Jack Hallows analyses the impact that returning duo Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah had during Liverpool’s 2 – 1 victory over Manchester City.
The first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 pre-season win over Manchester City was a genuinely dull affair.
The Reds genuinely looked tired – no surprise given Klopp revealed they’d trained that morning – and as a result the energy and tempo that is so often associated with this Liverpool side was massively lacking.
The second half, however, was far better thanks in no small part to the presence of two of Liverpool’s famed front three.
The Reds went 1-0 behind to a well taken Leroy Sane strike but other than that they didn’t look hugely troubled, especially when Mohamed Salah took to the field after the hour mark.
I’ll start with the Egyptian as it’s his return that is likely going to dominate the headlines for the next day or so.
Klopp had dispelled any worries over lingering shoulder problems as a result of the injury that Salah sustained during the Champions League final back in May, affirming that the former Roma and Basel man was fully fit and raring to go.
The forward took to the field just after the hour mark and with practically his third touch of the game, headed Liverpool equal from close range when he ghosted between two City defenders and broke their defensive line expertly.
Incredibly, if this wasn’t Salah’s first pre-season appearance he probably could’ve had a hat-trick within his first five minutes or so on the pitch.
He got his head on another superb cross this time from Sadio Mané that was desperately cleared away by one of City’s defenders, before just moments later lifting the ball over Joe Hart only to see it crash back off the underside of the crossbar.
Even playing nowhere near 100%, the Egyptian still looked fit, quick and most importantly, sharp, terrifying a makeshift Manchester City and contributing greatly to the way the Reds pinned them back into their own half for much of the last half hour of the game.
The ‘Egyptian King’ would then almost turn provider five minutes from time when, spotting a late run from Mané he lofted a ball towards the back post but his Senegalese teammate couldn’t quite manage a strong enough connection to turn it goal-wards.
It has to be said that any worries over the mental and physical effects that a long season, cruel injury in the Champions League final and tough World Cup campaign with Egypt might have had have been truly allayed by that half hour performance.
I expected him to take the penalty at the end too but it was nice of him to give it to Mané.
Speaking of Mané, he wasn’t quite as sharp as Salah but he certainly helped turn the game on its head just as much as the Egyptian did.
Liverpool’s new number 10 spent much of the initial stages of the second half dropping deep and coming central to get involved in the play and some nice touches, turns and passes were all on show as he warmed himself into the game.
He was unlucky not to register an assist for Salah when he found him with a perfectly weighted cross that one of Manchester City’s defenders cleared well before wasting a huge chance to be the match-winner much earlier than he ended up being.
The Senegalese was slipped through one on one by a nice bit of play from Solanke and while he rounded Joe Hart, his touch was too heavy and took him too far round the keeper.
He tried his best to save the chance but could only slice it into the side netting.
Not to be denied a goal, however, he took full advantage of Solanke going down in the box to score the winner from the penalty spot with practically the last kick of the game. A deserved goal given how good he’d looked aside from his one missed chance.
I also loved how happy he looks with his new number, gesturing to the back of his shirt during his celebration as if to say: “now this… this suits me much better!”
He’s not wrong.
The way that both Salah and Mané contributed heavily to changing the flow of the game and how they seemingly managed to create chances for themselves out of nothing will have been a real burst of confidence from Klopp and Liverpool.
The need for a playmaker has been heavily debated on social media but the fact that both players got on the scoresheet despite relying on service from the likes of Woodburn, Grujic and Solanke – talented players in their own right of course – instead of the likes of Naby Keïta and Roberto Firmino, was a major positive.
The level of sharpness both exhibited – especially Salah – despite both enduring long seasons during the 2017/18 campaign and three weeks away from the football pitch was also a huge bonus.
A lot of top players can take a little while to find their gear in pre-season and there have been real concerns over some members of the Liverpool fanbase about how late a number of our players have returned/will be returning but to see these two firing like that will hopefully simmer that debate for now.
That they’re also only going to get sharper as they spend more time on the training pitch is a welcome thought if I ever had one.
Above all though, it was just great to see them back fit, smiling and most importantly: scoring.
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