SO EASY DOES IT FOR KLOPP
Liverpool stroll on and star Salah is fresh for United
SAY what you want about Jurgen Klopp but he doesn’t do convention. Which other manager would have risked his team’s crown jewel in the last throes of a game of no consequence?
Porto at Anfield was never going to be Liverpool biggest collision in March. No. That label had long belonged to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday — the shootout most likely to determine which of the Reds will finish best of the rest.
Here was a chance, then, for Klopp to give Mohamed Salah the night off, get him cherry ripe to run at Manchester United’s defence, never mind running at a Porto team resigned to elimination from the Champions League.
All seemed to be going to plan. Salah was on the bench and for 74 minutes he had been a spectator. Suddenly Klopp turned to his right and invited his No 11 into the action.
It was a decision gleefully received by the crowd and a decision Klopp always intended to make.
‘Everybody thinks about the possibility of injuries and that can happen,’ said Klopp. ‘It was clear that we’d give him the last 20 minutes. I told him if he runs a lot then he doesn’t have to train! I thought he was quite lively.’
In a game of little excitement, Salah’s cameo created some. His first touch, cushioning a high ball, was exquisite and another cross created a glorious opening that fellow substitute Danny Ings couldn’t convert. This is likely to be his last cameo of the season. Salah will be at the tip of Liverpool’s attacking trident from now on, at Old Trafford on Saturday and when his club play in the quarterfinal of this competition for the first time since 2009. ‘ I cannot feel what people feel when they wait so long but it feels good, I know that,’ said Klopp. ‘Last eight is cool. It was time we showed up again. Good development at Liverpool. We made that step.’ During that campaign nine years ago, Liverpool obliterated Real Madrid 4- 0 at Anfield. Iker Casillas was in goal and, given Klopp’s side scored five in Oporto, many might have expected the Spain legend to be on the end of a similar score last night.
Casillas will leave Porto when his contract expires in the summer and, given that he will be 37 in May, it remains to be seen whether another elite club will offer an opportunity. If this was to be the end, he wanted one final clean sheet and was not hard pressed to register it. Liverpool lacked the frenzy you expect from Anfield on one of these evenings.
You could tell as much by looking at Klopp, who did not wave his arms like a windmill and never deployed his piercing dog whistle to get the team into position.
Belatedly, Liverpool began to find some rhythm and purpose. The first true sight of goal arrived in the 17th minute, when Joe Gomez scampered down the right and his cross — too high for Roberto Firmino — was met by Sadio Mane, whose acrobatic effort whizzed over the bar.
You anticipated that Liverpool would step up a gear and begin to hem Porto in, but such anticipation was misplaced. Liverpool would only threaten twice more before the interval, Mane striking the base of the post with a thumping drive and Dejan Lovren heading over from six yards.
Come half time, the thoughts of many within the stadium had begun to drift to Old Trafford on
saturday. The main question was how long Firmino and mane would be allowed to continue.
Klopp, though, was in no hurry to give them a breather. Firmino was certainly in no hurry to come off, given he is one goal away from equalling the club record for most goals scored by one player in a European campaign.
There was one chance to draw alongside dean saunders, whose haul of nine came in the 1991-92 UEFA Cup, but Firmino’s attempt was blocked in the 59th minute. His night ended not long after.
This particular adventure, however, shows no sign of stopping and Liverpool remain dark horses to win the competition. Klopp had the look of man who knew it.
‘We have a chance to go through to semi,’ said Klopp. ‘But take it step by step, its cool. We had this year the opportunity. now we are in, so I think we are in time.’