One Benfica player is doing extra preparation to play against Liverpool and Mohamed Salah, according to reports. The Reds travel to take on the Portuguese giants next week.
This comes from Correio de Manha. They claim that Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo is doing all he can to prepare for Mohamed Salah and Liverpool.
The Reds will travel to Lisbon in a week for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Benfica believe they have a real chance of progression – as long as they keep Salah quiet.
And that takes extra work, it seems. CM believe Grimaldo is putting in extra hours on the training pitch to get ready for the Egyptian. If the defender can limit Salah’s output, Benfica feel a positive first-leg result is there for them.
Mohamed Salah key for Liverpool
Salah is unquestionably the main man for Liverpool. We can’t remember the last time one player managed to keep him quiet, however, and Benfica might be barking up the wrong tree here.
Virtually every poor game Salah has is the result of a packed defence. Teams play a back five, keeping an extra centre-back close to their left-back so there’s no isolation. Sometimes it’s playing a 4-4-2 and keeping their left-midfielder deep.
Either way, it takes a team to stop Salah. But then, Benfica may feel that’s not an option. They pretty much require a win at home in order to progress and playing a packed defence isn’t ideal for that.
If Grimaldo really can keep Salah quiet on his own, perhaps Benfica can be a little more attacking and go for a win. It all makes sense in that respect – but we’re still dubious that it’ll work.
The ‘outstanding’ Salah, in the words of Jurgen Klopp, is essentially unstoppable one-on-one and Benfica will struggle. But if they’re right, perhaps they can really trouble Liverpool – we just can’t see it.
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