Mohamed Salah's winner against Liverpool provoked Jurgen Klopp to say he had 'no rhyme or reason'
ON THIS DAY: A year before moving to Liverpool, Mohamed Salah has made his mark from the Merseyside club during Jurgen Klopp's first pre-season crusade as Reds boss.
While the late spring of 2022 was all about Mohamed Salah's new contract with Liverpool, the Egyptian was putting the Reds on their shoulders a long time ago.
Liverpool were keen on Salah back in 2014 only to see him leave Basel for Chelsea. By August 2016, his time in London was a vestige of days gone by, but any reasonable person would agree that Liverpool understood what they were getting into when they took on his Roma side in a well-prepared pre-season in St Louis, Missouri.
It was also instrumental in Jurgen Klopp's most memorable complete pre-season as Liverpool boss. He emerged midway through the 2015-16 season and regulated a run of pre-season wins back in England, however results in the US gave the German an indication of the size of the task ahead.
Liverpool's starting XI in Missouri was a mix of old and new faces, including four of Klopp's late spring signings. Veteran goalkeeper Alex Manninger started between the sticks, with Ragnar Klavan centering in front of him, while further starts for Gini Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane following their moves from Newcastle and Southampton respectively.
Salah was not the main future Liverpool star wanted for the Giallorossi, with Alisson starting the game for the Italian side. Different players with an overview of the Premier League over a significant span of time included Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri, while Francesco Totti emerged as a star before his final season.
Salah got a big chance for Roma, holding off Klavan and freeing Radja Nainggolan to play in Dzeko. It was a warning sign for Liverpool, but it could also give Klopp an insight into the true capabilities of the man he would be signing next summer.
 |
However, the options for Luciano Spaletti's side continued to flow and Salah put one aside in the long run. Substitute goalkeeper Simon Mignolet managed to deflect Džeko's header into the striker's path and made no mistake.
"It wasn't our best game, which can happen when you're not minimized like in the main half," Klopp said after the game. “There were huge gaps between the positions.
"Practically every circumstance was an opportunity. It had no rhyme or reason," he continued.
Mohamed has the ideal combination of commitment and potential - it's a really interesting paperwork for us to complete," Klopp said after the move was covered by Liverpoolfc.com. “He knows the Premier League, he has family in the Champions League and he is one of the main players for his country.
"His record in Italy has been remarkable and he has qualities that will improve our group and crew. I have watched him since his inception in Basel and he has developed into a great player."
After watching Salah put his group on the back burner in the United States, Klopp made sure it would be the last time the forward scored against his group. Six years on, this choice appears to be one of the most brilliant the club has made.
0 Comments