Write off Salah and you’ll be sorry

Klopp backs his misfiring forward to answer critics with another goal rush

MO Salah scored 32 Premier league goals for liverpool last season and was never likely to repeat the feat this time round. liverpool were always going to need to find another way and here at Stamford Bridge their get-out-of-jail card was played by Daniel Sturridge.

It was a wonderful goal from the liverpool centre forward, struck with startling accuracy and power. The 29-year-old had only been on the field for two or three minutes. This was an example of an impact sub making an immediate and stunning impression.

So liverpool move on to Napoli in the Champions league and Manchester City at home in the Premier league next weekend with a continued sense of purpose. They are no longer top of the league but will not care. They have played tougher games than champions and favourites City and remain level on points.

But what of Salah? The Egyptian forward was not at his best and was taken off after 66 minutes. he looked displeased and his manager Jurgen Klopp will like that. No player should ever want to exit the stage early.

So far this season he has scored three goals in seven Premier league games, which is only one fewer than at the same stage last year. No need to panic then when we consider that he — like many others of his ilk — is coming off the back of a World Cup summer.

But Klopp wanted to make something quite clear as he reflected on his star player’s performance early on Saturday evening.

‘It is easy for me because I do not read what you write but the boys (players) do a little bit more,’ said Klopp. ‘You will now do like a doctor and dissect. a big nice cut and, wow, you will find pretty much nothing.

‘Then it will be good. at the end whatever you write you will say sorry afterwards.’

If Klopp sounds a little aggressive in print then it is important to say that he wasn’t. But the liverpool manager was not particularly taken with what he felt were too many questions about Salah — and indeed Sturridge — after a game and a comeback that he felt with some justification reflected well on his team rather than individuals.

however, you can be sure that — as a rule of thumb — when football managers don’t want to talk about someone or something then there is usually a reason. and Klopp did at least concur that Salah is not on his best form so far this season.

asked if Salah is happy with himself, Klopp said: ‘Of course not. how could he? Of course not. But that is a normal situation. Now, that is what you have a manager for. We will have a talk about it. as long as he works like he works, I am completely fine.’

after this game, Klopp and Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri congratulated each other on its quality and it was indeed terrific. On the pitch Sturridge told the great little Italian Gianfranco Zola — back as a coach at Stamford Bridge — that he had been studying videos of his goals.

Even Zola didn’t score many like this though and liverpool needed it. Klopp’s team played well enough but had just about run out of ideas about how to equalise a goal in the first half from Eden hazard that goalkeeper alisson probably should have saved.

Chelsea have a splendid resilience and confidence and structure under new coach Sarri and the Italian has quietly managed to ease players like hazard and David luiz back towards good form. It took something remarkable to peg them back at the death and Sturridge’s early contribution this season has been enough to make an England recall possible if not necessarily immediately likely.

Klopp says that Sturridge is as fit as he has ever known him and he looks it. Equally, he was only thrown on in the 85th minute on Saturday as liverpool chased hard late on, which suggests his future at anfield is always likely to exist in the shadows rather than centre stage.

asked if Sturridge can play the energetic pressing game Klopp demands of a No 9, the liverpool manager said: ‘That is the target, to play high intensity over 95 minutes. We have not tried it yet. he was fantastic against PSG for about 65 or 70 though.

‘Yes, he understands it 100 per cent. Daniel does not want us to change our style for him. he plays exactly how we want him.

‘Daniel is a tactical, very, very smart player. When he was fit, he was always an important part of the team and so he is now.’

With that, Klopp declared a level of irritation with too many Sturridge questions, too. In his own way, it seems the German is girding himself for a fight this season. his team are, too, and in the grand scheme of things this may transpire to have been quite an important afternoon.