Liverpool started the 2020/21 season on a fairly smooth road. Had been at the top of the standings until early 2021. However, the situation changed when the squad was plagued by player injury problems. Almost all the players in the back line are injured. Not just a minor injury, but an injury that kept the players out for a long time. Virgil van Dijk was one of the defenders who suffered the most injuries last season. This prolonged injury left a large enough hole in the back line and made the team’s condition crippled.
Liverpool’s performance slowly weakened. Until dropped from rank one and even kicked out of the top 4. Liverpool improved the situation to enter the top 4 in the last matches last season. Last season was an important lesson for Klopp. Injuries to players are a scourge that can affect the performance and competitive aspects of teams in the Premier League standings.
Because of this, Klopp brought in I. Konate at the back. Despite the lack of spending, Klopp is trying to take advantage of the young players available from the academy and combined with the old faces in the squad. This season, Liverpool is a team that has consistently appeared in the Premier League. Liverpool have only tasted one defeat when they met the dark horse team, West Ham.
The rest, Klopp’s troops appear ferocious in every match. Evidently when Liverpool destroyed city rivals, Everton at Goodison Park. This city derby belongs to Liverpool and confirms Liverpool’s supremacy over Everton. In this match, Mohamed Salah became the star of the victory. The Egyptian national team player contributed 2 goals. The other 2 goals were scored by J. Henderson and Diego Jota.
Salah’s performance has improved greatly this season. Salah continues to be a goal machine on Liverpool’s front lines. It is no exaggeration to think that if Salah continues to play at his best level, he can become one of the strong contenders for the Ballon d’Or trophy next year. Klopp himself admits that Salah is one of the best players on earth today.
Salah’s performance has become an important point for Liverpool this season. Liverpool still appear as the strongest rival to win the Premier League trophy this season. Salah’s consistency in scoring goals and performing at his best level keeps Liverpool’s chances on the right track in England and in Europe. This Egyptian national team player became one of Klopp’s foundations in living the gegenpressing system at Liverpool.
However, the problem will come to Klopp in January. Salah along with Sadio Mane (Senegal national team) and Naby Keita (Guinea national team) will defend their respective national teams at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). World football’s governing body FIFA issued a rule that clubs must allow players to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations starting from 27 December. The Africa Cup of Nations ends on February 6th.
Egypt is one of the strongest and most favorite national teams to win in Africa. Opportunities for the Egyptian national team to penetrate into the final often occur. This means, if Egypt does not lose until the Final, Salah will also be absent from Liverpool because he is defending the national team until February 6. Another challenge is injury. It doesn’t matter if the players go home in the best condition.
But it became a challenge for the club when they came home injured. With this, the club had to surrender to accept that fact while looking for ways to solve the void left at the club. Salah’s absence could be a serious challenge for Klopp in January. In the first place, Klopp doesn’t have any substitutes on par with Salah’s quality. Diego Jota who also continues to appear consistent and Roberto Firmino who is temporarily injured can be relied on.
The problem is, it often happens that Salah is one of the players who contributes in the form of goals and his efforts to increase the level of play of his teammates. So far, in the Premier League Salah has recorded 13 goals and 6 goals in the Champions League. Then, Salah has made 8 assists in the Premier League, exceeding what he had made last season.
Salah’s assists and speed on the front lines can provide color in translating Jurgen Klopp’s playing patterns. Not surprisingly, Salah is very difficult to be left out of the main squad. His departure could also have an impact on Liverpool’s performance. Salah’s absence could be a problem for Klopp later. The problem becomes so challenging because generally in January the clubs are at a level that is already heating up.
Injury issues and the absence of players can affect the team’s performance in the competitive map. Those who fail to maintain the level of consistency can also be thrown off the competition map in the top 4 of the English League. So, many parties think that it is better to lose at the beginning of the competition than to weaken when it has entered the middle of the season. The reason is, at the beginning of the season the team still has time to improve.
However, when it has passed the middle of the season, improvement is sometimes risky. Incorrectly adjusting the formation or updating in the wrong way can lead to disaster for the team’s performance. This has been evident in the course of Liverpool last season. Due to the lack of defenders, Liverpool also recruited Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies at a fairly cheap price.
These two defenders are rarely used because their quality is not equal to the club’s demands. This season, they were not part of the Liverpool squad. Salah’s current consistency could be a serious problem for Klopp in January. Before Salah or Mane and N. Keita carried out national team duties for the Africa Cup of Nations, Klopp immediately looked for the right alternative.
The alternative is not just looking for players, but also building a team playing pattern. This pattern appears when Liverpool try to play without Salah in the team. In a sense, Jota, Firmino, or even M. Takumi can become new actors on Liverpool’s front lines. It was difficult at first, but before Salah actually left for national duty, Klopp had to start getting used to it. Hence, Klopp’s steps to often include Takumi, who was on loan last season, are the right steps to target in anticipation of Salah’s absence.
Currently, Salah plays a major role in the direction of Liverpool’s journey this season. A serious problem will come to Klopp when Salah is absent because he plays for the Egyptian national team in January.
ASL
