Chris Sutton says £34m Liverpool player has looked awful in pre-season, ‘his confidence is shot’

Liverpool didn’t get off to the best of starts to the new season over the weekend.

Indeed, Liverpool were unable to win the Community Shield on Sunday as they lost to Crystal Palace on penalties, and, for once, the player who was coming under criticism was Mohamed Salah.

Salah has been in Ballon d’Or winning form over the past 12 months, but on Sunday he wasn’t at his best, missing a decisive penalty in the shootout to cost Liverpool.

Speaking on The FPL Podcast, Chris Sutton has been discussing his picks for the upcoming Fantasy Premier League season, and he says that he won’t be having Salah this year, claiming that his confidence looks shot to bits.

Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

Chris Sutton makes Mohamed Salah claim

Sutton spoke about the idea of putting Salah in his FPL team.

The £34m man has been the best player in Fantasy Football for some time now, but Sutton isn’t backing him this season, claiming that he’s not looked as confident in this pre-season, missing two vital penalties.

Sutton queried the idea of putting Salah in his team, noting that his pre-season form hasn’t been great and he looks like he’s lacking confidence right now.

“Have you not seen Salah in pre-season? He’s ballooned two penalties over the bar. His confidence is shot to bits,” Sutton said.

Mohamed Salah record after crucial penalty miss for Egypt

Sutton has a point about Salah losing confidence after missing his penalty vs Crystal Palace.

Indeed, Salah has been here before. Back in March 2022, he missed a crucial penalty for Egypt that cost his country a place at the World Cup.

Salah would return to Liverpool after missing this penalty to finish the 2021/22 season, but his form did curtail during that time.

Mohamed Salah record after crucial penalty miss for Egypt Games 8 Goals 3

Three goals in eight games isn’t a terrible return, but it certainly isn’t Salah at his best.

Even the best players in the world experience dips in form and confidence, and worryingly, it does look like Salah could be setting up for a difficult spell.

Click here to read article