Mo Salah's history with Man City explains urgency behind Liverpool return
It’s not hard to see why Liverpool are doing everything to get Mohamed Salah ready for Manchester City on Sunday.
Playing against City brings the best out of Salah in a way it does for so few others. He is the archetypal big-game player and he thrives on having the spotlight firmly fixed on him.
Salah revels in the crunch clashes and he loves the extra pressure they bring. He has 11 goals and six assists for Liverpool against City in his 19 games against them.
Even when Liverpool are off colour, like they were at the Etihad last season, he still netted. Salah set a new club record when he scored in all four games against City last season and no Liverpool player has netted against the same opponent four times in the one campaign.
The Egyptian superstar is joint second in the club’s all-time scoring list against City alongside Gordon Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish and only Ian Rush with 15 has netted more often against the Blues.
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His record against City is perfectly balanced and he has seven wins, seven losses and five draws at a time when the Blues are the strongest team in the world.
For someone who has just played 46 minutes for Liverpool since New Year’s Day, his stats are phenomenal. He has 18 goals and nine assists in just 28 appearances for Liverpool this season.
Jurgen Klopp plans to hand him some minutes in Thursday’s Europa League clash with Sparta Prague to give him a run-out before Sunday’s showdown with City at Anfield.
Salah returned to Liverpool training this week (PA)That is his focus and he knows how vital Salah is for Liverpool’s chances in this potential title-decider. Liverpool have got through their injury crisis of the last three weeks, after it blew up at Brentford, more through luck than judgement.
There have been moments in their last four wins, which Klopp felt was impossible, when they came close to losing or dropping points. But they didn’t and now they need Salah back to give them the firepower which has carried them to so many wins this season.
Salah’s return could give Klopp the luxury of starting him, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz as his front three for the first time since New Year’s Day when they beat Newcastle at Anfield. He could have Cody Gakpo and Jayden Danns on the bench and have the option to boost his attack if needed.
Salah’s importance to Liverpool isn’t just his goals and it’s the confidence boost he gives everyone around him on the pitch and in the stands.
Of Liverpool’s four defeats this season, only one has been with Salah and that was the hugely-controversial loss at Tottenham when the Reds wrongly had a goal chalked off for offside.
He is an enigma of a star and he can be anonymous on that right wing, failing to beat his left-back, before he bursts into life, scoring a goal and making another. There is nobody else like him on the planet and Liverpool desperately need him firing on Sunday at Anfield.
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