New Delhi: Thierry Henry’s amazing career which saw him play for Arsenal, Barcelona and France produced a total career goal of 417 although it is the assist that he is found most talking about. In the 2002-03 season, he set a record for assists in one season of the Premier League when he notched 20 assists, a record that has never been bettered and only matched by Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.
Last December, the two-time Premier League champion Henry noted that he preferred “an assist over a goal”. Bukayo Saka earlier this season looked set to be coming close to breaking the having made 10 by November, which was one better than his previous highest. However, a hamstring injury in December has left him out of the competition, though is still has the second most assists, joint along with Antonee Robinson of Fulham and Mikel Damsgaard of Brentford.
Simply Salah 🇪🇬👑 pic.twitter.com/gmL9xkvRe3
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 20, 2025
It is Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah who currently looks to have the best shot at breaking the record, having already 15 to his name and 12 games still left in the competition. The Egypt international has been enjoying one of the best seasons in the Premier League, leading the Golden Boot race with 24 goals, followed by Erlin Haaland of Manchester City who has 19 to his name this season.
Apart from De Bruyne, Mesut Ozil had come close to breaking the record in 2015-16 when he made 19 assists. He had recorded 16 assists in the first half of the competition but only managed to make three more in the other next half for Arsenal, with Olivier Giroud going goalless for 14 games next.
Looking at Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry’s run to record
De Bruyne’s run was steady, having made 10 assists by matchday 18 but only matched the record in the final gameweek. Henry’s run was much more towards the end of the season, managing just 10 assists until matchday 28. In his final five games in the season, he had earned seven assists.
Saka’s run towards the record has been consistent from the start, as he became the fourth fastest in the Premier League to take 10 assists in the season. The English international is ranked best in the number of big chances he has created, which stands at 19, with both Salah and Cole Palmer of Chelsea having 18.
Until matchday 11, Salah had made just six assists in the top-tier, before adding 11 assists in his next 12 games. He went five games without an assist before his against Everton at Goodison Park turned things around for him. His last assist was in the midweek clash against Aston Villa from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goal. Salah is still in line for breaking Henry’s record who scored five assists in the last two games of the 2002-03 season.
Henry always had variations in the way he produced his assists and how they were received. He made nine assists from open play outside the box another nine inside the box and two were corners. His first seven assists were to different players though ultimately it was Robert Pires who got five and Ljungberg who made four assists were at the receiving end of most of Henry’s heroics. For his French teammate, Henry would drift wide while for Ljungberg, Henery would make his pass more centrally.
Henry knew the strengths of players and that is how he crafted his assists. He described that for Dennis Bergkamp, he would be more fluid, while Pires he noted liked one-two and needed to arrive short. For Ljungberg, he always tried to be in his path so that he wouldn’t miss him.
The former Arsenal player made multiple assists on five different occasions, making four goals in four games and once he created three goals. Both Ozil and De Bruyne had three multiple assists and each time they had two assists in those games. Salah has matched this feat, with two assists in each of these games and does have an opportunity to improve his performance.
De Bruyne though felt that he had two assists more, each aiding Raheem Sterling and had hence even said that he had the record to his name. 11 assists came from the right while nine were whipped across. The 33-year-old is second in all-time most number of Premier League assists having made 118, with just Ryan Giggs with 162 assists having more to his name.
How Mohamed Salah’s assist has mapped out
For Salah eight of his assists have come 15 minutes before and after the break and has just two assists in the final 10 minutes of the game. With Liverpool chasing their second title, Arne Slot, Liverpool’s coach knows that the Egypt player doesn’t have Henry’s range but can still be effective. Salah has been getting more touches out wide and in the right-hand channel inside the box this season compared to last, which has made two noticeable changes.
First, there’s been an increase in crosses from deeper areas. The result is in assists for Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, and Mac Allister against Chelsea, Fulham, and Everton, respectively. On these occasions, Liverpool’s attacks often started on the left, which meant when Salah received the ball, he did so with time and space, especially since opposing left-backs weren’t engaging him. This was evident in his assist against Chelsea.
The second trend is Liverpool playing quick, long passes in behind for Salah. He’s received more progressive passes than any other player in the league, taking the tally to 298. This fast, direct play prevents defences from reorganizing and allows Salah to get into positions where he can make an impact and in turn, improve Liverpool’s chances at the top of the table.
A case in point was in their opening-day win over Ipswich Town, Trent Alexander-Arnold played a sharp pass inside the Ipswich left-back, setting up a simple square ball for Diogo Jota, which led to Salah’s first assist. There have been different styles of passes too with Salah picking the ball wider as well.
Left backs remain afraid to engage with Salah, giving Jones and Gapko to make runs and it is only a matter of time when Salah will find the gap for the goal.
Salah’s 24 goals make his Premier League goal tally 181 and is in sixth place behind the likes of Alan Sherer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole and Aguero. His heroics have put Liverpool in a good place for a treble after the Egyptian 37 appearances for the side have given the side 29 goals and 20 assists across competitions.
With 12 Premier League games left in the season, Mohamed Salah has made 15 assists in the season and is now edging close in on breaking Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne’s 20 assist in a season. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
