Jurgen Klopp defends Mohamed Salah and explains Liverpool scoring drought

03 February 2023 , 13:42

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Jurgen Klopp is sure the goals will return for Mohamed Salah (Image: Liverpool FC)

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Mohamed Salah is not short of confidence and has backed the Liverpool forward to get back to scoring ways against Wolves.

Salah has scored just one goal in his last seven appearances for Liverpool in all competitions. The 30-year-old has netted just seven times in 19 Premier League matches all campaign, after banging in 23 last season to share the Golden Boot with Tottenham star Son Heung-min.

The Egyptian will be hoping to get back on the score sheet when his side travel to Molineux to play Wolves in a 3pm kick-off on Saturday. Liverpool have won just one of their past six games in all competitions – and that came against Wolves at Molineux in an FA Cup third-round replay last month.

Klopp is completely unconcerned by Salah’s dip in form and says it is simply down to inconsistency in selection caused by the number of injuries. “Lost confidence? No, it’s how strikers are. All of them, when it’s going well and other moments when you have to go through these periods,” Klopp said. “I don’t think there’s much difference.

“We spoke last week in the press conference about all the changes we’ve had to make, changes up front. Every striker benefits from settled things, from patterns, everybody knows about. That, for sure, was more of a problem than other stuff.

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“But, of course, when you don’t score for a while it’s true, you might not be on 100 per cent confidence level, but the desire to do it grows every hour, so that’s it.”

Mohamed Salah has seven Premier League goals this season (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

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Liverpool are without attacking trio Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, which has left Klopp unable to rotate like he normally would. Salah, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have been heavily relied upon of late during the Reds’ rocky patch.

Salah will make his 200th league appearance for Liverpool on Saturday and has the chance to make history in the Midlands. If he scores, Salah will equal Gordon Hodgson’s record of 126 goals in his first 200 appearances for the club.

Klopp has backed him to surpass the record of Hodgson, who played for Liverpool between 1926 and 1935. He said: “There’s no problem with him scoring and breaking that record – it’s a record to be broken. Mo has broken a lot so hopefully he can do this one as well.”

Salah and Nunez are likely to continue in attack for Liverpool, who are ninth in the Premier League. Klopp gave a positive update on the injuries of his attacking stars, but none are ready to return to the squad.

“Generally it’s looking better,” he said. “The boys are training. Diogo Jota had a full session with the team this week but then the next day had again a rehab session, not because of the session the day before, it was just part of the plan. I think he will be back in normal training next week.

“Bobby is getting closer obviously, very good. Luis is running now, it will take a few weeks still but he is now out on the pitch as well running, which is really good.”

Felix Keith