Mo Salah – The Empire of The Kop https://www.empireofthekop.com Blog about Liverpool F.C. (LFC) and the Kop from true supporters for supporters worldwide. Tue, 05 Dec 2023 12:10:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 95610221 (Video) Jorginho thinks Liverpool have an ‘unbelievable’ player who’s even better than De Bruyne https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/jorginho-mo-salah-de-bruyne/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/jorginho-mo-salah-de-bruyne/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:20:13 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245753 Jorginho has named one Liverpool player as the best he’s ever faced during his time in the Premier League. The current Arsenal midfielder came to England in 2018 when he joined Chelsea from Napoli, spending four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge before moving across London last January. The Italy international was speaking to The Athletic Football Podcast […]

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Jorginho has named one Liverpool player as the best he’s ever faced during his time in the Premier League.

The current Arsenal midfielder came to England in 2018 when he joined Chelsea from Napoli, spending four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge before moving across London last January.

The Italy international was speaking to The Athletic Football Podcast when he was asked to name his best opponent during his time in the English top flight, ultimately plumping for Mo Salah after considerable thought.

Jorginho declared: “Kevin de Bruyne is ridiculous, but I think Salah in that period, he was another level. I think, yeah, I would put Salah first.”

When podcast host Ayo Akinwolere referenced the 2018/19 campaign in which Liverpool’s number 11 was the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 22 goals, the Arsenal midfielder replied: “Unbelievable. You could not stop him. He was so strong, so powerful, so fast and his mentality…

“However he would shoot, if you touched the ball it would go in. For me, that season he had was unbelievable.”

Jorginho has faced Salah more often than anyone else in his career, with their 17 previous head-to-heads between their respective meetings in Italy and England producing nine wins for the Liverpool forward and only three for the Italian (Transfermarkt).

For a European champion to rate the Egyptian ahead of a top-class operator in De Bruyne is a telling indicator of just how special a player the Reds have in the 31-year-old winger.

You can view the clip of Jorginho below (from 1:07:01), via The Athletic Football Podcast on YouTube:

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Liverpool player gives insight into Mo Salah’s mentality with post-Fulham revelation https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/elliott-salah-frustrated-liverpool-fulham/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/05/elliott-salah-frustrated-liverpool-fulham/#respond Tue, 05 Dec 2023 07:33:03 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245723 Harvey Elliott shared an insight into the elite mentality of Mo Salah with a comment he made following Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday. Despite the Reds beating Bernd Leno four times, their top scorer this season wasn’t among the scorers, with Marco Silva’s team just the second opponents in 2023/24 to prevent him […]

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Harvey Elliott shared an insight into the elite mentality of Mo Salah with a comment he made following Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Despite the Reds beating Bernd Leno four times, their top scorer this season wasn’t among the scorers, with Marco Silva’s team just the second opponents in 2023/24 to prevent him from netting at Anfield.

The Egyptian’s younger teammate was subsequently speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, and he shed a light on the mindset of the 31-year-old.

Elliott revealed: “You know Mo always wants to score but he got an assist, and even in games where he doesn’t score he’s popping up with an assist or something.

“He wasn’t the happiest, but as I said before, it can’t just be the forwards who score. We all need to chip in. It may not have been Mo’s day, but the other boys delivered.”

READ MORE: ‘For goodness sake…’ – Jeff Stelling calls for change after weekend news involving Liverpool

READ MORE: ‘Basically…’ – Van Dijk explains how Liverpool will deal with ‘demanding’ December task

Salah would’ve been well aware that a goal against Fulham at the weekend would’ve taken him to 200 for Liverpool and 150 in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), so he’d have been yearning to hit both of those milestones last Sunday.

He’s become so accustomed to scoring, especially at Anfield, that he’ll probably think he fell short of his own enormously high standards and was frustrated as a result; but like Elliott said, the 31-year-old still made a hugely valuable contribution with the assist for Wataru Endo’s late equaliser.

The England under-21 midfielder was also correct to stress the importance of the Japan captain, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister, stepping up to ensure that the Reds still prevailed even with their most lethal player held scoreless.

Liverpool will soon need to manage without Salah for a few games when he goes to the Africa Cup of Nations, so that’s when Jurgen Klopp will be especially looking towards the rest of the squad to take on the goalscoring responsibilities in the Egyptian’s absence.

