Mohamed Salah form gives Jurgen Klopp unusual Liverpool selection question
The league’s most dangerous forward this year, but he’s far from his best level of late
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Your support makes all the difference.Mohamed Salah and the Liverpool starting line-up - not often a discussion point, let alone a question with genuine merit.
But ahead of the Reds’, and indeed the Premier League title race’s, biggest game of the season, it’s one which Jurgen Klopp will at least have to consider.
In the eventual 3-1 win over Benfica, as against Watford at the weekend, the 28-goal forward was subbed off following a mostly ineffective showing in terms of final-third productivity.
The manager will - as he has done at different times for Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino - point to work rate, positional play and getting into dangerous areas as valid counterpoints to a lack of direct goal contributions, but the fact remains Salah is well out of form right now even by normal standards, let alone his own incredible level of the first half of 2021/22.
In his last 12 appearances in all competitions, the No11 has two non-penalty goals, dating back to early January. Those open-play strikes came against bottom side Norwich and Inter Milan. A further three spot-kicks (and an assist) add to the season-long tally in that period, but it’s still in stark contrast to the run of 11 in 12 he had from August to November in the league, or the seven in six group games he managed in the Champions League.
Bereft of the lightning feet, instinctive finishing and confident control he showed in that period of the campaign, Salah over the past few weeks has looked frustrated at missing the target and carrying a weight on his shoulders when trying to beat defenders.
None of this is particularly remarkable for footballers in general at some stage of a season - form fluctuates even for the best, simple as that - and it’s even less surprising when context is added.
Salah has, twice in 2022 already, suffered agonising heartache in football terms.
Losing a major final is always tough to take; doing so with the national team he’s the figurehead for and talisman of would of course be even more so.
The manner of Egypt losing the Afcon final will have been hurtful for Salah, given he never got to take a penalty - but then when the same happened over the international break and he did get to take, and miss, his spot-kick, it doesn’t take a genius to work out he might be struggling.
World Cup elimination, a reported consideration of his international future and the loss of a shot at glory on the international stage twice in quick succession is a lot to overcome.
Klopp, of course, is renowned as one of the finest man managers in the game.
The arm-around-the-shoulder approach isn’t just a management approach for the German boss, but a way of being for him as a person.
He will always back his players, but similarly, he’s experienced and ruthless enough to know that the team has to come first.
At any other point in the season, Salah would surely be allowed to play through the pain and work himself back into form, but right now Liverpool face a defining clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Soon after, it’s Benfica again in the second leg, Man City again at Wembley, then Man United and Everton in the league - it’s non-stop, must-win, no-margin-for-error all the way.
Salah will likely start in almost all those games even with the strength in depth available to the Reds.
But there is at the very least a big question for Klopp to riddle over whether he should be in from the start here, or used off the bench to try and mount an angry response.
No passengers can be carried in a game of that magnitude and, while there’s no suggestion Salah is anywhere near that, small moments tend to decide these fixtures - whether that’s chances created, gifted or taken.
Sadio Mane netted at the Estadio da Luz, as did Luis Diaz - as well as claiming an assist. Diogo Jota has been a habitual plunderer of vital goals, while Roberto Firmino is often a go-to for his tactical and off-ball provisions in these enormous games.
Even with the quality and depth available, Salah would still start, almost always.
But this time, at this stage of the season and with this exact opponent fast approaching, it’s far from ideal for Klopp that there would even be the murmur of a question that an all-time match-winner might not be a must-have in Liverpool’s starting line-up.
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