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  • ‘Salah doesn’t look unhappy at Liverpool’ – Gary O’Neil

    ‘Salah doesn’t look unhappy at Liverpool’ – Gary O’Neil

    Mohamed Salah does not look “unhappy” at Liverpool, says Reds coach Gary O’Neil, with there seemingly little cause for concern when it comes to the Egyptian’s immediate future.

    Fears have been raised at Anfield regarding a move to Spain for a talismanic presence.

    Real Madrid and Barcelona have been linked with a prolific frontman in the past, and Salah has now left the door open for La Liga heavyweights to make an approach.

    He has refused to rule out switches to Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou, with the 28-year-old frontman admitting that transfer calls now rest in Liverpool’s hands.

    Real and Barca may struggle to generate the funds required to do a big-money deal at present, as the coronavirus pandemic forces even the richest of clubs to tighten their belts, but interest is to be expected at some stage.

    Jurgen Klopp would be reluctant to part with a key part of his plans, but his hand may be forced if Salah decides that the time has come to take on a new challenge.

    O’Neil cannot see that call being made any time soon, with a man who has hit 110 goals through 173 appearances for Liverpool offering no indication that he is looking for an imminent transfer.

    “I’m keen to judge it on performances and the guy that came on for half an hour against Crystal Palace doesn’t seem unhappy, for me,” O’Neil, who works in the Reds’ academy system, told talkSPORT.

    “What I’m hearing about how hard he works in training and how bubbly he is around the ground, I don’t see it being an issue.

    “Players will give interviews and, sometimes, especially when they are done in other countries and other languages, there will be stuff that comes back.

    “I think you have to judge him on his performances and for me he doesn’t look like a guy unhappy at Liverpool Football Club.

    “What I hear about how he trains and how hard he works he definitely doesn’t give off the notion that he is unhappy.”

    Salah made more history for Liverpool in his latest outing, as he stepped off the bench to score two and lay on another in a 7-0 mauling of Crystal Palace, and remains tied to a contract through to the summer of 2023.

  • Salah becomes Liverpool’s Champions League record goalscorer

    Salah becomes Liverpool’s Champions League record goalscorer

    Mohamed Salah is aiming to “make the gap bigger” between himself and Steven Gerrard after the Egyptian overtook the Liverpool legend as the Reds’ Champions League record goalscorer.

    Salah netted his 22nd goal in the competition – excluding qualifiers – for Liverpool in the opening minute of Wednesday’s clash with Midtjylland.

    It saw him surpass Gerrard’s record of 21 , with the former Liverpool captain having won the Champions League in 2004-05.

    Liverpool’s opener was also the quickest strike in their Champions League history, with Salah having intercepted a loose back-pass to prod home after just 55 seconds.

    Midtjylland fought back to draw 1-1 in contentious fashion , with the Danish side scoring from a penalty awarded after a long VAR check.

    Alexander Scholz converted the spot-kick and thought he had scored a second when he finished from an acute angle, only for VAR to rule it out, with the technology then disallowing Takumi Minamino a winner at the other end.

    Speaking to BT Sport at full-time, Salah was delighted to have cemented his name in Liverpool’s record books, but is now looking to put distance between himself and the others on the list.

    “It’s a great feeling to be the top scorer for the club, it’s something I’m proud of,” said the 28-year-old.

    “I need to keep going with that, score more goals, make the gap bigger between me and the others! I’m trying all the time to score goals to help the team to win games.

    “One of the most important goals. They played good, almost man-marked us. We scored the goal early, but they strike back, they played a good game.

    “The most important thing is to qualify, it’s a game to learn [from].”

  • Salah extends impressive Anfield record vs Wolves

    Salah extends impressive Anfield record vs Wolves

    Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers has seen the Liverpool attacker extend his Premier League goal tally at Anfield to 52.

    Just 24 minutes into the encounter, the Egypt international gave Jurgen Klopp’s men the lead after profiting from a slip-up from captain Conor Coady.