In the meantime, our upcoming opponents beware…our number 11 will be gunning for that 200th LFC goal, especially now that he’s been made to wait for it!

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 14 Review 🤩: HOLD Trippier? The long-term view, Zinchenko’s time to shine? Eject your Villans?

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‘I fancy…’ – BBC pundit expects Liverpool milestone to be reached against Fulham this afternoon https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/03/sutton-salah-score-liverpool-fulham/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/03/sutton-salah-score-liverpool-fulham/#respond Sun, 03 Dec 2023 12:04:46 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245607 Chris Sutton is expecting one Liverpool player to reach a significant milestone in Sunday afternoon’s Premier League clash against Fulham at Anfield. If Mo Salah preserves his record of scoring in every top-flight home game so far this season, he’ll net his 200th for the Reds today, and the ex-Blackburn striker has backed the Egyptian […]

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Chris Sutton is expecting one Liverpool player to reach a significant milestone in Sunday afternoon’s Premier League clash against Fulham at Anfield.

If Mo Salah preserves his record of scoring in every top-flight home game so far this season, he’ll net his 200th for the Reds today, and the ex-Blackburn striker has backed the Egyptian to do just that.

Giving his weekend predictions to BBC Sport, the 50-year-old wrote: “Liverpool picked up an important point at Etihad Stadium last weekend but all three are needed here. 

“The Reds are without goalkeeper Alisson and Diogo Jota but they should be able to cope without them. I fancy Mohamed Salah to score, and Jurgen Klopp’s side to win comfortably.”

READ MORE: ‘I’m really not interested…’ – £150k-p/w Liverpool player has no time for one particular stat

READ MORE: ‘That’s why I was laughing…’ – 24y/o shares what he found ‘funny’ in recent Liverpool clash

The smart money would definitely appear to be on Salah becoming a double centurion in terms of goals scored, which’d make him just the fifth player in Liverpool’s 131-year history to do so (lfchistory.net).

He netted in both games against Fulham last season and has been on the scoresheet in eight of his nine matches at Anfield so far this term, with Union Saint-Gilloise in early October the only visitors to thwart him (Transfermarkt).

Even if the Cottagers succeed in making him wait for his 200th Reds goal, the likes of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz are all more than capable of inflicting hardship on Marco Silva’s backline.

Jurgen Klopp will take a win irrespective of who finds the target for Liverpool, but we expect that Salah will reach the double ton sooner rather than later.

📊EOTK Stats Pack: Liverpool v Fulham – Form guide, Mo Salah’s relentless goalscoring and MORE

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(Video) “Danny Welbeck is a better overall footballer than Mohamed Salah” https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/02/danny-welbeck-mohamed-salah/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/02/danny-welbeck-mohamed-salah/#comments Sat, 02 Dec 2023 16:28:25 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245598 There are some outrageous opinions in football but one man seems to have reached a world-wide best with his comments on Mo Salah and Danny Welbeck. Lee Gunner was on GiveMeSport and said: “Danny Welbeck is a better overall footballer than Mohamed Salah”. READ MORE: (Video) Richard Dunne says Liverpool have a player who looks so much […]

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There are some outrageous opinions in football but one man seems to have reached a world-wide best with his comments on Mo Salah and Danny Welbeck.

Lee Gunner was on GiveMeSport and said: “Danny Welbeck is a better overall footballer than Mohamed Salah”.

READ MORE: (Video) Richard Dunne says Liverpool have a player who looks so much better this season

It wasn’t just one comment either, a whole clip of the baffling evidence given to suggest the former Manchester United man has the edge.

It’s not even worth commenting sometimes when somebody is so clearly and outrageously wrong.

You can watch the ridiculous comments on Salah and Welbeck via @TheRedmenTV on X:

📖 Anfield Annals: Matt McQueen the Anfield All-Rounder who did everything in 36 years as a Red

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‘So dedicated…’ – Owen wowed by ‘model professional’ at Liverpool who’s ‘out of this world’ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/michael-owen-praise-dedicated-salah/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/michael-owen-praise-dedicated-salah/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:28:11 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245538 Michael Owen hailed one Liverpool player as ‘a model professional’ following the Reds’ 4-0 win over LASK at Anfield on Thursday night. The Reds cruised into the Europa League round of 16, ensuring top spot in the group thanks to their result and the draw between Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise. Mo Salah was inevitably among […]

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Michael Owen hailed one Liverpool player as ‘a model professional’ following the Reds’ 4-0 win over LASK at Anfield on Thursday night.

