Ayan continued: "Salah's goal was not the only proof of his presence in the match. He also displayed a distinctive touch of skill with a superb strike using the outside of his foot, which confirmed that he was present and influential in the course of the game. However, changing Trabzon's usual style will not happen overnight. During some periods of the match, the team continued to rely on the same solution: sending the ball to Onuachu."
He added: "But when the players began to move away from this style, and the ball stayed on the ground of the pitch, the team became more dangerous. Salah was the most important factor in this transformation, being the standout player in returning the ball to the ground and starting attacks in a different manner. The second goal came thanks to his skill, along with Muçi's proficiency in playing ground passes."
Onuachu and Muçi both went close afterwards through moves built on the same ground play, he went on, and Malinovskyi and Savio slotted neatly into the new approach.
Having a world-class creator like Salah, capable of delivering passes from the wing, forces Trabzon to lean less on the "send the ball to Onuachu" style and to find more variety in how they build their attacks. That, the analysis argues, is the real lesson.
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