Micah Richards thinks he knows why Mohamed Salah struggled against Newcastle and PSG

Micah Richards has explained why he thinks Mohamed Salah has struggled lately

Micah Richards has explained why he thinks Mohamed Salah has been struggling to hit his usual levels in recent matches. He has arguably been the world's best player this season, having contributed with 32 goals and 22 assists for Liverpool in all competitions. However, the Egyptian's latest displays have been fairly underwhelming by his own high standards. Salah had very little impact as Liverpool were beaten by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final over the weekend. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak helped the Magpies to win their first domestic trophy in 70 years, with Liverpool only halving the deficit in stoppage time via Federico Chiesa. It came just days after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, who edged through on penalties.

Salah was relatively quiet against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final

It came just days after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, who edged past the Reds on penalties. Salah was also kept relatively quiet in that game and Richards believes his dip in form could be down to his religious practices. The winger follows Islam and has been observing Ramadan, the holy month in which many Muslims go without food or water from sunrise to sunset. It started on February 28 and will last until March 30, meaning it will be over by Liverpool's next game on April 2. Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Richards said: "Don't forget, Salah is in Ramadan now as well where he's fasting. It's only normal that he's not going to have the same energy levels as when he can eat.

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