Chris Sutton admits he no longer trusts Liverpool and that Mohamed Salah cannot mask all of their issues. He feels Jurgen Klopp’s squad now lack intensity and are defensively fragile.
Liverpool are enduring a dire season in the Premier League so far this term by the Anfield natives’ standards. They sit just ninth in the table after 19 games having only won in eight and drawn five. Their six defeats so far are more than in four of the last five full campaigns.
Klopp has also seen his squad concede 25 goals at the halfway stage after letting in just 26 throughout 2021/22. But the German has had to deal with a hamstring injury for Virgil van Dijk, calf issue for Joel Matip and a knee problem for Ibrahima Konate among his defence.
The injury issues on the red half of Stanley Park have extended to the top of the pitch, too. Klopp remains without Luis Diaz due to a knee problem, while Diogo Jota is sidelined with a calf issue. Roberto Firmino is also still missing with a calf injury after he suffered a setback.
Injuries in attack have helped to keep Liverpool to 34 goals across their 19 Premier League games this season. Salah and Firmino have been Klopp’s top scorers so far with seven each from 19 and 13 matches. Only Alisson (1,710) has played more minutes than Salah (1,689).
Mohamed Salah cannot mask all of Liverpool’s issues for Chris Sutton
But Salah is now four Premier League appearances without a goal or assist. He also only had a limited impact against Chelsea in Liverpool’s last fixture. Yet the Reds’ £34m signing from AS Roma in June 2017 did score after starting their initial FA Cup match with Wolves.
Klopp kept Salah on his bench in their third-round replay at Molineux until the 66th minute after Harvey Elliott’s early winner. The Egyptian’s strike in their initial tie took him to 17 for the season across all competitions. He has also laid on six assists in 29 combined outings.
Yet Sutton does not believe Klopp can rely on Salah to mask all of Liverpool’s problems this season. He also questions if the rest of the Reds’ team can give what their manager wants.
“I just don’t trust their team to deliver anymore,” Sutton wrote in his column for BBC Sport. “They don’t have the same intensity in their play that they once did under Jurgen Klopp and it is far too easy to get through their defence.
“Of course, Mohamed Salah can still do his stuff and score a brilliant goal. But that’s not enough to make up for all the problems behind him.
“Liverpool are a long way off the pace in the Premier League so I am sure Klopp would love a FA Cup run. But I don’t see it happening.”
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