Liverpool lost miserably against table-toppers Arsenal in a crucial Premier League clash last weekend.
The Reds are now ranked 10th in the league table after having a difficult start to the new season. Now that the dream of winning a title looks bleak, it is unclear if Jurgen Klopp can lead his team to a top-four finish. Mohamed Salah is one of many Liverpool players who have drawn harsh criticism this year for not performing to their normal high standards.
Since joining the team, the Egyptian has been among Liverpool’s top scorers, but in seven league games this year, he has only scored twice. Salah had a challenging game against Arsenal yesterday at the Emirates. Arsenal full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu marked the Egyptian out of the game because he was inefficient in the final third.
However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that the Egyptian put forth a tremendous effort for his team and worked really hard defensively.
As reported by SkySports, the German manager said:
“We had to defend on a high level and we tried to put Hendo (Jordan Henderson) on that side. Mo did unbelievably – a lot, a big big workload, he put in a real shift. That is sometimes very intense and we thought that is why we can do it with Hendo. We wanted still to win when we took the striker off.”
The player will undoubtedly feel encouraged by the manager’s remarks at this moment. For Liverpool to turn around their season, Salah will need to be at his absolute best.
In their upcoming Premier League match, the Reds will play against the reigning champions, Manchester City, and a victory will undoubtedly uplift the club’s spirits. However, many of the first team players are in serious doubt about participating against the Citizens.
It’s unclear whether the manager will field a different starting lineup against Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend.
