt to emulate is his productivity.
Salah has all the potential in the world, but his desire for goals and assists, mixed with his astute positioning at all moments, ensures he is in the right place and at the right time to cause havoc in the final third.
Grealish has struggled at Manchester City this season, and in order to restore his place in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup, he may need to become much more bankable as a goalscorer and creator.
The 28-year-old’s determination to make such a drastic shift in his game remains to be seen.
