Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to have talks with Mohamed Salah over the taking of penalties
Speaking to the reporters after the Arsenal game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he will have talks with Mohamed Salah about the penalty-taking situation moving forward.
After being nearly faultless in scoring from 12 yards out for the Reds all these years, Salah has missed the last two penalties in the league. While the miss against Bournemouth can be labelled as a one-off, the one against Arsenal raises eyebrows.
The Egyptian not only missed those penalties but did not even hit the target in either of them. So, it is not as if the goalkeepers are guessing his penalty directions. He is just missing the target by some margins.
When asked about the concern regarding Salah’s penalty-taking, here’s what Klopp said (h/t Liverpool Echo):
“That’s something we will talk [to Salah] about but not here. I only saw the penalty after the game. A few people in the crowd reacted, so when you don’t see the penalty, you react on what the people see and a few people obviously thought the ball was in but it wasn’t.
“He missed the goal. So that’s why for a second the fist, and then I realised, ‘Oh, Mo isn’t celebrating.’ And then I realised the ball wasn’t it. That’s it.”
After seeing how strong Salah is mentally, it would be a bad decision if they take him off penalties after the two misses. A lot of players go through a lean phase when it comes to their spot-kicks.
What we are sure of is that the Egyptian will work hard on it and come back stronger. If we are in doubt about that, take a look at his career at Liverpool so far. Whenever people have doubted him, he has always come back with a bang.
When the 30-year-old missed the chance to make it 2-2 against Arsenal before the hour mark, there might have been some at Anfield thinking this might not be their team’s day.
But, Liverpool kept going and eventually found the equaliser through Roberto Firmino. Trent Alexander-Arnold nutmegging Oleksandr Zinchenko in the build-up of that goal was sweet to watch.
More Liverpool News:
- Wolves slash price for Liverpool transfer target Matheus Nunes
- Liverpool target Adrien Rabiot speaks on his future amid Juventus exit rumours
- Liverpool have concrete interest in Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
Although he missed the penalty, it was Salah’s goal in the first half that halved Arsenal’s lead and became the catalyst for them to do well in the second half. He isn’t the best penalty taker, though, when it comes to technique and placement. He has now missed four penalties since the 2021-22 season.
He seems to score most of his kicks but they are usually blasted with power rather than being placed precisely and are erratic in direction. We should hand it to someone who has mastered the art of dead-ball situations and is more careful with hitting the target.
