Jurgen Klopp has named Premier League top scorer Mo Salah and key centre-half Virgil Van Dijk on the bench for Liverpool’s final Premier League game of the season against Wolves.
The Reds need to better current league leaders Manchester City’s result against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa to leapfrog them, win the title and keep their quadruple hopes alive.
Salah and Van Dijk are key players for Klopp’s side, meaning their inclusion in such a pivotal game would be taken as read in normal circumstances.
But both players picked up injuries in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea last Saturday that ruled them out of Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Southampton.
More from Football
Their inclusion on the bench today is therefore more of a step up than a step down, with Klopp saying in his press conference before the game that he was keen for them to make his matchday squad.
“My preferred solution would be they all could play at the weekend for rhythm reasons, stuff like this, or at least could be on the bench and then we can bring them on or not,” he said.
“Mo doesn’t want to take any risks – no doubt about that – but it looks good.”
With the Champions League final against Real Madrid coming up this Saturday, Klopp clearly does not want to risk aggravating both players’ injuries ahead of such a crucial game.
Liverpool’s starting line-up is hardly weak in Salah and Van Dijk’s absence, too, with the impressive Ibrahima Konate coming in at centre-half and a formidable front three of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane leading the line.
It nevertheless remains to be seen whether Klopp will rue their unavailability, even if it is enforced.
Salah starting on the bench will also diminish his chances of securing the Premier League Golden Boot. He currently leads the way on 22 goals, but Spurs’ Son Heung-min is only one behind.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/sTa1OSK
Post a Comment