Liverpool will have just one more game of Mohamed Salah, and then that’s it for a month or so. The exact period of his absence remains to be seen, hinging on Egypt’s progress in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), but Jürgen Klopp will have to navigate at least a handful of games without his attacking talisman.
To that end, the return of Diogo Jota could hardly have come at a better time, with Liverpool’s attacking ranks swelled once again. On paper, at least, a quartet of Jota, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo should be capable of holding the fort.
But with none of those options naturals on the right flank, Klopp also has the option of looking to Harvey Elliott. There could have been a wildcard option in Ben Doak, but the young Scot has suffered an injury setback; Kaide Gordon recently returned, but it would be a huge surprise to see him being asked to step up from the start.
It’s always interesting to see how Klopp navigates AFCON — which used to be even harder, as he pointed out, with Sadio Mané (and Naby Keïta) also departing in the past. But there’s added intrigue on this occasion, given the feeling that this could be a taste of a long-term plan without Salah.
“Luis Díaz can switch sides” – Matt Addison
I’m a big fan of Díaz but there is no doubt that it hasn’t really been working for him in recent weeks. With Jota and Núñez looking better from the left and Gakpo a good option through the middle, it might make sense to try the Colombian off the right.
It’s a wildcard move, I accept that. But Liverpool has five attacking options that can be used in a variety of ways. The only reason we don’t see them play on the right often is that Salah is always there. When the Egyptian is gone, the Reds can try a few other things.
I’d rather see Díaz try something different than play Jota on that side, where he has filled in at times and not looked a natural. Jota and Núñez are options to replace Díaz on the left and Díaz can easily move across. You never know, it might just reignite him a little, with opposition sides surprised by seeing him pop up elsewhere.
“Harvey Elliott can step up” – James Martin
Even a few months ago, while my personal preference might have been to turn to Elliott, there was no real prospect of Klopp taking that course of action. The vast majority of his Liverpool career has been spent as a midfielder, with the manager seemingly reluctant to utilize him in his old right-wing berth.
But that stance has softened this season. Elliott has even started a couple of games from the right, and has often moved there within games. As Klopp has pointed out, it’s a very different interpretation of the role to the one Salah offers, but it does come with the same benefit of having a left-footer who can cut in.
The trade-off is a lack of pace. But even Salah is not as quick as he once was, which has seen the role evolve into something a little more akin to a wide playmaker. Elliott can perform that function very well — and his eye for goal recently has looked more convincing than a lot of the more conventional forwards, even if VAR contrived to chalk his latest off.
