Liverpool have plenty of talent in their forward ranks and Jurgen Klopp may already be eyeing one of his squad members to eventually take on Mohamed Salah’s role.
Jurgen Klopp congratulates Mohamed Salah after leaving Bournemouth
Liverpool have insisted Mohamed Salah is not going anywhere – at least for now…
With the intense focus of Al Ittihad’s relentless pursuit of Mo Salah, the spotlight has inevitably shifted to Liverpool’s front line and the prospect of living without their flashy superstar.
But with the window finally closing in Saudi Arabia on Thursday night – and Jürgen Klopp’s consistent assurances that the Egyptian will not be leaving – the picture is suddenly much brighter for the Reds’ frontline.
There has never been so much competition for the top three under Klopp. For most of the season at Anfield, his starting lineup was a Mane-Firmino-Salah three-pronged attack that became the most feared in Europe.
However, it was clear in the first game of the season that Klopp believes he has an almost embarrassing fortune in front of him… and a difficult choice of three starters. ‌
In this visit to Chelsea, the manager used six forwards, including precocious teenager Ben Doak, who is so highly regarded by the German manager at 17 that he has featured in every Liverpool game this season.
There has been talk of offers for another striker in the transfer window, but with Klopp believing in the youngster, he wants to leave room for the winger, who only represented Scotland U21s at 16, to develop.
It is former Reds forward John Aldridge who believes that Doak is a star of the future. The Scot can even replace Salah playing in the same position, he said of the talented forward line:
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have been tipped to join Liverpool’s latest squad
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“Up front they have five fantastic players and goalscorers and another boy who inspires me – Ben Doak. “I love watching his attitude; he’s like one of the real sportsmen who’s played at Liverpool and I think we’ll see a lot of him this season – so there’s actually six forwards.”
Aldridge is not wrong. Klopp has already expressed as much and Doak will get his chance in both the EFL Cup and Europa League before Christmas and it is not inconceivable to believe he can add significantly to his six games so far.
However, he is likely to be used sparingly as a substitute in the Premier League as the manager goes with five established senior strikers … giving him a real selection headache.
Young Ben Doak is highly rated at Anfied
In the last game against Villa, Klopp admitted he “really liked” the line-up, where the lightning-quick trio of Salah, Nunez and Diaz demolished the visitors’ top line.
However, he later emphasized that both Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo were “so close” to starting, freely admitting that they will get their chance … as both have already done this season, with Gakpo starting three times and Jota twice in four games. This gives Klopp the tactical flexibility his evolving formation requires. At his peak, his previous team had speed and goals up front, delivery from roaming full-backs and a hard-working midfield for pressure.
But with Trent Alexander-Arnold now often coming in to exploit his passing area, and his midfield duo of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister also providing incisive passing, he can chop and switch at will depending on the opposition.
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This makes this Liverpool team much more unpredictable than previous incarnations, with goals spread out… and the pressure to perform coming from the back.
Only Salah has looked intact so far, while Diaz is assured of repeat starts, but even the two Anfield stars know they cannot afford days off and Klopp is happy to make changes.
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