IT’S MO BIG DEAL
Just relax and the goals will come, Klopp tells Salah
JURGEN KLOPP has held talks with Mohamed Salah to reassure his star forward that a testing start to the season will not become a prolonged dip.
The Egyptian was substituted in high-profile fixtures against Paris Saint- Germain and Chelsea last month and his frustrated reaction following both games has given the impression that the weight of trying to match last season’s tally of 44 goals is causing him angst.
There is no question Salah has the support of his team-mates to get through this phase, with midfielder Gini Wijnaldum insisting ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash with Napoli: ‘Mo is not someone who is scared of pressure — he embraces pressure.’
Even so, Klopp has spoken to Salah to put his mind at rest. He has urged him not to try too hard to correct his form as it will all come naturally. ‘Be relaxed, completely relaxed, because there is no need for anything else,’ said Klopp. ‘The quality is there, so everything is fine. If you play tennis and your forehand is good but the next day your forehand is not there, you think, “What is it?” That’s how sport works.
‘It is about confidence. His game is really good. His last game (at Chelsea) was really good — he was in the positions but then the last two balls were not too cool. That happens. He lost balls in those situations last year.
‘If you don’t score 10 goals in your first seven games, everyone asks can you do it again. It is not that interesting. Ian Rush did not score 40 goals in 10 seasons, season after season. That is not how it works.’
A key gauge of Salah’s form can be found in the dressing room and the only words about goals that have been put his way have come from Wijnaldum.
The Dutchman has playfully suggested to Salah he doesn’t need a goal — he needs hat-tricks. There was, though, a serious point.
‘He’s had enough of scoring twos, he has to get threes!’ said Wijnaldum. ‘I told him I expect more hat-tricks this season... last year there was only one. He said that I was right! Now he is not scoring and people are saying he is in a difficult situation. I don’t see it that way.
‘Mo still works hard, still creates chances. I told him, “Mo, you are a top player, if you look at Messi and Ronaldo, they score a lot of hat-tricks — you have to do the same if you want to compete with them”. He knows he can do it.’
This is only the second time Liverpool have played in Naples — the first ended in a 0-0 draw in the Europa League eight years ago — and Carlo Ancelotti, Napoli’s manager, was lavish in his praise of Klopp. There was a wry grin from the German, however, when Ancelotti’s comments were relayed to him last night. Klopp is well aware of how difficult Stadio San Paolo can be — he was sent to the stands here when in charge of Borussia Dortmund — and did not engage with Ancelotti.
‘I did some interviews (with Italian TV) and they all were so positive,’ said Klopp. ‘They told me Carlo was so positive about me and the team. I like him a lot. An incredible player, a great manager and a fantastic guy. But as we say in Germany, he is also a smart fox!
‘He says all these positive things about us and all these nice things about me. It’s nice but it is tactics, it starts already.
‘Carlo is so long in the business and he wants to bring the nice fella out in me, but I am ready for a real battle. We need to make the next step in our development.’