STAMFORD BRIDGE — It was a moment of peak Liverpool perfection. A goal made from back to front. Scything through an entire opposition team with positioning, pace, passing.
The final passes: Alexis Mac Allister finding Mohamed Salah out wide, the slight delay before the sensational through ball into Luis Diaz, the slide in to convert.
The problem was the rest of it.
So much of Jurgen Klopp’s success at Liverpool has revolved around that front three of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. For a period, it was up there with the best in the world. The Liverpool manager has forwards at his disposal now, but can he get anything close to resembling that past?
For the first 66 minutes against Chelsea he tried a front four, almost: a three of Salah, Diogo Jota and Diaz, with Cody Gakpo just behind.
But with the game edging in Chelsea’s favour, Klopp swapped Jota, struggling with an injury following a clash in the first half, with Darwin Nunez. Remember he was an £85m striker once upon a time?
Salah may be 31 but judging by his Instagram photos his body is at least a decade younger. Even last season, there were spells when his powers were questioned and he ended up scoring 32 goals in 53 games. He has still got it.
And judging by his reaction to being substituted in the second half – denying him the opportunity to continue his run of scoring for Liverpool in every opening game of the season – he knows it.
Diaz, who missed much of last season with a serious knee injury, looks as though he is of the quality to get Liverpool back to where they believe they belong.
But do they have the missing puzzle piece? Can Nunez ever become an £85m striker for Liverpool? Is Jota quite good enough?
Mo Salah is NOT happy with being subbed off
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 13, 2023pic.twitter.com/QpZuI17qWE
Is Gakpo a striker or attacking midfielder, or will he become lost somewhere in between?
Without that edge up front, without three players who will nine times out of 10 turn a pass out from the goalkeeper into a scintillating goal, it leaves Liverpool feeling blunt throughout.
As it was, they came away from an opening game of the season at Stamford Bridge pretty content with a point. In their sharper days they would have been disappointed not to beat anybody.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/lkdiwot
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