The Reds cruised into the Europa League round of 16, ensuring top spot in the group thanks to their result and the draw between Toulouse and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Mo Salah was inevitably among the LFC goalscorers, his penalty just after half-time taking him to within one goal of hitting 200 for the club.

Speaking on punditry duty for TNT Sports, Owen was raving about the dedication and professionalism of the 31-year-old, saying: “It’s not going to be long until he hits another landmark. He’s just been an incredible player. His consistency has been out of this world, in terms of his goals, his performances, his durability.

“He just doesn’t ever get injured. He lives in the gym, he’s so dedicated – he’s a model professional for anyone to look at.”

READ MORE: ‘Poker player…’ – Pundit spotted something about Mo Salah last night which concerned him

READ MORE: (Video) Jurgen Klopp couldn’t stop smiling after reporter’s question following Liverpool romp

Salah is indeed one of the most extraordinarily consistent players in world football, having struck a minimum of 23 goals in each of his six full seasons at Liverpool so far, a record he’s well on course to maintain this term with 13 to his name by the end of November (Transfermarkt).

He keeps himself in remarkably good shape, as was gloriously seen when he whipped off his shirt in celebration when scoring in the 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United earlier this year, duly displaying his ripped physique.

He turns 32 next summer, an age at which many footballers might begin to show signs of coming down off their peak. However, such is the Egyptian’s brilliance that he isn’t likely to wane for another few years yet.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all continued to excel well into their 30s, and Salah looks like he’ll do the very same.

Hopefully that’ll still be in a Liverpool shirt, with the rumours over a possible move to Saudi Arabia next year not going away. Knowing Mo, however, he’ll have his sights set on smashing a few more unprecedented scoring feats at Anfield.

#Ep96 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙

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‘Poker player…’ – Pundit spotted something about Mo Salah last night which concerned him https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/joe-cole-salah-unhappy-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/joe-cole-salah-unhappy-liverpool/#comments Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:08:41 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245537 Joe Cole made an observation about Mo Salah after Liverpool’s 4-0 win over LASK on Thursday night which may leave some Reds fans a little concerned. The Egyptian closed to within one goal of 200 for the club with an emphatically dispatched penalty early in the second half, taking his tally for the season to […]

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Joe Cole made an observation about Mo Salah after Liverpool’s 4-0 win over LASK on Thursday night which may leave some Reds fans a little concerned.

The Egyptian closed to within one goal of 200 for the club with an emphatically dispatched penalty early in the second half, taking his tally for the season to 13 (Transfermarkt).

However, one former LFC winger dubbed the 31-year-old ‘a poker player’ over the lack of emotion he tends to show in celebrating his goals, something into which pundits might attempt to read between the lines given the ongoing speculation over a possible big-money move to the Saudi Pro League in 2024 (ESPN).

Speaking on TNT Sports last night, Cole said of Salah: “He’s a bit of a poker player, isn’t he? You don’t know whether he’s happy. He could score a worldie and he doesn’t smile. He keeps his cards close to his chest.

“The future, the years are passing by for him because he’s already a Liverpool great, there’s no doubt about that. I think the key situation will be does he wants to stay and really take this team?

“I feel there’s years ahead of him. I think he is going to be another five, six or seven years playing because of that professionalism and fitness and he doesn’t look like he’s letting up. He is still breezing past players.”

READ MORE: (Video) Jurgen Klopp couldn’t stop smiling after reporter’s question following Liverpool romp

READ MORE: (Video) Salah shows class with shirt-swapping gesture to LASK players

It must be said that Salah didn’t look particularly poker-faced after dispatching his penalty last night, even if he’s sometimes been relatively muted with his celebrations of previous goals.

Given the ongoing Saudi transfer links, pundits may look for any body language cues which could even slightly hint at an element of dissatisfaction from the Liverpool attacker, which in turn might worry some fans about the possibility of an exit from Anfield over the next few months.

However, he certainly isn’t playing like someone who’s sulking and looking for a way out of the club, and you only need to look at his ongoing consistency in front of goal to see that he’s still performing at an extremely high level.