    READ ALSO: Mourinho lauds Hojbjerg in Tottenham win over Arsenal

    Jordan Henderson fired a direct pass forward from the back as Coady miscontrolled the header towards the path of the Egyptian, who slotted past goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

    Overall, he is third behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski in the ranks of players scoring most at a single venue in the big-five European leagues since he made his Anfield debut

    Also, the former Chelsea and FC Basel man has scored or assisted 111 times in the English elite division since his return to England – at least 20 times than the man next in line, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

    Salah, who now boasts of nine goals from 10 outings in the 2020-21 English top-flight season, has been a dependable performer for the Reds since joining the Anfield side from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.

    Thanks to Sunday’s 4-0 win, his team moved to second on the log with 24 points, albeit, they are behind leaders Spurs on goal difference.

    His efforts helped the Anfield outfit win the 2018 Champions League title and end their 30-year wait for the Premier League diadem last season.

    The 28-year-old forward has won several individual accolades following his impressive displays for Klopp’s team, including the two Premier League Golden Boot awards as well as two African Footballer of the Year prizes.

    Salah is among the final shortlist for the 2020 FIFA The Best Men’s Player of the Year award with Lewandowski, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammate Sadio Mane all nominated for the prize.

    After Sunday’s tie against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, he would be expected to feature prominently when the 2018-19 European champions travel to the MCH Arena for Wednesday’s dead-rubber Champions League tie with Frank Onyeka’s FC Midtjylland.

    Regardless of the outcome against Brian Priske’s Danish Superliga side, Liverpool will finish as Group D winners while Atalanta and Ajax will slug it out for the second place.

    ‘Mane & Salah relationship is really strong’ – Robertson

    Salah to return for Liverpool against Atalanta

    Jurgen Klopp says Salah has returned negative coronavirus test

  • ‘Mane & Salah relationship is really strong’ – Robertson

    ‘Mane & Salah relationship is really strong’ – Robertson

    Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has dismissed rumours of a rift between team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

    There has been speculation in recent months suggesting the Reds duo do not get along, rumours given further credence in October last year when Mane reacted furiously to Salah’s decision to shoot instead of pass to him during a Premier League win at Burnley.

    Robertson, though, has rubbished those suggestions, insisting such a reaction is natural for players who are paid to be selfish in front of goal.

    The Scotland international says all of Liverpool’s front players, including Roberto Firmino and new signing Diogo Jota, have a close relationship that has helped drive their recent success.

    “The relationship [between the front players] off the pitch is really strong, and on the pitch, the link-up play and everything is always good,” Robertson told the Liverpool Echo.

    “But these players are also paid to be selfish and we need them to score goals and take risks in the final third, and we add [Diogo] Jota into that category now. When they are in front of goal, we expect them to shoot and score.

    “There have been certain occasions where people say Bobby could have passed, Sadio could have passed, or Mo could have passed, but these guys are paid money to make split-second decisions and score goals for us.

    “The three, plus Diogo, are incredible players and they have all showed that since they have come to the club at the highest level.

    “The best thing for Liverpool fans is that they are still improving and they are getting better year on year. There is still more to come from them.

    “They are fantastic to play with and when I look up, I’m never short of options. It is a pleasure to play with all of them.

    “Their relationship is really strong just like every other relationship in the squad and that is why over the last couple of years we have been quite successful.

    “You get nowhere without these relationships.”

    Robertson says such relationships are replicated across the Liverpool dressing room and is one of the reasons why they have been so successful in recent seasons, winning the Premier League, Champions League and World Club Championship in the space of two years.

    “We are really close as a group and we have a really close-knit group of players,” he added. “Me, Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain], Hendo [Jordan Henderson] and Milly [James Milner] are in a pack and we lost [Adam] Lallana in the summer who was a big loss to the whole squad, but especially us.

    “The Dutch duo I get on really well with – Gini [Wijnaldum] and Virg [van Dijk] – and then Mo, Sadio and the Brazilians [Firmino, Fabinho and Alisson].

    “The squad is so tight and that is why I love going into work every single day.”

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  • Salah to return for Liverpool against Atalanta

    Salah to return for Liverpool against Atalanta

    Liverpool will welcome back Mohamed Salah for their Champions League clash with Atalanta on Wednesday night.

    The Reds’ top scorer is available after missing Sunday’s Premier League win over Leicester following a positive coronavirus test while on international duty with Egypt.

    Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Tuesday that the 28-year-old had tested negative and was able to return to full training with Liverpool’s squad at Kirkby.

    Salah could now go straight back into the starting XI as the English champions look to secure progression to the Champions League knockout stages, which they can achieve with a victory at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

    Klopp told reporters: “Mo trained with the team yesterday and looked really good. All the tests were negative so now, if nothing changes, he’s available, which is good. 

    “Now we have to see what we do, because he was quarantined until three days ago.”

    Liverpool will, however, be without a host of first-teamers for the game against the Serie A outfit. 

    Captain Jordan Henderson (groin) will miss out, as will defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (calf).

    Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, of course, are sidelined for the long term with knee injuries, while it looks unlikely that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Thiago Alcantara will be ready to return for this game.

    In addition, Naby Keita picked up a hamstring issue against Leicester, while Xherdan Shaqiri missed out entirely due to an unspecified muscle complaint. Neither are expected to be part of Klopp’s squad against Atalanta.

    “All the rest, no news,” Klopp said. “One looks closer, the other not so close, that’s how the situation is. We will see who is available. 

    “I don’t want to speak too much about it because I have no idea who Atalanta can bring, so why should we give any kind of information to them?”

    Liverpool won 5-0 when the sides met in Bergamo earlier this month, but Klopp is expecting a tougher assignment on Merseyside.

    “Atalanta would be a threat without a point to prove, to be honest,” he said. “The night in Atalanta was really special, we played exceptionally well, and pretty much everything was right. Things came together and we won the game the way we won it.

    “We know that this game has nothing to do with the game tomorrow night. We know that we have to be ready again. Atalanta are a top team with a special way to play. We did well at Atalanta, but we need to do well again otherwise we will have problems. 

    “I expect problems, to be honest, because it’s always like this. But we try to work on the solutions in the short period of time we have.”

    He added: “It’s all on the table, it’s clear that if we win then some problems will be sorted. But we have to play, be ready to work really, really hard against them. 

    “This man-marking system is really difficult to play, that’s why they were so successful in the past years. They will not change, they will play in a similar way. We will see who we can line up tomorrow and try to make the best of situation.”

  • Jurgen Klopp says Salah has returned negative coronavirus test

    Jurgen Klopp says Salah has returned negative coronavirus test

    Salah was ruled out of Sunday’s 3-0 win over Leicester after testing positive for the virus while away on international duty with Egypt earlier this month.

    The Liverpool manager confirmed Salah produced a negative test on Sunday prior to the Leicester match and could rejoin the group on Monday after a period in self-isolation, having initially tested positive on November 13.

    Salah will undergo further testing in the coming days, with Liverpool’s next match at home to Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday.

    Speaking after the win over Leicester, Klopp said: “That’s what I’ve heard, a negative today.

    “I think from now he is pretty normal in all the testing. Tomorrow we have UEFA testing and I am pretty sure he will be in that.

    “He can train with us tomorrow. There are two tests in the next two days so he will be tested.”

    Salah’s availability will come as a welcome boost for Klopp, who is already without a number of senior players through injury – including defenders Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

    There are also concerns over midfielder Naby Keita, who was forced off against Leicester with a hamstring problem.

    However, Klopp says it is too soon to know the severity of the injury.

    “He felt his hamstring and was not able to play on, otherwise he would have stayed on the pitch,” he said.

    Klopp also confirmed Xherdan Shaqiri missed the match after a scan revealed he had a slight muscle injury after returning from international duty with Switzerland.

    “How I know it, Shaqiri had a little muscle injury at the national team which he didn’t really realise,” said Klopp.

    “So now he trained with us, we gave him a day off and then he came back. He was involved in a session but not fully involved.

    “After that he felt it a little bit. He had a scan and it found that he has an injury from five or six days ago. Nobody knew about that, not even Shaq, but that’s how things are sometimes, so he was not able to be involved.”

  • ‘Jota will spark all of Liverpool’s forwards into life’ – Portuguese backed by Aldridge to aid Salah, Mane & Firmino

    ‘Jota will spark all of Liverpool’s forwards into life’ – Portuguese backed by Aldridge to aid Salah, Mane & Firmino

    Diogo Jota is capable of providing a spark that ignites all of the forwards on Liverpool’s books, not just Roberto Firmino, says John Aldridge.

