'That's what I think': Troy Deeney makes claim about Mohamed Salah that will absolutely shock Liverpool fans
Yesterday at 04:06 PM
Liverpool are well-placed to win the Premier League title this season.
Arne Slot’s men have been in sensational form this term, winning nine of their opening 11 games to put them top of the table ahead of the festive period.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 3 | ChelseaChelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 | ArsenalArsenal | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
There wasn’t much expectation about Liverpool before the season as many doubted how they’d be without Jurgen Klopp at the helm.
But if anything, they’ve actually gone up a level and that’s certainly the case for Mohamed Salah, who’s now back to his best.
Though, Troy Deeney has just made an interesting claim about the Egyptian winger which will shock many.
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Troy Deeney says Mohamed Salah is not world class
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Watford striker Troy Deeney made the bold claim that Liverpool’s star player Mohamed Salah isn’t world class.
“My argument has always been that I just don't think he's world-class,” Deeney explained.
“But world-class is just a different opinion, what I think of world-class is would I want my kids to play like that player? That’s what I think is world-class.
"If I was asking my kids who want to be forwards, I would be saying I would like them to look at what Vinicius Jr does as opposed to Mohamed Salah.”
Certainly a strange claim from Deeney, so let’s look at the facts…
Salah vs Vinicius Jr stats
Salah is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world but how do his statistics compare to Ballon d’Or contender Vinicius Jr, who Deeney says is world class.
| Stats per 90 | Mohamed Salah | Vinicius Jr |
| Non-penalty goals | 0.41 | 0.63 |
| Assists | 0.59 | 0.29 |
| Shot-creating actions | 4.92 | 3.31 |
| Progressive carries | 3.50 | 6.98 |
Interstingly, Salah and Vinicius’ underlying data is pretty similar and it’s the Liverpool man who’s actually the superior provider.
The Egyptian superstar also trumps the Real Galtico for shot-creating actions, which is one of the most defining statistics for a winger.
So it’s pretty evident that the stats back up the notion that Salah is indeed world class, despite Deeney’s controversial theory.
