Mo Salah ‘suffering’ due to inconsistent Liverpool attack, says Jurgen Klopp

CNN
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Mo Salah was Liverpool’s figurehead, his goalscoring prowess the cornerstone of a team used to winning trophies.

But, like the rest of his team, Salah is “struggling” this season due to constant disruption in Liverpool’s attack, having scored just once in his last six appearances, the manager says Jurgen Klopp at a press conference on Friday.

Injuries to key players – Salah played just 343 minutes alongside likely fellow starters Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez – only compounded Sadio Mané’s loss to Bayern Munich last season, shattering unity Liverpool’s cohesive offensive.

“It was a well-drilled machine the first three; everything was clear about what we were doing,” Klopp said. “Everyone is suffering, that’s for sure. It’s a specific, attacking game that requires a lot of work and a lot of information, and not always obvious information.”

This season, Salah has scored seven goals in 19 Premier League games, unlike 2021/22 when he netted 23 and won the Golden Boot.

Sitting ninth in the Premier League having scored fewer goals, conceded more and won fewer points than any of the previous seven seasons at this stage under Klopp’s tenure, Liverpool’s problems run deeper than the failed form of Salah.

“Mo has scored hundreds of goals in recent years and when you don’t score the first thing people think about is that, but that’s not our problem at the moment,” Klopp added.

“We started the season with Harvey [Elliott] in half position, with Hendo [Jordan Henderson] it’s different, and now it’s Naby [Keïta]. So things are different all the time, but generally you have a real base to build on and that’s what we don’t.

As Klopp looks to revive Liverpool’s floundering season, he hopes January signing Cody Gakpo can provide an alternative attacking option.

“Now we have Cody [Gakpo], obviously a really important asset, a connector; he can also play on the wing and in the centre,” Klopp said.

Liverpool will then take to the pitch against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.