Jurgen Klopp admits the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane affects Liverpool, but they must find a solution to their goals against
Salah and Mane. Including Naby Keita, who is traveling to help the national team in the Africa Cup of Nations, where the final takes place on February 6, the trio may be away from helping Liverpool again. Shortly
after, Liverpool’s first game without the trio ended in victory over League One side Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, but the absence of Mane and Salah made a clear impact on the game. Draw with the remaining 10 Arsenal on Thursday night.
Still, although Klopp admits the absence of the two would affect the Reds, they need to play better to find a way to break through Arsenal’s defense.
Asked if he was worried about the team finishing, with the absence of Mane and Salah, Klopp replied: “The only way we can avoid these questions is to score goals.”
“The situation is clear. nah They are not here and they are world class players. Do we miss them? Miss it, but it’s not about people who aren’t here. But it’s about how we can play better
. Enough and a red card happened. You have to break through the deep defensive back and that’s the hardest. We couldn’t penetrate last night.”
“We didn’t do well in many moments. But we can play better and that’s what we have to do.”
That has led to questions as to whether Salah and Mane’s lack of speed to run across the defensive line from the edge will be a problem for the moment, but Klopp says that’s a question in the wrong place.
“There’s nothing bad to say about Sadio and Mo, they are great players, I would say Naby is one of the best midfielders I’ve ever seen. But they are not with the team right now.”
“Last night we didn’t lack speed, that’s not our problem. They’re going down so deep, where are we going to run through? Running off the back line, up the bleachers? There’s no space at all.”
“There are things we can do. Counter-pressing, getting the ball back It’s not a matter of speed. We have to play against teams that go down low, come down to pack games
. team”
“It’s clear we’re here after 0-0 with the remaining 10 and the only thing on your mind is Sadio and Mo but that’s not the solution, that’s part of the problem. We have to find a solution.”
“We didn’t play perfect last night. But maybe next game, if we play with a form that is close to normal standards, we have a chance to win. We had to go through a difficult season. This is our difficult time. Let’s fight together better.”