Khaberni - Mohamed Zidane, former player for Borussia Dortmund and the Egyptian national team, believes the English analysts' criticism of Mohamed Salah is "exaggerated and unfair" amid the overall decline in his team's performance this season, noting that the Liverpool star no longer needs to prove anything after all his accomplishments throughout his career.
Liverpool, the reigning English Premier League champions, has been struggling this season, having lost four matches in 10 rounds and currently sitting third with 19 points, six points behind the leader Arsenal, and facing Real Madrid on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League.
Salah, who led Liverpool to two Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining from Roma in 2017, has scored only four goals in the league in 10 matches so far.
Zidane stated exclusively to "Alarabiya.net": I see a severe exaggeration by the media in England in attacking Salah, everyone knows what he has provided over the past years, and he will remain a great source of pride for us with his achievements.
He added: What the English media is doing now by intensifying the attack on him is utterly unnatural and illogical considering all he has accomplished in terms of numbers and performance.
Zidane, who was Salah's teammate on the Egyptian national team, continued: We cannot reduce Liverpool's problems to Salah alone. Liverpool as a team has not been performing well recently, and it's not just Salah whose level has declined, so it's not fair to put the full responsibility on him.
Asked about the criticism by Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney of the Egyptian star, Zidane clarified: Blaming Salah alone is unfair, but at the same time, this is part of the burden that a player of his caliber and value carries. In my view, Salah possesses a very strong personality that enables him to cope with pressure.
He further stated: Salah has faced greater pressures during his peak periods and when breaking records. Yet, he always maintained his focus. The problem is not Salah alone but the entire team. Liverpool is not at its best, thus affecting Salah like the rest of the players.
