Liverpool have a Mohamed Salah decision to make and Jurgen Klopp could soon be forced to take action.
For the second time in the space of five months, Mohamed Salah failed to get the better of Bournemouth keeper Neto from 12 yards.
Firing wide of the left post when the sides met on the south coast in March, Salah’s penalty miss came at a time whereby Liverpool were trailing 1-0 and were looking for a way back into the game. This miss ensured that never arrived and the Reds walked away empty-handed.
One month later and history repeated itself as the Egyptian dragged his effort wide of the goal in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. Salah, in his defence, would convert subsequent penalties versus Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham but was once again off the mark during Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Bournemouth. Denied by Neto, the Liverpool No.11 was fortunately on hand to turn home the resulting rebound. But the question still remains: Should Salah still be the club’s first-choice penalty taker?
Three of his last five efforts from the spot have not gone in, a statistic that does not make for good reading. To put that figure into context, the Reds’ previously penalty expert James Milner tucked away 19 out of a possible 21 times to give him a 90% success rate. Salah, by contrast, has been off target six times and boasts an 81% conversion rate.
Speaking at the end of last season, Jurgen Klopp confirmed he had held talks with the Reds’ talisman over how best to proceed with penalties. The final decision was to continue with Salah from the spot, with Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold chosen as second and third in line.
“We had a conversation and he (Mo) wanted to stay the penalty-taker,” explained Klopp. “We had a normal conversation about it and I said, ‘okay, you are’. You don’t feel great in that moment and that’s what he said. ‘I don’t feel right in that moment’, because the pressure obviously increases with the penalties you miss. Then Fab or Trent, who are two and three, give the ball to them. (But) He smashed them and turned it around. This today was a super penalty, that’s really clear.”
With Fabinho gone and Milner no longer around, an opportunity has opened up for someone else in the squad to apply some pressure on Salah. Two obvious candidates to take on this task are Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who have been deadly from close range in their careers to date. Mac Allister has scored nine of his 10 spot-kicks taken, with Szoboszlai spurning only one of his 16 attempts.
Were Liverpool to change things up in this department, they would not be the first club to take such steps. After missing a penalty for Arsenal versus West Ham United in April, Mikel Arteta played down the idea Bukayo Saka would be stood down. Asked if the England international would still lead the way for the Gunners in this area, Arteta replied: “Yes. If not, I will go on the pitch and pass him the ball and make sure he takes the next one.”
Yet there was a change of heart, at least on the pitch, when the next opportunity came the way of Saka during Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Monday evening. It was decided Martin Odegaard would be stepping up to take for the north London club despite Saka being on the field at the same time as the Norwegian.
Speaking after the game, Arteta revealed this was a call made by the players on the pitch and he was happy to stand by their judgement. Clarifying who is the club’s number one option, the Spaniard responded: “I have no clue, it’s about leadership of players, and if they felt it was the right thing to do, for me I’m fine. They have to make those decisions on the pitch. I was surprised like everybody else, but he scored the goal which is the important thing and we won the game.”
Manchester City, too, have not been shy of making adjustments to their approach after growing tired of their dismal record from penalty positions since Pep Guardiola’s appointment. Erling Haaland is currently the club’s go-to figure, though the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne have led the way on other occasions. Riyad Mahrez was one player who learned the hard way what happens if you continue to prove unreliable from 12 yards, eventually falling back in the pecking order. The Algerian’s conversion rate of 68% is the joint-tenth worst in Premier League history.
Liverpool are by no means at a point of desperation as regards this situation, though that tone could soon change if Salah’s recent inconsistency continues. It is down to the 31-year-old to prove he remains the right man for the job.
