"Totally different animal": Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Mohamed Salah
Nov 24, 2023
Manchester [UK], November 24 : Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had special praise in store for their Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah calling him a "different animal" ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.
Salah has been a sensation since his arrival from AS Roma to Liverpool in 2017. He has mesmerized the fans with his remarkable attacking play and deceiving defenders with quick feet.
Salah is on the cusp of joining the likes of Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell to become just the fifth player to score 200 goals for Liverpool.
The 31-year-old has 198 goals for the Merseyside club and is just two goals shy of reaching the 200-goal mark. If he is able to score two goals against Manchester City he will become just the fifth Liverpool player to do so in the history of the entire club.
Ahead of the highly anticipated clash against the Premier League title defenders, Klopp sang praises of the Egyptian winger and said in the pre-match press conference, "But now with all these experiences, he is a totally different animal. Still having this desire to score makes him the player he is. And that is pretty special."
Even though the experienced forward has achieved a remarkable feat during his time in the Premier League, Klopp feels he can still improve his game.
"Of course, he can improve, but that is all about consistency in games, but it really is not about that. Why would he be the first into training and the last to leave if he did not want to improve? He gained that experience over the years and he knows much more about the game and positions and he is a completely different player to the boy who arrived here," Klopp added.
Liverpool will have to defy the odds as Manchester City has gone unbeaten for the past 23 games. Klopp feels that the only way Liverpool can cause trouble for the Blues is by making them uncomfortable in the game.
"The longer a run goes, the more likely it will end! It is a tough game, but nothing I can say really makes them weaker. Whatever happened last year, or the year before that, is just a memory, nothing else, so we have to be ready for tomorrow. And that is what we try to be and if we are, if we can be really uncomfortable for them, then we have a chance. If they feel comfortable in their game, there is no team who can beat them. But if we can change that, there is a chance. Then we have to take it on top of that... It feels we are a bit closer, but on match days, you must win the decisive battles on the pitch," Klopp added.