Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp faces a challenging January without talismanic top scorer Mohamed Salah, who will be participating in the African Cup of Nations. Salah’s absence will extend to at least six matches, including an FA Cup tie at Arsenal and a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final with Fulham.
Klopp, familiar with managing such situations in the past, expresses confidence in finding suitable solutions among the attacking options available. The manager remains optimistic about maintaining Liverpool’s standing as Premier League leaders during Salah’s absence.
“It is not the first time; it is a really at least very average situation that you lose your goalscorer, but we had it even worse in the past when Sadio (Mane) and Mo left,” Klopp said.
Liverpool has dealt with similar challenges before and navigated successfully, and Klopp emphasizes the importance of adapting to such circumstances. The return of Diogo Jota, who scored a comeback goal against Burnley on Boxing Day after a month-long injury layoff, is a significant boost for the team.
Klopp acknowledges the versatility of players like Jota, Cody Gakpo, and Harvey Elliott, providing options across the forward line. He emphasizes the importance of having a deep squad to handle the demanding schedule.
“The return of each of the boys is super-important, but Diogo especially. Everybody was quite positive about our five options, but I don’t think we had it that often, to be honest,” Klopp added.
While Jota’s return is a positive development, Klopp faces a setback with left-back Andy Robertson’s recovery from a dislocated shoulder, likely to keep him out for the entire month of January.
“Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder. Obviously, it was a big surgery. (He is) still not even close to team training or whatever,” Klopp mentioned.
Despite the challenges, Klopp remains focused on the depth of the squad and the ability to adapt to ensure a successful campaign in Salah’s absence.
Source: AFP
