MO IS NO DIVER
Klopp jumps to Salah’s defence as West Ham penalty row rumbles on
JURGEN KLOPP is puzzled by criticism of Mohamed Salah and claims the penalty he was awarded against West Ham was clear for all to see.
Salah crumpled following a kick to the bottom of his foot by West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku. Referee Kevin Friend immediately pointed to the spot but Hammers boss David Moyes argued that the Egyptian had ‘thrown himself to the ground’ — an accusation Salah has faced before.
Debate about the penalty has raged since but Klopp was flummoxed yesterday when asked whether he could understand why Salah had come in for scrutiny. Liverpool’s manager insisted no other decision was possible.
Klopp had a discussion with Salah on Sunday morning, during a warm down session at the club’s Melwood training facility, and Liverpool’s leading scorer explained the extent of the impact he felt from Masuaku’s challenge.
‘What can I say?’ asked Klopp (below). ‘It was a foul. Pretty much everyone who saw the situation thought it was a foul.
‘I spoke to Mo yesterday about how he feels. He has exactly three proper knocks on the foot. One of them is from the penalty situation. That’s how it is.
‘There is a knock, you go down or not, whatever. Sometimes refs give it. We don’t talk too long about all the penalties we don’t get.
‘ But now, two days after the game, we are talking about this. There was clear contact. I don’t understand the criticism.’
Liverpool face Atalanta tonight in the Champions League and victory in Italy would put them within touching distance of the knockout phase. The group stages have often given
Klopp headaches so to take such a decisive step so early would be something of a luxury.
Klopp will be careful with his team selection, particularly as Liverpool face Manchester City on Sunday, and it is likely that Diogo Jota will be rewarded for his excellent form with a start in Bergamo. Rhys Williams, 19, should partner Joe Gomez in defence even though Joel Matip is fit.
There is no question Liverpool are not at their best at the moment but they have been grinding out results impressively, and have not allowed the remarkable 7-2 defeat they suffered at Aston Villa four weeks ago to fester.
The squad took steps to move forward by having a team meeting after that capitulation, and Trent Alexander-Arnold outlined how that discussion has helped the team to progress.
‘It was more about self-reflection in that period, and knowing that can’t happen,’ he said. ‘To concede seven goals is unacceptable but it is about learning from these things. It humbled us as a team.
‘It let us know we can’t just win games because we are Liverpool, with the history of the club and the players we’ve got. It is about mentality and the work we put in. If we are not at 100 per cent these things can happen.’ Alexander-Arnold, who made his 100th Premier League appearance on Saturday, added: ‘ It wasn’t an outrageously bad performance from us but our mentality wasn’t there on the day and we got punished for it. ‘Since that game we have been able to get back into our
stride.’