LETHAL Rosenthal backs Salah, Firmino and Mane to fire Kop to title

LIVERPOOL’S Fab Three frontline can deliver the title – and it’s long overdue.

That’s the view of former Anfield star Ronny Rosenthal, the unlikely Israeli hero behind Liverpool’s last Championship win back in 1990.

It’s a measure of the time Liverpool fans have had to wait for a repeat that Rosenthal had arrived on Merseyside in March of that year.

But after watching Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah scoring for fun this season, Rosenthal believes that long painful wait could soon be at an end.

“If you had told me that we would have to wait nearly 30 years to win it again, I probably would have said you were mad,” said Rosenthal (below.

“Liverpool won titles, that’s what we did. When I was growing up, Liverpool were the biggest name in world football.

“Everyone knew who they were, everyone knew the players – everyone knew about Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan. Now, I think those days are coming back. You look at the recruitment Liverpool have done under Jurgen Klopp. “Is he the best manager in the league? I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that he has bought some brilliant, brilliant players to Liverpool. “Look at that front three – Salah, Firmino and Mane. Everywhere you look there are goals. “And that’s without talking about Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, who I believe is a very good player as well. “They’ve got the strength in depth, they’ve got players on the pitch who can create and score chances and players on the bench who can come on and turn a game. “It has been far too long a wait for the title to come back to Anfield. But I believe this is a side that is capable of winning it again.” Klopp’s side have enjoyed a record-breaking start to their campaign, winning six of their opening seven matches. Their draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week maintained an unbeaten start that champions Manchester City will be desperate to put an end to at Anfield this afternoon.

In 1990, winning the title was a pipe dream for City.

Instead, Aston Villa were Liverpool’s closest rivals.

Graham Taylor’s side eventually stumbled, primarily as a result of the pressure placed on them by a Liverpool side thankful for the goals of Rosenthal, who scored seven in seven appearances in the final weeks of the season.

“When I came from Standard Liege, it was a three-horse race with Villa and Arsenal,” he says.

“Luckily for me, I got off to a decent start. We eventually managed to pull away from the rest and win the title relatively comfortably in the end.

“That was a great Liverpool side, but you can’t make comparisons between the side now and the side we had then.

“The game of football has completely changed, there are so many foreign players too.

“The top clubs in England can pretty much go out and buy whoever they choose.

“Back then, I was a rarity – I was one of the few foreign players in the league.” Times change. But those Reds gathering at Anfield this afternoon will hope to see history repeating itself by the time May arrives.