Salah. He has style, tactics and the form

Mohamed Salah is having a season for the ages and will be the key to Liverpool stunning European heavyweights Real Madrid in the Champions League final. With 44 goals to his name in all competitions, Salah has had an incredible debut campaign in Liverpool. He moved back to England with it all to prove after a torrid time at Chelsea two years previous but has proved one of the best players in world football over the past nine months.

Given how the teams play, and the importance the players have to their side, Salah is poised to have the biggest impact in the final.

He and Ronaldo are tied in goals scored during this campaign, with 44 each in all competitions. Ronaldo’s have come in fewer games and almost all during the second half of the season when he hit a run of form that was hard to match.

But that form has faded somewhat. He’s coming off an ankle injury and his support cast in the front line aren’t the equal of what Salah has.

Ronaldo has eight assists this campaign, where Salah has 14. The Egyptian is part of a forward line with 29 goals in the Champions League heading into the final, making them the most potent trio in a single season in history.

Salah will be running down the right flank at the suspect defense of Marcelo. Marcelo is a guy who loves to rampage forward, testing the opposing fullback and freeing up space for the attacker ahead.

If he doesn’t create a couple of goals, his positional problems could lead to Salah running riot in the space he has left over.

You’re basically allowing Salah to run at a centreback one-on-one, with two of the most potent attacking threats in the game along side him.

Salah will be the most influential player in this match. History backs Ronaldo but the style, tactics and stunning form Salah has showed make him the key in Kiev.

‘‘Salah will be the most influential player in this match.’’ Ben Strang