Mo Salah has excelled since joining Liverpool in 2017, scoring 204 goals in 332 games for the club at the time of writing. His flair, pace, finishing ability and tireless work ethic have helped transform the Reds into one of England and Europe’s elite once more.
However, questions have emerged regarding whether the other forwards at Anfield are providing adequate support to atone for the Egyptian’s absence during the Africa Cup of Nations, in which he scored a late penalty in his country’s first game of the tournament.
This season, the 31-year-old has netted 18 times in all competitions, as many as the next two highest scorers (Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota) combined. Darwin Nunez has eight for the campaign so far, with Luis Diaz on six.
Will Darwin Nunez live up to the hype?
For Liverpool supporters, the wastefulness of Nunez in front of goal may be concerning. While his effort and attitude can’t be questioned, his decision-making and composure in the final third can been lacking, as seen by him underperforming on his Premier League xG tally by 3.6 so far this season (FBref).
Nonetheless, empathy for Nunez is warranted. Establishing himself at Anfield after the era of a front three with years of established understanding was never going to be straightforward.
The almost telepathic cohesion between Salah, Sadio Mane and Bobby Firmino during their five years together with the Reds set a formidable standard; Nunez and Gakpo are still adjusting to the scheme and will inevitably require a bit more time to coalesce to the same intuitive degree as the famed front three of 2017-2022.
Will Gakpo and Diaz play a key role for Klopp?
Liverpool’s last two mid-season forward additions have 15 goals between them so far this season, so writing off their talents would be profoundly misguided, particularly if you’re looking for the best odds at 32 red football betting for the next LFC game.
Despite both players enduring some quiet matches for the Reds in recent weeks, both have shown an ability to come up with crucial goals, as epitomised by the Colombian’s stoppage time strike to rescue a draw away to Luton in November.
Is Jota a reliable understudy?
Jota has performed admirably as an understudy until now, with his eight league starts this term the fewest of anyone among Liverpool’s front five. When fit, he offers a persistent threat; and if he can stay fit for the rest of the campaign, you wouldn’t back against him hitting the 20-goal mark.
The 27-year-old has actually done quite well as an understudy to the famed front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino in recent years. When fit, he has looked dangerous and arguably represents our most trusted goal threat aside from the ever-consistent Egyptian.
Will Klopp need to look to the transfer market?
Some opponent may mistakenly fall into the trap of thinking that stifling Salah alone can subdue Liverpool, but there is no need for Klopp to dip into the transfer market as an array of gifted attackers remain at the club, fully capable of scoring against elite defences. Perhaps the manager simply needs to persist with a consistent front three to recapture their fluidity, rather than constantly rotating between the five options.
Despite fanciful recent transfer links with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, and more plausible rumours surrounding Michael Olise, the Reds are quite well stocked in attack for now. By the season’s end, the naysayers may well be silenced once again when we look at the final Premier League table.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, if other teams think they can stop Liverpool just by man-marking Salah out of the game, they are mistaken. This is still an incredibly talented collection of forwards capable of scoring against anyone. Perhaps Klopp just needs to help them recapture their fluidity by sticking with a settled front three, rather than chopping and changing too much.
Of course, injuries, availability and fixture scheduling from balancing numerous competitions may hamper that utopian ideal, not least at the moment with Salah away at AFCON. However, once he comes back, and provided the other four can stay fit, we’re confident the goals will continue to flow, and not just for the Egyptian!