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The manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, stated that he would be pleased if Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo’s international commitments could be limited as the team starts competing in three different competitions in January.
Salah is currently participating in the African Cup of Nations with Egypt, while Endo, the captain of Japan, is competing in the Asian Cup. Both players are predicted to have a significant presence in their respective tournaments.
This could indicate a comeback during the second week of February, but Klopp mentioned that he bid them farewell this week without overly wishing them luck.
“I stated that if I wished you good luck, it would not be truthful,” he declared prior to the FA Cup match against Arsenal.
In my opinion, I would prefer if they were eliminated in the group stage, but that may not be feasible. It is possible for them to continue and become champions.
“I received a message of ‘wishing you luck and a safe return’. We must confront this challenge and we are capable of doing so. I am confident that we will discover a solution.”
There is no way to find an exact substitute for Salah, as he is unique. However, Klopp does not currently have a player with the same skillset as a right-winger to fill his spot.
Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfielder, was considered as a possible choice, but he will not be able to play for at least two games due to a hamstring injury that he suffered during the New Year’s Day victory against Newcastle.
Klopp stated that it is indeed an injury, specifically to the muscle and hamstring, and further evaluation is necessary.
“Dom is very positive, doesn’t have a lot of pain but we have to wait a little bit. So, no chance obviously for Sunday, not for Wednesday (the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Fulham).
“We will wait and see. If all goes well, he may return, but it is uncertain.”
Despite this, Klopp expressed belief that Liverpool would be able to make up for the absence of Salah, even if they could not match his level of goal contributions as seen from the Egypt national team.
“I believe we faced West Ham (in the Carabao Cup quarter-final last month) without Mo playing on that side. Instead, Harvey Elliott filled in that position,” he stated.
“We have a variety of players who can play on the wing and each brings a unique approach to the position.”
We will be facing Arsenal and defeat is possible even without Mo Salah, as he can also cause us to lose against them.
No one can match Mo’s playing abilities, it’s simply not possible. We must utilize the skills of the other players on the team.
“Do we want to play without Mo? No, in the past we rarely had to do so, but we always managed to find a solution.”
“Even though we have Mo Salah, we could still lose to Arsenal, so it’s not impossible to lose to them without him.”
Source: independent.co.uk
