Focus on Salah as Reds take on Roma
ROMA know the threat posed by Mohamed Salah more than most having sold the free-scoring Egyptian to Liverpool for an initial €42 million just 10 months ago.
But that may not help the Italians much as they become the latest side to face the gauntlet of Anfield on a European night in tonight’s Champions League semi final, first leg as Salah has blossomed into a goalscoring machine very few saw coming at the start of the season.
Salah’s then club record price tag was questioned at the time of the deal coming just two years after he failed to make an impression in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Now, though, it looks like an incredible bargain as Salah has netted 41 goals in 46 games to take Liverpool back to the last four of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in a decade.
And his record-equalling tally of 31 Premier League goals for a single season saw him crowned the PFA’s Players’ Player of the Year on Sunday.
“It wasn’t like a lot of other teams than Liverpool were banging down the door,” Roma’s American co-owner James Pallotta told the BBC’s World Football programme.
“I think today a lot of teams are kicking themselves in the head that they didn’t take a closer look at him.”
In a nomadic career since moving to Europe as a 19-year-old, Salah was known for his pace and dribbling ability in spells at Basle and Fiorentina either side of a short time at Chelsea before moving to Roma.
However, the capability he has shown time and again this season to keep a cool head in front of goal used to so often fail him.
Most famously of all, Salah missed a series of oneon-ones with Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas as Roma bowed out of the Champions League at the last 16 to the side that would go onto win the competition in 2016.
“In Roma he was amazing. Every game he created a lot of chances, but sometimes missed,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who suffered from Salah’s new found confidence in front of goal as he scored in each leg of Liverpool’s 5-1 aggregate thrashing of the Premier League champions in the quarterfinals. MOHAMED Salah was crowned the Premier League’s Players’ Player of the Year on Sunday, with his incredible 41-goal debut season at Liverpool beating out strong competition from Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.
“It’s a big honour. I’ve worked hard and I’m very happy to win it,” Salah said at the ceremony on Sunday evening.
Salah matched a Premier League record tally for a single season by scoring his 31st league goal of the campaign in a 2-2 draw at West Brom on Saturday.
“You’re comparing your name with some great names,” he said, on the prospect of breaking the record. “To break the Premier League record is something huge in England and all over in the world. There are still three games to go. I want to break this record.”
Salah has also netted seven times in eight Champions League games, including in both legs of Liverpool’s 5-1 quarterfinal thrashing of City, to carry his side to a first semifinal for a decade.
De Bruyne showed why he had been many people’s earlyseason
“This season I think the way Jurgen Klopp wants to play is perfect for him. I think Jurgen is a master to buy players with what he really needs for the way he wants to play.”
Pallotta agrees that Klopp’s system of a fluid front three also including Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is what has brought the best out of Salah, who had to feed off the target man figure of Edin Dzeko at Roma.
“He’s obviously had an incredible year. I think the coach there has clearly figured out how best to utilise him, using him in a different position I would say to Roma because you’ve got Dzeko in the middle.”
Despite Liverpool’s heroics against City in the last eight, they were upstaged by Roma favourite for the prize with an incredible longrange strike for his 12th goal of the season to go with a league-high number of assists as champions City thrashed Swansea 5-0 on Sunday. “From my point of view when you are analysing 10 months, there is no player better than him,” said City manager Pep Guardiola of the Belgian midfielder. “Maybe there are numbers better but for me he was the best. But it is my opinion, the opinions of the players could be different. But in the end, in summer time he will be at home being champion.” City did pick up a prize from the PFA gala in central London on Sunday, though, as Leroy Sane won the Young Player of the Year. Sane, another City teammate David Silva, De Bruyne, Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea and Tottenham striker Harry Kane were the other five nominees for the main prize. — Reuters
for performance the round. The Serie A side overturned a 4-1 first leg deficit to beat Barcelona on away goals by shutting out Lionel Messi and a former Liverpool favourite Luis Suarez in a famous 3-0 second leg win. However, a record of losing their last three Champions League games on the road — conceding eight goals in the process — doesn’t bode well ahead of a visit to fortress Anfield. It was Suarez’s 31-goal record that Salah matched on Saturday and stopping their former teammate over two legs may prove a step too far for Roma in their first appearance in the last four since they lost to Liverpool in the 1984 final. — AFP
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