Mohamed Salah’s Against Against Manchester City
You only have to look at last season to see the greatness of Mohamed Salah in games against Man City.
Liverpool may have been out of sorts throughout the 2022/23 campaign, but the Egyptian King’s swivel, run and finish earned the Reds a surprise 1-0 win at Anfield – one of their few genuinely impressive results.
It wasn’t a game necessarily full of great quality, certainly compared to other meetings between the two sides, but Salah was the difference-maker.
Historical Brilliance Against City
We have seen him excel so many times against City in the past, from scoring in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final in 2018, to an outrageous solo effort at Anfield three years later, as he bamboozled defenders and finished brilliantly with his weaker right foot.
For that reason, it is impossible to deny the importance of seeing Salah feature against Pep Guardiola’s side this weekend, in what could end up being the defining Premier League game of the season.
Salah’s Current Condition and Selection Dilemma
The problem is, Salah only returned to training on Wednesday – it remains to be seen if he will feature away to Sparta Prague at the time of writing – leaving Jurgen Klopp with an almighty selection headache.
Most Liverpool fans will be eager to see their legendary No.11 start at home to City, even if he is under-cooked, joining Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez in the attack.
It’s fair to say that Cody Gakpo has looked both jaded and short on confidence of late, so him starting doesn’t feel ideal. It just isn’t happening for him, even though his effort levels cannot be questioned.
The Intensity of the Upcoming Game
The problem is, this is a game that could be frenetic from minute one, demanding incredible fitness levels and focus from every player on the pitch, with a dip in intensity from anyone potentially feeling costly.
Will Salah be able to go straight into such a high-octane contest and hold his own, having started just once for Liverpool in 2024 to date?
Salah’s Recent Performances
That was against Newcastle on New Years Day, while his only other Reds appearance since then was a goalscoring cameo at Brentford.
Granted, Salah looked as fresh as a daisy in that game, purring with quality, but City remain arguably the best team in the world, and if the Egyptian King is off the boil, starting him could be a decision that backfires.
Potential Strategy and Klopp’s Decision
For that reason, playing Gakpo and using Salah as an impact substitute does have some sense to it, even though there would be some understandable disappointment if Klopp goes that way.
These are the matches where the true greats can be the game-changers, and it would be just like Salah to make a roaring return to the side, scoring a massive goal and giving Liverpool a huge advantage in the Premier League title race.
There is a parallel universe where the 31-year-old is off the pace, messy in possession and simply unable to impact proceedings from the start, though, which would make the decision to start him look a reckless one, in hindsight.
The gut feeling says Salah has to start, especially if he gets some minutes in the Europa League, but it is an unenviable decision for Klopp to make.
This is where you earn your money, Jurgen!