Like Cole says, the manner in which Salah looks after his body should ensure that he’ll continue to be a world-class operator well into his 30s, so hopefully the Egyptian King have another few years at Liverpool yet.

#Ep96 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙

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(Video) Salah shows class with shirt-swapping gesture to LASK players https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/salah-class-shirt-swapping-lask/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/salah-class-shirt-swapping-lask/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:23:39 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245526 Mo Salah is one of the greatest players in the world and when anyone who hasn’t ever had the chance to play against him, graces the same pitch – if often ends the same way. It led to a battle between two LASK players with both wanting to get their hands on the famous No.11’s […]

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Mo Salah is one of the greatest players in the world and when anyone who hasn’t ever had the chance to play against him, graces the same pitch – if often ends the same way.

It led to a battle between two LASK players with both wanting to get their hands on the famous No.11’s red jersey.

READ MORE: (Video) Salah’s 199th Liverpool goal from the Kop after European demolition

Our Egyptian King agreed to give one shirt out and meet the disappointed player afterwards, with another shirt from the dressing room.

It shows the level of fame of the 31-year-old has, with so many opposition players desperate to get their hands on a memento from the day they played against the captain of Egypt.

You can watch the Salah shirt gesture courtesy beIN SPORTS (via @archivessdee on X):

📖 Anfield Annals: Matt McQueen the Anfield All-Rounder who did everything in 36 years as a Red

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(Video) Salah’s 199th Liverpool goal from the Kop after European demolition https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/salah-199th-goal-kop/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/12/01/salah-199th-goal-kop/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2023 07:58:42 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245521 Mo Salah did the inevitable as he scored once again for Liverpool in a comfortable night’s work against LASK. After Cody Gakpo showed off his impressive pace to beat the opposition ‘keeper and subsequently be cleared out for the penalty, we knew who was going to step up for the spot-kick. READ MORE: (Video) Exquisite Trent […]

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Mo Salah did the inevitable as he scored once again for Liverpool in a comfortable night’s work against LASK.

After Cody Gakpo showed off his impressive pace to beat the opposition ‘keeper and subsequently be cleared out for the penalty, we knew who was going to step up for the spot-kick.

READ MORE: (Video) Exquisite Trent pass sets up Gakpo to round off Liverpool win in style

The Egyptian King calmly paced the ball into the bottom corner and ensured a three-goal defect was in place.

One supporter on the Kop captured the moment that a freezing Anfield watched the victory be rubber-stamped.

You can watch the Salah goal via @TFHistorian on X:

📖 Anfield Annals: Matt McQueen the Anfield All-Rounder who did everything in 36 years as a Red

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(Video) Mo Salah just one goal off 200 as Liverpool close in on Europa League knockout rounds https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/30/salah-penalty-goal-liverpool-lask/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/30/salah-penalty-goal-liverpool-lask/#respond Thu, 30 Nov 2023 21:12:34 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245484 Mo Salah made no mistake from the penalty spot to move within one goal of 200 for Liverpool and nudge them ever closer to ensuring their place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, with a win guaranteeing our progression. The Reds took a 2-0 lead into half-time and were given the perfect opportunity […]

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Mo Salah made no mistake from the penalty spot to move within one goal of 200 for Liverpool and nudge them ever closer to ensuring their place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, with a win guaranteeing our progression.

The Reds took a 2-0 lead into half-time and were given the perfect opportunity to extend their lead shortly after the interval when LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal upended Cody Gakpo inside the box.

The referee duly pointed to the spot, and the Egyptian King stepped up to drill the ball past the Austrian’s netminder for LFC’s third goal of the night, and his 199th for the club.

It surely won’t be long before he reaches the double century, and Liverpool can surely look forward to further Europa League football in the spring as they aim to lift the trophy in Dublin next May.

