“He [Salah] played more on the wing for Roma, where he had a very dominant striker in Edin Dzeko,” Klopp said. “Nobody could know [that he could play as a striker]. We learned it step by step. We didn’t know exactly that he’s capable of playing in the centre.
“But we will not treat him like: ‘You don’t have to train, Mo – just come on Saturday for the game and we’ll see you there at Anfield or whatever.’ He doesn’t want that. He’s in the moment of his career but he knows there is a lot for him to come. He wants to learn and he wants to improve.”
At one stage on Saturday evening Klopp could be seen applauding after Salah chased back towards his own half, one of his few attempts at adding something defensively to Liverpool’s cause. That is not to suggest he is lazy, just that some players do not have that instinct. Fortunately for Liverpool, Klopp believes Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané are putting in a lot of extra yardage so Salah can concentrate on finding the back of the net.
“He does it. But sometimes he needs a little ... [reminder],” Klopp said of Salah’s defensive skills. “A lot of my players need that. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s only a thing, it’s not exactly the same strength. If you talk about Roberto, he loves running in that direction and chasing the players. If I said to him ‘Stop it’, he couldn’t.
“That’s why I took him off, because he will never rest. He runs all the time but then Mo didn’t stop as well tonight – in the other direction. He took each sprint like the 100-metre final in the Olympic Games. That’s what I mean: the team adapts to the strengths. Nobody is talking and saying, ‘Mo, but you have to …’ At the moment, nobody is saying anything to Salah other than “carry on”.
