Ricky1985 wrote:
Tactics wrote:
Strange thing to say given the fact Salah has largely been mediocre in matches this season, Manè has easily been better IMO.
Are you saying based on what you've seen when you watched Liverpool play? I ask because I've seen them play about 10 times this season and every single time Salah is head and shoulders their best player.
Yes, it's based on watching Liverpool play this season. I think you generally have a sound opinion on the game but I doubt those 10 matches are a representative sample of Salah's season, otherwise if you extrapolate that over the course of the season, you'll then conclude he's been head and shoulders their best player this season - I doubt you'll find a single Liverpool fan(even one with huge Salah bias) who would agree with you.
Ricky1985 wrote:
He might miss chances or not be the guy that actually gets on the score sheet, but his superior touch and technique is what leads to most of their good attacking moments.
Personally I'm not wowed by Salah's all-round game. He's no Hazard, Neymar etc he's more like Sterling IMO (great movements and poaching ability). I remember us having a similar opinion of Salah last season, only thing we disagreed on was his scoring ability, I was convinced he was gonna score lot of goals for Liverpool. But then he exploded in the 2nd half of the season and our opinion of him changed, I started entertaining the idea of him being in the Messi-Ronaldo category. For a while I considered him by far the best player in the league but having watched him again this season, my opinion has shifted, it's now closer to how I thought prior to last season. My opinion is not fixed though, it could change again by the end of the season.
As for Mane vs Salah, I'd also go Salah too but that's mainly because I saw Salah hit a level last season which I'm yet to see Manè hit. But if I were to erase last season from my memory and go only by this season, I don't see a huge difference between them, nor do I see a huge deal between Salah and Sterling for example. I think Salah would need to repeat last season's performances for me to consider it his true form. For the avoidance of doubt, I consider him a quality player.
Ricky1985 wrote:
I agree with Klaus; without Salah, Manè and co would be much, much less effective.
In what sense? Manè has around a 1 in 2 record in each of his 3 seasons at Liverpool. He was Liverpool's player of the season 2 seasons ago(the season prior to Salah joining). I remember when he returned from the African cup of nations in 2016 (their attacking play had not looked too great in his absence) lot of people saying he, not Coutinho, was Liverpool's best player.
As a team, Liverpool scored 78 league goals in 2016/2017 compared to 84 last season, so just a difference of 6 goals! And those 6 goals could to not only be attributed to Salah but to other things as well IMO(better players, Firmino scoring more, Klopp having another season to fine tune the attack etc). In terms of league position Liverpool finished 4th in both seasons but actually had more points in the 2016/2017 season. Yes, they did very well in the CL last season but they were not involved in the CL in 2016/2017, so we can't really compare. However I'm convinced if they had participated in the CL they'd have done very well. To see why I think so, just look at their performances against the big teams that season: they won at the Emirates, beat City at home and drew at the Etihad, won at Stamford Bridge, beat Spurs at home and drew away etc Klopp is generally great at these head to head encounters against good teams. Therefore I don't buy about all this talk on here that their attack 'lives and dies with Salah' or how Klaus is making it sound like Salah is performing miracles in a mediocre team.I think Klaus does seem to have extreme opinions on players he likes, in this case I think he's making Salah look wayyyy better than he is by dismissing most of the Liverpool players.
I can't stand Liverpool(check my post history) but I hate to admit they have bought very well, with a clear strategy of bringing in players that fit their style of play and they seem to be well run. Van Dijk for me is one op the top 3 CBs on the planet, don't think there a better full back(not just LB) than Robertson in the league, Alison one of the very best in his position, we have all wish listed Fabinho on here, Keita will be a hit next season etc Alexandre Arnold gets a lot of stick here, I can see why because he is a very naive defender(sunday league if I'm harsh) but he's a very good footballer, forget his pinpoint crossing, he plays very clever and quality passes to Salah for example when he vacates the wings and moves infield, I wasn't surprised to read he was trained as midfielder(kinda like AMN). Think the lack of sexy names in their midfield is one of the reasons why some people look down on their team but I don't think Klopp wants them to play through midfield, he prefers using his full backs who are like extra midfielders, probably because he knows from the way he sets up his team that footballing teams are most vulnerable through the middle. Therefore the requirements of a Liverpool midfielder seem to be someone that can run tirelessly for 90 minutes, plug holes, harry the opposition into committing mistakes and immediately releasing the ball into space. An Ozil might look better on paper but someone like Henderson looks a better fit for me in such a role.
They have not only bought well but they have appointed a manager in Klopp who has put in a system in place that maximises the talents of his players. I would go as far saying it makes their attacking players better than they are. As Klopp puts it, counter pressing is the best playmaker in the world, it provides them with more space to play and huge volume and quality of chances(this is the key) they are unlikely to get anywhere else. There's no doubt in my mind both Manè and salah wouldn't look as good at say Man United, Chelsea, Madrid, Barca etc as they do under Klopp. I 1st saw Manè for an Austrian or Swiss team with a similar style of play as Liverpool, it was against Ajax and he completely destroyed them that day, think it played a huge role in Koeman buying him later. he looked better for that team than he did at Southampton and he also currently looks better for Liverpool. I know natural progression comes into play but I truly believe the style of play plays a huge role. If Liverpool keep hold of Klopp, continue buying smartly and keep everything in place behind the scenes as it is, they'll continue challenging for top honours with or without salah IMO
