Liverpool fans will need to make the most of Mohamed Salah against Newcastle. They won’t be seeing him for a while after Monday because the Egyptian will be heading off to the Ivory Coast following the New Year’s Day clash at Anfield as he represents his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.
How long he will be gone for, no one knows at this stage, although it could be February before we see him back in the red of Liverpool. And, of course, his impending absence has fans more than a little worried.
He is, after all, the club’s top scorer again this season, and top of the charts for assists as well. With 19 goal involvements in the Premier League so far, that’s a big void to fill for Jürgen Klopp.
Not only that, but with Saudi clubs lurking in the background, waiting to pounce with offers to take him to the Middle East, there are naturally concerns among some that we might not see much more of Salah once he does return from AFCON. Klopp though appears to be much calmer about the situation. There’s no rush from the Liverpool boss to get a replacement in during the January transfer window, or if there is, he is disguising it well.
“Each long-term plan I could have had depends massively on who is available so why should I think in October who should I use in January when Mo is away when I don’t know who is available?” Klopp said on Friday during his press conference.
“We have solutions today and I hope we have that after Newcastle as well. It is not the first time. It is a really very average situation that you lose your goalscorer but we had it even worse in the past when both Sadio (Mané) and Mo left.
“But we came always through it and traditionally at least one of them went far in the tournament at least, which makes it even worse. We have to get through this. We know the African Cup of Nations appears and Mo has to go and so we have to deal with it, that was always clear. And now we have with Wataru Endō his participation in the Asia Cup as well, so it’s like it is. We knew it and now we have to deal with it and we will.”
The idea that there is no imminent plan to replace Salah while he’s away might leave some supporters a little anxious. Klopp, though, does make a good point.
Liverpool has been extremely lucky over the years to have a forward who is available as regularly as the Egyptian. He’s started all 19 league games so far this season, having started all but one fixture last season, and his record before that is equally outstanding.
Very few teams can call upon that availability from their top goalscorers. Erling Haaland might be in a league of his own, but he’s missed Manchester City’s last four league games, and there’s no clear indication of when he might return.
In the worst-case scenario for Liverpool that Egypt makes it all the way to the AFCON final, Salah will be unavailable for seven games, including four league encounters. It’s certainly not ideal, but most teams have to deal with that, and more, every season.
Being without Salah for a short period of time then should be something Klopp will be able to cover with his current options. Although, if the opportunity is there next month to bring in a potential heir, it’s one the Liverpool boss shouldn’t turn down.
The Reds will cope without Salah in the short term, but the long term is a much more daunting prospect. Even if Salah isn’t destined for Saudi Arabia, and hopefully he isn’t for a while yet, he will not be around forever. Getting a replacement in early will be ideal, if not absolutely necessary.