You can view Salah’s penalty below, taken from TNT Sports’ match coverage and shared via @ArnitA53639 on X:

 

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Al-Ittihad plot potential coup which they’ll hope to help them lure Mo Salah from Liverpool https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/29/julian-ward-al-ittihad-salah-liverpool/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/29/julian-ward-al-ittihad-salah-liverpool/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:09:00 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245419 Having already signed Fabinho from Liverpool this year, Al-Ittihad appear to have eyes on trying to lure another ex-Anfield figure to Saudi Arabia. The Daily Mail reported that the Reds’ former sporting director Julian Ward is being targeted to take up a similar role at the Jeddah-based club, who’ve recently hired a new manager in […]

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Having already signed Fabinho from Liverpool this year, Al-Ittihad appear to have eyes on trying to lure another ex-Anfield figure to Saudi Arabia.

The Daily Mail reported that the Reds’ former sporting director Julian Ward is being targeted to take up a similar role at the Jeddah-based club, who’ve recently hired a new manager in Marcelo Gallardo.

The 42-year-old first came to LFC in 2012 as European scouting manager for Spain and Portugal and eventually worked his way up the chain to take over from long-serving recruitment chief Michael Edwards in 2022, only to leave that position at the end of last season.

READ MORE: ‘Some fans asking me…’ – Fabrizio Romano shares the latest on future of Liverpool ‘Rolls-Royce’

READ MORE: ‘Expect him to leave…’ – Liverpool-linked £35m flier is ‘very keen on a transfer’ in 2024

Aside from the work that he carried out at Liverpool, one reason why Al-Ittihad might be targeting Ward is with a view to eventually getting their hands on Mo Salah.

As per ESPN, the Saudi outfit had a £150m bid for the 31-year-old rejected at the end of the summer transfer window, although they’re expected to return with an improved offer in the near future.

If they manage to get Ward through the door, they might be hoping that his Anfield ties could possibly be a factor in helping to entice the Egyptian winger to Jeddah in 2024.

With the January transfer window now just over a month away, Liverpool’s current hierarchy may have their hands full trying to keep hold of Salah if, as has been touted, the likes of Al-Ittihad attempt to lure him to Saudi Arabia with the riches they can offer.

However, several former Reds favourites in Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Bobby Firmino have since discovered that the grass mightn’t necessarily be greener in the Middle East, which is something that our number 11 should carefully consider.

There’s simply no way that the fans in Jeddah would ever take them into their hearts to the extent that the Anfield faithful have done, considering the heroics he’s performed on Merseyside.

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 13 Review 🤩: Trippier OUT & Zinchenko IN? Gordon the ultimate differential? Haaland & Salah must-haves

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(Video) Mo Salah would love to have £400k-p/w Man City ‘great’ as a teammate at Liverpool https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/27/salah-de-bruyne-dream-teammate/ Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:23:12 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245354 Mo Salah named one Manchester City player when asked for the ‘dream’ teammate that he’s never had. The Liverpool star partook in a Q&A with Sky Sports and fielded a series of questions about a host of footballing matters. When asked who he’d love to play alongside as a teammate but hasn’t yet had the […]

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Mo Salah named one Manchester City player when asked for the ‘dream’ teammate that he’s never had.

The Liverpool star partook in a Q&A with Sky Sports and fielded a series of questions about a host of footballing matters.

When asked who he’d love to play alongside as a teammate but hasn’t yet had the opportunity to do so, the 31-year-old initially named Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but upon deciding to choose a current Premier League player he opted for Kevin De Bruyne.

Salah replied: “Messi or Ronaldo, but if I pick one in the Premier League then I’d choose Kevin…He has vision and I’m sure he can find me anywhere with the ball so I would say Messi, Ronaldo and then Kevin.”

The Liverpool forward added of the £400,000-per-week Belgian: “He’s a great player, the whole team [Man City] is great. I just try to play my game and not focus on anyone else.”

Pep Guardiola has had some excellent players at the Etihad Stadium over the past few years, but arguably none have been quite as consistently sublime as De Bruyne, who was technically a Chelsea player at the same time as Salah, but the two never actually played together as the Belgian was on loan at Wolfsburg.

The City playmaker’s vision and technique is on a level that few can match, and while Liverpool have been blessed with no shortage of remarkable footballers in the Jurgen Klopp era, it’s still tempting to fantasise about what it’d have been like to have the 32-year-old picking out the Egyptian at Anfield on a weekly basis.

