Liverpool, Mo Salah and perspective from the Daily Red Podcast
Liverpool’s recent run of results and the absence of Mo Salah dominated discussion on the Daily Red Podcast, with Dave Hendrick offering a typically forensic breakdown of form, context and expectation. Speaking on the lunchtime show, Hendrick framed the current moment with a familiar blend of realism and perspective, opening by reminding listeners that this unbeaten run has not convinced everyone, saying, “a lot of people pour cold water over the unbeaten run is that it just hasn’t been very impressive”.
Hendrick was clear that results cannot be separated from opposition quality, noting that Liverpool have faced a run of sides struggling for form, even if the points still count. “The bottom line of it is we can only play what’s in front of us,” he said, before adding that Burnley, the upcoming opponents discussed in the podcast, “fit in with what we’ve been playing and what we’ve been getting results against”.
Unbeaten run and realism around Liverpool form
Hendrick detailed the context behind Liverpool’s sequence of games, stressing that while the numbers look solid, the performances have been mixed. “It just hasn’t been very impressive. The performances haven’t been very good and let’s be honest, it’s been somewhat of a cakewalk schedule,” he said. That assessment extended across domestic and European fixtures, including a Champions League win that Hendrick described as requiring “a very fortunate penalty”.
Still, he acknowledged there have been positives, highlighting the Arsenal 0-0 draw that he called “our second best performance the season after the Real Madrid game”. For Hendrick, Liverpool’s form sits somewhere between resilience and limitation, not false optimism, not outright crisis.
Mo Salah, AFCON and carrying Egypt
Much of the podcast focused on Mo Salah and his AFCON campaign, with Hendrick emphatic in his praise. “Mo has been outstanding in the tournament and quite frankly dragged a very very mediocre Egypt team to a semi final,” he said. He went further when breaking down squad depth across the competition, repeatedly emphasising how isolated Salah is within the Egypt setup. “It’s basically Mo & Marmoush and that’s it,” Hendrick stated bluntly.
He underlined the disparity by pointing to player distribution, saying, “you’ll have seen just how few Egyptian players are playing in Europe right now. There are three.” For Hendrick, criticism of Salah’s international record misses the reality of the situation. “Winning an international tournament is not easy,” he argued, before adding that people “will try and use this as a stick to beat Mo with”.
The comparison with other great players was pointed and deliberate. “For me, the best player of all time is Diego Maradona,” Hendrick said, noting that major international trophies did not define greatness. He also highlighted the irony of club based criticism, remarking, “Chelsea fans were taking shots at Mo last night… Didier Drogba never won the AFCON”.
What Mo Salah’s return means for Liverpool
Looking ahead, Hendrick suggested Salah’s return would be managed carefully. “In all likelihood, Mo will be back for Marseille, but he might not start against Marseille,” he said, adding that Salah should be “fully available for Bournemouth”. With tougher fixtures to follow, Hendrick framed Salah’s availability as essential rather than optional.
His final reflection on Egypt’s future underlined Salah’s importance even more starkly. “Once Salah steps away… you’re not even getting out of the groups. That’s it. Egypt are done,” he said, reinforcing just how singular Salah’s influence remains.
For Liverpool, that reality feeds back into the broader conversation about form, expectation and dependency. As Hendrick’s analysis made clear, Mo Salah remains central to both club and country, not through narrative hype, but through repeated evidence.
