Paul Merson claims that Mo Salah has an issue with his Liverpool teammate Nunez. It’s an issue that Jurgen Klopp “didn’t perceive.”
The problem Nunez causing for Salah according to Merson
Salah netted a six-minute hat trick against Rangers after coming off the bench, bringing attention to this “issue” in particular. Nunez, the Uruguayan who had already scored before leaving the game, was still sitting on the bench when he did it.
But in our opinion, this is oversimplified. Nunez definitely makes different runs than Sadio Mané or even Roberto Firmino. He always looks to enter from behind himself and finds it difficult to drop deep to make room for others.
Usually, Salah would run into that area and threaten. The Egyptian is extending play for Nunez, which is why he has been out on the wing so much this season. The issue is that Liverpool are having a terrible time keeping teams under control and pushing them back.
A possible adjustment?
Salah would be able to float within and enter the box around Nunez if they were able to do that. Salah is out and quite wide in his starting position when Liverpool chooses not to do it. That is more of a concern with the Reds’ lack of dominance in games than it is with Nunez.
To begin with, Salah’s issues persisted while Nunez wasn’t in the club. While they fail to dominate teams, Liverpool just needs to develop a method that brings their best player closer to the goal. And they could have discovered that on Wednesday when forward Salah entered the game and scored a hat trick in only six minutes.
Therefore, Klopp may even consider combining Nunez and Salah as his strikers. Teams should attempt to contain that, in our opinion.
While the Reds are currently preparing to welcome the Sky Blues in their next fixture at Anfield. Thus, they need to be cohesive and make necessary adjustments to get a victory over Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
