The Liverpool winger faces a different test away to Arsenal.
Liverpool were hopeful that Mohamed Salah would be able to make a major impact after joining from Roma, and the winger has done just that.
Salah has been one of the outstanding players in the Premier League this season, and is currently the division’s top scorer having found the net 14 times in 18 appearances.
The Egypt international’s pace and directness has bamboozled opposing defenders and he will be hoping to make a similar impact when Liverpool face Arsenal away tomorrow night in an intriguing encounter.
After playing a back three for the majority of the season, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reverted to a four-man defence in recent weeks, with talented youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a little surprisingly, being deployed at left-back.
Although he has featured as a left wing-back for Arsenal in the Europa League this season, Maitland-Niles is more comfortable as a winger or a central-midfielder.
However, after some impressive performances in recent games, it is likely that Maitland-Niles will be at left-back for tomorrow’s game at the Emirates Stadium, which would place him in a direct battle with Salah.
The logical conclusion is that Salah would thrive against a player who is still adapting to playing in his new position, but Maitland-Niles will be especially determined to keep his place in the team and is also excellent at making recovery runs.
Maitland-Niles will relish the task of attempting to shackle Salah and it shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion that the latter will prevail in this battle.
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