The wait is almost over. After a long international summer, Liverpool will be back in action later this week as the pre-season tour of the United States gets underway.
Well, strictly speaking, the Reds have already been in action this summer, albeit behind closed doors where only a select few could see them . Considering that ended in a 1-0 defeat to Championship side Preston, you’ll be forgiven if you pretend that it never actually happened.
Nevertheless, it did give Arne Slot his first proper look at his new team in a match situation. It also gave a first glimpse at an experiment that could continue in the US .
READ MORE: Liverpool record shows stark difference in Richard Hughes' approach to transfer window
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news as Arne Slot 'ready to pay $65m clause' and Fabio Carvalho 'decision' made
With Mohamed Salah the only senior forward back in training, the Egyptian seems to have taken up the No.9 role in the opening friendly of the summer. He’s no stranger to the position, having played more centrally at various points over his Liverpool career, or simply whenever Jurgen Klopp needed a goal.
Nothing has changed since that game against Preston – Luis Diaz , Darwin Nunez , Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo are still on their breaks following Copa America and Euro 2024. Considering three of those four went right to the final week of their respective tournaments, they won’t be expected to link up with their teammates in the US.
Salah therefore remains the only senior forward in the 28-man traveling squad , which takes on a very youthful look with 11 players still yet to return to training. The likes of Ben Doak, Kaide Gordon, Lewis Koumas and Harvey Blair will also be vying for places among the front line, but there is one slight issue – they’re all wingers.
It seems then that there is an obvious solution – continue with Salah up front. Not that he would see himself as your conventional striker. "I don't like to brand myself a No.9 because the way I play, it's never like I hold the ball and am always physically strong,” Salah told the ECHO in 2019 about shifting to the center.
"As a striker I have to drop deep to get the ball and go past the players so even when I play as a nine, my position is a different type of game to many centre-forwards. When I play No.9 I drop deep to play as a No.10 too to keep the ball and dribble. I am always trying to help the team score goals and I am still one of the top scorers in the Premier League so I am happy about that."
Now 32, Salah still gets through his fair share of work as a forward. In fact, he has become more of a playmaker over the past year or so – the problem is, his fellow forwards didn’t convert as many he normally does.
Seven years after making the move to Anfield, Salah remains Liverpool’s biggest goal threat, and as the years advance, it only makes more sense to get him closer to the goal. It’s a plan we’ve seen with plenty of players before, most notably with Cristiano Ronaldo .
Whether it’s an experiment that continues when those other senior forwards return remains to be seen, but for now it’s clear Salah’s most natural position should be. If he continues scoring at the rate he has over his Liverpool career, it could well turn into more than an experiment by the time kick-off arrives at Ipswich on August 17.
Most Popular
Comments / 0