You can view Salah’s comments below, in a clip taken from the Sky Sports interview by @JoueursBE on X (formerly Twitter):

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Mo Salah’s nine-word assessment of City draw is telling; elite mentality https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/27/salah-nine-word-assessment-city/ Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:12:30 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245322 Liverpool and Manchester City played out an entertaining 1-1 draw although both sides would have preferred a win, Mo Salah shared his thoughts of disappointment on the result after the match. Taking to his X account, the 31-year-old wrote: ‘Not the result we wanted but we’ll keep fighting…’. Many would take a point away to a […]

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Liverpool and Manchester City played out an entertaining 1-1 draw although both sides would have preferred a win, Mo Salah shared his thoughts of disappointment on the result after the match.

Taking to his X account, the 31-year-old wrote: ‘Not the result we wanted but we’ll keep fighting…’.

Many would take a point away to a team that won the treble last season and at a stadium that we haven’t won at in the Premier League for eight years – but not the Egyptian King.

READ MORE: (Video) Alisson’s brilliant save for Foden effort is even more vital after draw secured

His elite mentality shines through yet again and it was his assist for Trent Alexander-Arnold that helped put the Reds level, as we then went on the hunt for a victory.

Although this wasn’t ultimately secured, this win-at-all-costs attitude from our No.11 is what could give us the edge if we remain in this title race for the rest of the campaign.

Nothing but a win in each game is expected and let’s hope that we can continue to progress nicely, picking up as many points as possible on the way to May.

READ MORE: (Video) Neville’s LFC commentary shows Alexander-Arnold u-turn

Having played Pep Guardiola’s side, Newcastle, Tottenham, Chelsea and Brighton away from home already – we should have a favourable set of fixtures in the second-half of the season.

With players like the former Roma man in our dressing room, pushing everyone to be at their best every day, we might just surprise ourselves and a few others in the coming months.

You can view Salah’c comments via his X account:

📖 Anfield Annals: Matt McQueen the Anfield All-Rounder who did everything in 36 years as a Red

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‘Have to be concentrated’ – Ake admits ‘it’s a difficult task’ to play against ‘role model’ Liverpool man https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/26/ake-liverpool-man-admission/ Sun, 26 Nov 2023 22:00:38 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245315 Nathan Ake had admitted ‘it’s a difficult task’ to play against one Liverpool ace in particular following the 1-1 draw between the Reds and Manchester City yesterday. The Netherlands international registered an assist as Erling Haaland put the Sky Blues ahead in the first half but Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb strike 10 minutes from time cancelled […]

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Nathan Ake had admitted ‘it’s a difficult task’ to play against one Liverpool ace in particular following the 1-1 draw between the Reds and Manchester City yesterday.

The Netherlands international registered an assist as Erling Haaland put the Sky Blues ahead in the first half but Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb strike 10 minutes from time cancelled out the Norwegian’s effort.

A share of the spoils for both sides was probably a fair result and after the game former Bournemouth man singled out Mo Salah for praise.

“It’s tough, it’s always tough,” the Netherlands international told Premier League Productions (via HITC). “We have had some great battles over the years and it’s always a good challenge, today was no different.

“It’s difficult because, especially we have the ball, he tried to get on the ball. He tried to get on the ball and play.

READ MORE: Eidur Gudjohnsen says ‘world-class’ Liverpool man ‘could do with a rest’ after Man City showing

“But, at the back of your mind, you have to know that he is ready to counter. When we lose the ball, he is straight away on the run. It’s so difficult. You have to be concentrated for 90 minutes.

“Then when he gets the ball and runs at you with pace, it’s difficult because he can change direction so quickly. It’s a difficult task.”

Our No. 11 didn’t have the greatest of games but he’s a constant threat down the flank and in behind with his superb movement and pace.

He did provide the assist for our leveller but it was nothing more than a lay off and Alexander-Arnold did the rest as he beat Ederson from 20-yards out.

Defenders are never too far away from the Egyptian King as they’re aware of how much of a threat he poses and it’s interesting to hear Ake speak so honestly about the ex-Roma man.

The 31-year-old forward, who Jurgen Klopp has previously labelled as a ‘role model’ (as quoted by Liverpoolfc.com), now has 12 goals and five assists this term (across all competitions) – decent numbers for November.

