Anfield Focus

MOHAMED SALAH AND SADIO MANÉ CAN BECOME LIVERPOOL’S NEW DYNAMIC DUO IN JÜRGEN KLOPP’S COUNTER-PRESSING SYSTEM

| August 3, 2017 |

Whether pre-season or not, Liverpool versus Bayern Munich had many factors to get excited over – though I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah being named together in the starting eleven for the first time was easily top of that list.

I was rubbing my hands with premeditated delight – what followed somehow exceeded my already overly biased expectations.

As the game unfolded and we clinically tore the German champions apart with lightening fast counter-attacks – a key fact dawned on me. This is their first game together – yet they’re looking almost telepathic together. As dangerous as each other. As fast as each other. As direct, uncontrollable, uncontainable as each other.

Perhaps I’m slightly over-excited, but nevertheless a defence as experienced as Bayern’s looking completely dumbfounded and bewildered at the raw pace and goal-threat was a thing of beauty.

It got me thinking of all the past duos that have formed over the years: Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush; Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez; Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres; Michael Owen and Emile Heskey; Roger Hunt and Ian St John; Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore; Kevin Keegan and John Toshack.

Liverpool have been blessed with some truly wonderful combinations over the years and I’m not suggesting that this newly found partnership will indefinitely reach the high standards that have been set by their predecessors – well, not overnight anyway. Neither are strikers, neither are known purely for their goal per game ratio, but for some reason I’ve led myself to believe that mirroring each other on either flank, their impact alone could be just as devastating as any partnership currently in the Premier League.

However I think this time it’ll differ slightly to those in the past, rather than two strikers/attackers linking up to supply all the goals – I think it’ll be more a case of joint-involvement, inventive play and directness.

Not saying that they won’t contribute themselves, of course I think you could genuinely make a case that either has the potential of being Liverpool’s top goal-scorer in the season ahead. (I honestly think it’ll be one or the other). It’s more a premonition of the two of them loading the gun, but with multiple players pulling the trigger.

Although I’m basing this on a single performance alone – the system we played (against Bayern) is tailor-made for the pairing of Salah and Mané to thrive in. Sit deep, be calm out of possession, hold your position to keep compact, then spring fast, efficient attacks. Everyone benefits from it.

Salah and Mané play to their strengths by sitting on the shoulder of full-backs, ready to pounce; Firmino does what he does best by tinkering away, dropping deeper to drag the centre-backs out of position (or at least out of catching distance of the wingers) and leaving space for overlapping attacking-midfielders.

Meanwhile the wide-men keep the full-backs/opposing wingers obtained due to their explosive acceleration, even when off the ball – a simple decoy run is enough to stretch the space for others.

By others I’m talking about Coutinho – a player that can do magical things in the smallest of gaps, let alone with space in-front of him or players running into unmarked areas. The luxury of having

Coutinho in midfield is he’ll take full advantage of our relentless counter-pressing, by effortlessly releasing quick penetrating balls, catching the other team in an offensive stance rather than defensive. Along with Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum that could all play the double pivot role for extra cover.

Sounds very philosophical – but if implemented like the Bayern game on a consistent level, then the out-score everybody attitude (not that we won’t score loads) could soon become a distant memory. The obvious example is Leicester in 2015-16, they played this to perfection – it was obvious, yet unstoppable. They only conceded thirty-six goals all season in that title winning campaign.

They’d steal momentum within the blink of an eye – a sloppy pass is all it took, or too many touches and it’s game over. They didn’t have the best defence, but their tactics were best suited to help the defence.

Look at the personnel we’ve got in this team, look at the pace, look at the skill – we could be just as effective. We could become unstoppable – we’re that close.

It’s ideal for Champions League fixtures – very defensive without the ball, be strong in possession and spring attacks. Nothing we’ve not seen before – typical Rafa Benitez/Gérard Houllier. Remember the only British team to win in Kiev; the only English team to win on Catalan soil.

Okay there was some strong characters and steely operators in those teams – and it’s unfair to compare. I’m not comparing teams but to emulate the shrewd tactics would be genius. It’s very defensive minded but still with attacking intent – the opposite to Jürgen Klopp.

I don’t think so, he’s a lot more tactically astute than people give him credit for. We’ve already seen a very similar method used – against Chelsea away last season. We got our goal and we frustrated the life out of future champions and restricted them in their own back-yard, then pinned them into submission with a second. In my eyes, that game was as glorious as thrashing someone five/six-nil.

Don’t get me wrong – we’ll be as fast and furious as anyone but with a bit more brain behind the brawn. Also with the knowledge that if opponents sit back, they’ll still get punished and if you come at us – be afraid, be very afraid.

Sadio Mané was our joint top goal-scorer with thirteen goals and five assists last season despite going to the Africa Cup of Nations and getting injured – resulting in him only playing twenty-seven games. Mohamed Salah was the second top-scorer for Roma with fifteen goals and eleven assists and like Mané, also missed games due to Egypt’s AFCON duties, playing in thirty-one games for the Italian club.

Of course there’s many ifs and buts – different league, different players, different pace, different everything. Though in less than one hour they set my senses alight, both scoring and both showing the flair, fluidity and concentration to counter with such calculated precision

For me personally, I look at their output last season (regardless of where they played) and wonder if maybe this pair can be our thirty-goal-a-season difference maker. They’re a match made in heaven – and we’re about to reap the rewards.

There’s an unwritten rule that you can’t win the league without an out-and-out, twenty-goals-a-season striker, well, we’re Liverpool Football Club, we don’t follow the rules – we create them. Setting trends since 1892.

Surely that’s what football’s all about – creating optimism, excitement, dreams and belief.