Jurgen Klopp says there is no substitute for big game experience as he weighs up whether he will keep faith in Mohamed Salah for their Premier League showdown with Manchester City on Sunday.
The Liverpool icon has been struggling for form of late, and produced perhaps his worst display of the season in the Champions League win against Benfica, where he was dragged off after an hour. Salah’s dramatic dip in form has prompted a huge debate over whether he should start against in the title decider at the Etihad. But when asked if experience counts for anything in such a massive showdown, Klopp was decisive.
He said: “Yes, big game experience helps, definitely. It is not the only important thing you consider when you make a line-up but it’s one of these. That’s it.” Klopp had previously suggested that Salah had suffered from “all the stories around him”, which suggested he had been affected by constant talk over his contract, and criticism over his form.
Yet the manager clarified those comments, by explaining he meant simply the pressure of carrying his nation’s hopes - and expectation - on his shoulders during an intense international period. And Klopp calmed fears about Salah’s mindset when he said: “I didn't know about the stories behind it, it was the 'stories' on what we thought about intensity (with pressure on him from the national team.”
“That was what I thought, not the stories that were written.” Klopp had also said, after the Benfica game, he had full confidence in his star player, and explained: “It is fine, Mo will be completely fine.” The Reds boss revealed that he had a full squad to choose from at City, which is unheard of at this stage of the season, and he faces similar selection dilemmas over the rest of his forward line, with Diaz and Diogo Jota pushing so strongly for a start.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Salah start against City? Let us know in the comments section
In midfield too, he must choose between Naby Keita and Thiago. But he is relishing the challenge, saying: “It is one of the biggest challenges you can face in football, a really important game, but that’s really nice and we’re really looking forward to it. We have earned this with the great season we have played so far.
“I know that very often it doesn’t happen when two top teams face each other but I think our history with City shows that very often it was a pretty interesting watch because both teams really go for it and want to create opportunities, want to create chances, want to use momentum, want to use gaps, situations and all these kind of things.
“The last four years or whatever since we stepped up a little bit and could close the gap to City slightly, it’s interesting, absolutely. We push each other to incredible point tallies, madness, I would have never thought these kind of things are possible – especially not in this league. The consistency both teams showed in that period is absolutely crazy. We had our top year where we won the league, where there was a little gap. And obviously there were years – especially last year – when the gap [to City] was again big because we had our problems. Apart from that, it was always close, which I like.”