🗓10 games in 33 days: Liverpool’s title credentials set to be put to the test during relentless round-off to 2023

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(Video) Pep Guardiola namechecks ‘fantastic’ Liverpool trio who could do damage v Man City https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/25/guardiola-praise-diaz-nunez-salah/ Sat, 25 Nov 2023 10:09:29 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245226 Pep Guardiola has named three Liverpool players who he believes could pose a threat to his Manchester City side in today’s Premier League clash. The top two go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium at 12:30, and the champions’ manager is wary of the damage that the Reds’ forward line could cause to his team. Speaking […]

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Pep Guardiola has named three Liverpool players who he believes could pose a threat to his Manchester City side in today’s Premier League clash.

The top two go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium at 12:30, and the champions’ manager is wary of the damage that the Reds’ forward line could cause to his team.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference on Friday, the 52-year-old said (via Man City on YouTube): “The way we play, for them it’s good because of the transitions. They have a lot of space in behind.

“They make incredible runs with [Luis] Diaz, with [Darwin] Nunez, with [Mo] Salah. They are a fantastic team, a top side, no doubt.”

The trio namechecked by Guardiola already have 23 goals between them this season (Transfermarkt), so he’s right to be fearful of what the Liverpool front three could do to City’s defence.

Whether Diaz and/or Nunez will start is unclear, given that they only arrived back from World Cup qualifying action in South America in midweek.

Even if Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo are selected in place of that duo, though, they could also cause havoc if the Man City backline leave enough space for the Reds to exploit. The home side are bound to push forward in search of victory, so that could be a potential chink in the armour for Klopp to pounce upon today.

You can view Guardiola’s comments below (from 8:18), via Man City on YouTube:

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Jurgen Klopp gushes over ‘pretty special partnership’ which has developed at Liverpool https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/24/klopp-nunez-salah-special-partnership/ https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/24/klopp-nunez-salah-special-partnership/#comments Fri, 24 Nov 2023 15:01:40 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=245206 Jurgen Klopp has spoken of how two of his players at Liverpool developed a ‘pretty special partnership’ with one another at Anfield. Darwin Nunez arrived at the club in the summer of 2022 in a deal which could potentially rise to £85m (BBC Sport), which naturally brought substantial expectations on the Uruguay striker. The 24-year-old […]

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Jurgen Klopp has spoken of how two of his players at Liverpool developed a ‘pretty special partnership’ with one another at Anfield.

Darwin Nunez arrived at the club in the summer of 2022 in a deal which could potentially rise to £85m (BBC Sport), which naturally brought substantial expectations on the Uruguay striker.

The 24-year-old initially struggled to grasp the English language and had to ride out criticism from some quarters in the media last season, but Mo Salah is credited with having been a huge pillar of support for the ex-Benfica marksman on Merseyside.

Speaking in Friday afternoon’s press conference ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City tomorrow, Klopp said of the Egyptian (via Liverpool Echo): “He is really good with his team-mates, and the forward players. He is pretty special. Long may it continue. 

“You can’t become a Liverpool player if you’re not football-smart. Darwin and Mo look for each other but it’s not like they cut out the other boys. It’s just a different way of playing.

“Mo supports the boys. Darwin came here with big expectations, and Mo probably understood the situation best and saw his potential and wanted to help him. Without having the longest conversation, that was for sure the start of a pretty special partnership.”

READ MORE: (Video) Jurgen Klopp had reporters bursting out laughing during Liverpool press conference

READ MORE: Liverpool given quadruple boost as Jurgen Klopp drops team news hint ahead of Man City clash

Just as Salah developed a near-telepathic understanding with Sadio Mane and Bobby Firmino for several years at Liverpool, it now seems like the same is happening between him and Nunez.

The 31-year-old is part of Klopp’s five-player leadership group at Anfield and has embraced that responsibility by helping the Uruguayan to adapt both on and off the pitch.

Both players go into the Man City game in buoyant form, with the Egyptian scoring four times during the international break and the 24-year-old netting three goals, to go along with the 19 goals they’ve collectively plundered for the Reds already this term (Transfermarkt).

Nunez has still been culpable of some glaring misses in recent weeks but, on the whole, he looks much sharper and more confident now than in his first season at Liverpool.

If either or both of the pair can make a telling impact in a victory for their side at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, such a prize scalp could just set up Klopp’s side for a prolonged Premier League title challenge over the coming months.

📊EOTK Stats Pack: Man City v Liverpool – Form guide, the Reds vs previous EPL champions and MORE

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