    The arrival of the Portugal international at Anfield was always intended to raise the game of those around him.

    Jurgen Klopp, despite masterminding Champions League and Premier League title triumphs, was considered to be in need of greater squad depth at the business end of the field.

    Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have become talismanic figures for the Reds, but there was little support behind them.

    READ ALSO: ‘Man Utd have got to get rid of inconsistency’ – Neville

    Jota’s presence has changed that, with the 23-year-old making an immediate impact on Merseyside.

    He has already earned himself a starting berth, with Klopp opting to field a front four against Manchester City, and Aldridge believes collective standards will be raised amid added competition for places.

    The former Reds striker told the Liverpool Echo, with Firmino under the greatest pressure to perform after enduring an uncharacteristic dip of late: “We played so well against Atalanta that I expected the manager to say same again with the line-up so I was a bit surprised to see the manager start all four forwards.

    “You don’t need to be an expert to see Bobby Firmino is still struggling, I thought he did look a bit better on Sunday [against City] and a little sharper but for whatever reason, whether it’s confidence or whatever, he’s been off it for a long time now.

    “I do feel the introduction of Diogo Jota will spark them all into life eventually, we saw how it did at Atalanta and ultimately competition for places can only be healthy.

    “There will be occasions when the manager feels it’s right to play all four, perhaps more when we’re at home to sides who are going to sit in and maybe the reason for doing it at City was more down to the injuries we’ve got in other areas at the moment.

    “Jota’s great because he can play in any of the forward positions and will keep everyone on their toes. He was brilliant against Atalanta when he played through the centre and that’s where I’d like to see more of him, with Mo and Sadio either side.

    “There’s no doubt the four of them can play together and Bobby and the manager will know he has to find a way of getting back to his best again because he’s a fantastic player and we need him back to what he was doing a year or two ago.”

    Firmino has just one goal to his name this season, while Jota is already up to seven, and Klopp is set to face big selection calls each and every time he sends his Liverpool troops into battle.

  • Salah levels Gerrard’s Liverpool UCL record

    Salah levels Gerrard’s Liverpool UCL record

    In just his third season with the six-time European champions, the Egypt star has matched the club legend’s feat with a strike against Atalanta

    Mohamed Salah moved level with Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s top goal scorer in European Cup and Champions League history on Tuesday.

    Salah netted a stunning breakaway goal early in the second half against Atalanta as the Reds tore the Serie A side apart in a 5-0 victory.

    That strike, a composed left-footed finish at the end of a rapid burst forward, was the Egypt international’s 21st in the Champions League proper for the team. Salah has therefore tied Gerrard’s all-time club benchmark.

    READ ALSO: Liverpool’s Diogo Jota nets hat-trick in Champions League rout

    Salah, who reached the 2018 final in his first season at Anfield and won the competition the following year, swiftly teed up a fourth Liverpool goal for Sadio Mane.

    Diogo Jota had scored twice before the break and completed his hat-trick – his first in Liverpool colours – as Jurgen Klopp’s side moved 5-0 up after just 54 minutes.

    That would be the end of the scoring as Jurgen Klopp’s men cruised to a win that saw them win their third straight match in the Champions League group stage. 

    Liverpool are in pole position to qualify for the knockout phase after going top of Group D, five points clear of Ajax and Atalanta who are both on four. 

    The five-goal victory on Tuesday means Klopp’s side also set the record for the biggest ever win by an English club away to Italian opposition in European competition.

    Jota has impressed for the Reds of late, with the Portugal international only the second player to score on his first two starts in the Champions League for Liverpool, following Robbie Keane back in 2008. 

    Having also starred for Wolves in the Europa League last term, Jota has now scored three hat-tricks in the Champions League and Europa League combined since the start of last season, the only player to have done so more than once.

    He has scored nine goals since the start of last season in European competition – six for Wolves and now three for Liverpool – which is more than any other player for an English side in that period, excluding strikes in qualifying matches.

    Following the international break, Liverpool’s next Champions League match will be against Atalanta at Anfield on November 25.