Jürgen Klopp on Mo Salah's form and future, rotation plans and more
Jürgen Klopp was quizzed on Mohamed Salah's form and future, how he will rotate his squad this season, and more during the second part of his pre-Burnley press conference.
Salah wrapped up Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Norwich City last Saturday to become the first player in Premier League history to score on five successive opening weekends.
The No.11 is now five goals away from entering the top 10 all-time scorers list in the club’s history outright.
Elsewhere, Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson are moving ‘closer’ to their first competitive appearances of 2021-22, and Klopp was asked to explain his approach to making changes to his XI this term.
Read a summary of the manager’s chat with the media below…
On discussions regarding a new contract for Salah…
Yeah, so I am involved in pretty much everything in the club. Maybe some talks happen without me, that’s possible, but apart from that I know about all the things. It’s how it always is: we don’t really speak about these kinds of things. I know we changed that obviously a little bit with Hendo but that doesn’t mean we will talk from now on, tell you about each little step we make in any kind of negotiation and stuff like this. Two things. Mo is obviously in a really, really good moment football-wise, mood-wise, how he behaved from the first day when he came back, absolutely great. We are all adults, we are all professionals. When there are talks then there are talks – and when there is a decision we will tell you. Until then, it’s only important how the parties work together in these things; it’s not about Mo, it’s more in general. If that’s perfect, what it is, then we don’t have to talk about anything else and the decisive people can talk in the background. With two years left you can imagine there are talks, that’s it.
On rotation, in terms of balancing the needs of individuals and the team with making changes…
Look, that’s how it is. Pre-season is like that, you have four, five, six weeks – some have only two or three, I know, a few players – then the season starts and you have the first two weeks where you have three games, so Saturday, Saturday, Saturday and then there’s the international break. That’s now already like this for a few years I think. [It] means [there’s] not a real reason for rotation, stuff like that. Everybody in pre-season played a similar amount of minutes, all this kind of stuff. Then the international break comes – this year with three games for some, which we probably have to talk in a different moment about but we have to talk about it – and then coming back and playing again. Then all the problems start when you play [every] three days. Then it’s not about giving rhythm here or there, it’s about using all the sources you have and that means use all the players you have, to make it as likely as possible that you have a chance to win the next football game. So, rotation happens more or less, it’s not about really that you can change because you only can change when they are all fit, when they are all available. That’s a while ago that we had that problem. Now it’s not that difficult, it’s just using all the sources you have.
On whether a manager can go into a season with the intention to rotate more…
Yeah, yeah, you can do that. Then the reality shows you, that’s how it is. In the moment I think different line-ups give us the opportunity to win the next game, why shouldn’t I rotate? Makes no sense. I’m the one who says always we have too many games. We have too many games, there are too many games, now three games for some countries in the next international break and this kind of stuff. There are too many games for the players out there, so of course it makes sense to give different players more opportunities, that’s how it is. But for that you need to have the opportunity first and foremost, and you need to think it will win the next game because that’s our first job to do. We have to win pretty much all football games we play. That’s quite a task, I would say. That’s it.
On the records Salah could achieve at Liverpool and whether he uses that as an incentive for him…
I don’t have to, he knows that. Mo is aware of all these things, it’s absolutely fine. He enjoys the time here, that’s how it is. Breaking records is great, absolutely, and the records he broke already is absolutely insane. So, I obviously didn’t know last week when he scored the goal that he was now the first player in the history of the Premier League to score in the first game in five consecutive seasons. There’s a reason why nobody did it – it’s really difficult. He did it. And if there are any records out there, he will know about it. Without changing, he doesn’t have to change his style, he just can play his football. When he plays his football, works as hard as he is doing – or as hard as he does – then he will come into situations where he can score. With his quality he obviously will do that. I think he can set records for assists as well. Just being in the situation, being around goal situations, that’s Mo Salah. And I’m really happy about that. But I never told him that he could be the, or one of the one, two, three biggest Liverpool legends ever, because that’s nothing you go for. Records, yes. But becoming a legend, people will judge you like that after your career probably and that’s fine. He is in a good mood and hopefully it can stay like this.