Kieran Tierney has detailed Mikel Arteta's 'tactical change' which kept Mohamed Salah quiet in last weekend's clash at the Emirates.
The Reds lost 3-2 in controversial circumstances on Sunday, with goals from Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino not enough to equal Gabriel Martinelli's early opener and a Bukayo Saka brace. Jurgen Klopp cut a frustrated figure after the final whistle, citing a potential offside in the build up to Martinelli's goal, a missed handball by Gabriel and the soft penalty call that handed Arsenal their winner as three decisions which went against his side on the day.
With Oleksandr Zinchenko injured, Tierney was in-line to make a rare start start his and go head-to-head with Salah. But just a few days before Arsenal welcomed Liverpool to North London, Arteta told the Scot he would be picking Takehiro Tomiyasu - naturally a right-back - on the left instead in a tactical tweak designed specifically to quell the Egyptian King.
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“I was thinking that I got taken off in the Thursday game maybe to keep me for ready for the Sunday - and maybe that at the time was his plan as well,” Tierney told Football Daily. “Then, the day before the match, he said 'it's not on your performance, this is just a tactical change that I want to make.'
“I was like 'I'm gutted. I'm not going to be angry, I'm not going to not try hard, but I'm gutted because I want to play every opportunity I can. Especially the big games you to play and you want to soak up the atmosphere.
“But there's nothing I can say. We went out and won and Tomiyasu played amazing - the game plan worked! It just shows you because not many managers would think 'lets switch a right-back over here', but he [Arteta] did and it worked.”
Arteta's decision evidently worked, with Salah notably quiet throughout Sunday's game before being hooked on 69 minutes, with Liverpool chasing a goal. The 30-year-old was unable to jink inside onto his stronger left foot, with Tomiyasu naturally stronger on his right side, and only managed just one shot in the near-70 minutes he was on the pitch.
Salah showed exactly what he can do when allowed to cut inside during Wednesday's 7-1 Champions League win at Rangers, with the winger grabbing a six-minute hat-trick which was capped off by a trademark curling finish into Allan McGregor's far corner.
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