Mohamed Salah: Lessons From a Phenomenal Campaign

Last updated on March 12th, 2025

Like a well-worn coat that keeps out the chill year after year, you know what you’re getting with a star like Mo Salah, and it’s always the same reliable excellence. Here he is again, striding past his own towering record of 303 points from the 2017/18 campaign, already racking up 306 with nine matches to spare. And doing it all with the kind of understated inevitability that makes you wonder if we’ve been taking him for granted.

This consistency has been the bedrock of Salah’s FPL appeal. His performances are not punctuated by dramatic spikes of form followed by barren spells. Rather, they possess a steady accumulation of points, like rain gradually filling a reservoir. It’s not just the quantity of points, either, but the predictability. Even when Liverpool falter, Salah manages to turn up on the scoresheet, rescuing weekends for those who kept faith and captained him.

The Gambler’s Delight

His role in this Liverpool side is a gift to anyone with a fondness for predictability in an otherwise chaotic game. Salah plays as that curious breed of forward masquerading as a midfielder. It’s a subtle deceit but a profitable one, placing him in the sweet spot where both goals and assists accumulate like spare change down the back of the sofa. He’s on penalties, of course, which only adds to the glint in every FPL manager’s eye. There’s a hint of the gambler’s thrill about it all—not dissimilar to punting a tenner at Kinghills Casino and watching the wheels turn. The satisfaction of a well-placed bet, of knowing you’ve read the signs better than the rest.

But even the most cautious of FPL managers know there’s a gamble to be had. Form, fixtures, injuries—they’re all variables to consider. Yet, in Salah, they find the rarest of things: a sure thing. And it’s this consistency, this relentless churning out of points, that makes him a fixture of so many squads, even at his eye-watering price tag.

The Simple Mathematics of Greatness

It’s not all romance, though. The sheer statistical dominance of Salah’s season would make the most romantic football fan sound like a risk management expert. Seventeen double-figure hauls already, more than his previous record of fifteen with nine matches still to play. An average of 10.6 points per match, which would see him top 400 if the stars align and the form remains steady. These aren’t numbers to be discussed over a pint with your neighbour—they belong to spreadsheets and debates over strategy, poured over by FPL managers like alchemists chasing gold.

And yet, the magic of it is that Salah’s brilliance doesn’t feel like some aberration or flash of genius doomed to fade. It feels methodical, almost inevitable. His positioning within Liverpool’s system, the way he operates in that twilight space between winger and forward, is tailor-made for hoovering up points. Assists come almost as frequently as goals, with Salah seeming to pick up both with the ease of someone who’s mastered his craft.

An Iron Man in Red

One of Salah’s greatest assets has been, quite simply, that he turns up. Availability is a dull word for what is essentially the art of remaining fit and dependable, season after season. While others succumb to muscle tears and rotation policies, Salah soldiers on. It’s no small thing, that. Because the most talented player in the world is worth nothing to a manager if he’s wrapped in cotton wool half the time. Salah is dependable, and dependability in football is a rare and valuable currency.

Consider the long list of talented players who have been undone by injuries or rotation. The flash of brilliance was followed by weeks of frustration. Salah has managed to avoid that cycle, a fact that’s surely contributed to his remarkable consistency. While his teammates occasionally struggle for form or fitness, Salah remains ever-present, quietly racking up the points like a dependable postman delivering letters in the rain.

A Penalty-Taker’s Paradise

And then, of course, there are the penalties. A gift and a safeguard against those weekends where nothing seems to go your way. Liverpool are aggressive, constantly probing, and the more you’re in the box, the more you tempt the reckless defender into an ill-timed tackle. It’s a predictable cycle, really. And when Salah steps up, it’s usually business as usual. Another notch on the tally. Another weekend of grumbling from anyone who thought they’d take a risk and captain someone else for a change.

The importance of a penalty-taker can’t be overstated. It’s an insurance policy for FPL managers, a way of softening the blow of a bad game or an underwhelming performance. And when the man standing over the ball is Salah, the expectation of points feels almost mechanical.

Lessons From the Record Breaker

Perhaps the most important lesson for those endlessly fiddling with their FPL squads is to look for players who, like Salah, have found a comfortable groove. A role within a team that allows them to shine week in, week out. Penalty duties, yes, but also a general freedom to attack, to create, to score. To be present, even when the body language is weary or the team’s form dips. Salah’s success is not just a testament to his skill but also to his consistency and his knack for showing up when it matters.

Players like Salah are rare not because of their talent but because of their endurance. The mental and physical resilience to keep producing, to keep leading from the front even when the team is faltering, is something few possess. And for FPL managers, that’s the Holy Grail—a player who doesn’t just flicker into life but burns brightly all season long.

Nine Games and Counting

And so, the tale continues. Nine matches still to come, and if he maintains this staggering pace, we could be talking about a 400-point season before the summer even starts. Whatever happens, one thing is certain: no one will be surprised to see him stroll past another milestone with that effortless, almost casual efficiency. After all, we should be used to it by now.

Mark De Carvalho
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