‘If’ would be carrying a lot of weight in that sentence, if you’d put it there
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Isak 
Salah 20, Gakpo 11, Diaz 12.
43 of our 68 goals so far this season.
These guys could be the winning formula up top this season.
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I feel kinda dirty saying this, but could this attack be even better than Klopps front 3 of Mane-Bobby-Salah?
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Nah, I don’t think so.
The old trio was arguably the most cohesive attack in world football at the time. Phenomenal mix of qualities and understanding between them.
I don’t think this one is set in stone now for the next couple of years. It’s different.
But it’s very positive if it looks like we’ve found a way that is working for a good few of them, at least for this season (or maybe also next, we’ll see).
No doubt we’ll still see changes like Jota, Nunez will get the odd game even if he doesn’t improve his form, Diaz won’t be up top all the time, rotation at #10, etc.
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More depth nowadays.
Previously we only had Origi.
True, Shaqiri and Origi were more like “they play when we really need them to play”, the difference in quality was big. Apart from a few obvious moments and games…
Jota then came in 2020, Minamino had a good cup season in 21/22, Diaz came in 2022, we tried different things when we had to.
But the front trio of Salah, Mane and Firmino will take some beating.
Both are not that good looking, to be fair
The difference between a good and a great player is the ability to be relevant. You can play Cody, Jota, Diaz and Salah across the front line and they will always find a way to be relevant, impose themselves and make a difference. Mane and Firmino were that. A player like Nunez needs to find that, he has all the goods to succeed but with talented players in the past, if you do not apply and impose yourself in the game and make it impossible for your teammates and the opposition to ignore you, the step up to greatness will always be a huge ask
Salah actually doesn’t like playing anywhere else than on the right. Klopp said that a few times, he doesn’t like playing up front. The few times we did it (especially when we flipped the midfield structure to 4-4-1-1, as Klopp called it), he did it for the team.
It’s a bit like Ronaldo at Real, he had his own role on his side, not being a classic winger in all phases of the game, but also not being a central striker. Salah’s work rate is good, but of course you do want to give him that freedom in some phases because it’s effective going forward. Especially in a protagonist team, it’s a different ball game playing central, you need to play back to goal a lot, combine, etc.
Diaz is now doing a very good job now. We can double up on the left with him and Gakpo (one playing wide, another one attacking the half-space). He can drop towards the ball, change tempo (which also means stopping a bit, not going full pace all the time), shield it, turn. Being our most skillful player (that’s what his team mates say). His “being everywhere” (often an alibi for doing a bunch of nothing or not enough) is better than Nunez’s. Simply a better player, with some similar traits like pace and general aggression in his approach.
What did my head in when we talk about versatility in forwards was bloody Shaqiri only wanting to play on the right (where we have Salah who is playing all the time) or as a #10 (which we didn’t at the time, sometimes he did play as the high RCM, Odegaard style). Then he finds himself on the left for a few moments in that Barca game and puts in a peach of a cross. That could’ve happened more often when the team needed it…
Gakpo now looks really settled and happy, perhaps more so because he sees Diaz (someone he had competition with and still does to an extent) is pushing more and more for central minutes.
I wonder how Diaz really feels about it, but he looks happy on the pitch for sure. Perhaps enjoying this role for a change. He’ll be 28 in a few weeks and also entering the final 2 years of his (original) deal also, so there’s a new decision for the club what to do with him.
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That’s easy. Keep. He’s on fire right now and will be good until 32 or 33 at least.
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I did use to think in Salah’s first two seasons that Salah could have used his “weaker foot” more too. It’s not exactly a weakness but he doesn’t have the confidence required for him to take shots in from his right foot that much.
It’s probably too late for him to begin working on his weaker foot but I feel it’s more a lack of confidence than any significant weaknesses playing the ball with the right foot
Salah wanting to cut inside probably has a lot to do with him preferring to shoot with his left foot.
And , Mane had to have his position changed to being an exclusive force on the left wing whereas he primarily started from the right wing before Salah made the move to Liverpool.
I wonder if that move probably cost Mane some of his efficacy as he probably had a stronger left foot than a right foot.
Right foot or left foot is only one part of the game.
Messi was the greatest of his time and arguably of all time, played either on the right or central, but did he use his right foot? Not really.
Mane became more complete when he went to the left, after a slightly problematic period around the middle of 17/18 (there was also an AFCON at the time, which didn’t help). The evolution of that attack overall was great and pretty quick.
For Salah to play up top, it’s probably just his will to remain this man goalscorer from different versions of the right wide forward or winger zone. Not so much that he would suddenly have to play with his right foot more.
When you play central, your whole game become different. From pressing to link up, where and how you receive the ball, etc.
We see that Slot plays the likes of Diaz, Jota (so far only up top!) and Nunez up top. Has been quoted that even Chiesa is an option for that role.
So his criteria might be different to Klopp, also in a different formation. Klopp also had Jota and Nunez, but also had or tried things like Firmino, Minamino and Gakpo central.
We’ll see what type of striker we aim if we soon start searching for a new main striker, but Salah will I think remain on the right side as long as he’s here.
Strikes me that Mo has improved a lot in that regard.
Would love to see some statistics on his goals/assists with his left/right foot over the years. I’d bet he’s using his right more nowadays.
Where are our stattos? @Sweeting? @Iftikhar?
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Don’t know where they are, but I bet they’re wearing anoraks.
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Transfermartkt has an info of 27 right footed goals from Salah in his time at Liverpool. Don’t have the assists.
I mean he’s a tough little cookie, has incredible sense where to position himself and attack space, of course he has enough in him to provide a little bit end product, be it goals or assists with his right foot.
Other than the area and end product, using it in terms of touches in general play, of course it’s different. He doesn’t need it I don’t think. Tons of players who have been successful mostly using their strongest foot. Examples like Cazorla, Lallana or… Ronaldo, Nani, Dembele, Perisic… are rare.
I really like his outside of left foot attempts, which have happened more in recent times. Some wonderful assists and passes.
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I think he has improved. But he still could keep the opposition guessing with more right footed shots as well. That little bit of unpredictability does help.
Just that the opposition knows that he can go the other side as well.
Mo Salah right foot goal porn…
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Mo’s right foot is deadly. Nobody can predict where the ball will go, not even himself 
He just shoots as hard as he can with his right foot every time.
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