Magic Mo is so good, he easily rivals De Bruyne in sprinkling the stardust
IT is not just the mounting splendour of the statistics, as phenomenal as they are.
It is not just the topping of various performance charts, as impressive as that is.
When it comes to acclaiming the outstanding footballer of this season’s Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne – a shoo-in for an age – has a serious rival. Mo Salah is that good. His value to this Liverpool team can be measured, if you wish, on his 32 goals in all competitions this season – the same tally as Newcastle United’s.
Or it can be gauged by his nine assists, his goals-per-minute ratio of one every 90 minutes or so, or his goal/assists-per-minute ratio (whatever that is) of one every 70 minutes or so. Maybe you would like to rank him on the fact he has scored more regularly in his debut Premier League season for Liverpool than Sergio Aguero did in his first campaign for Manchester City or Robin van Persie did in his opener with Manchester United.
But the numbers are only half the equation in this truly stunning run of form.
This was by no means Salah’s most brow-raising display. On occasion, the competition’s quickest feet dithered, occasionally he selected the dud option.
Yet for the attritional section of this match, it was always Salah who looked like making something happen.
It is Salah who tosses the stardust in this very well-structured Liverpool team,