Losing key players is never a happy circumstance for any football manager, whether because of injury or suspension. But in the case of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp through much of the January fixture schedule, he was faced with quite the profound selection conundrum, due to three first team regulars participating at the African Cup of Nations.
When two of those three are statistically rated as being amongst the Premier League top players, and amongst the leading scorers in the competition, filling in the gaps they leave behind is all the more challenging.
Nevertheless, while Klopp would have undoubtedly preferred them to be available for selection, Liverpool did manage to cope quite well in their absence, remaining unbeaten without the African trio.
?? In the space of 27 days, Mohamed Salah played 750 minutes of football at #AFCON2021
? That’s the equivalent of over eight 90 minute matches
???? He’s told Liverpool he’ll be back for training tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/aaNlSCA7sY
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 7, 2022
To put that into some context, the Reds were without attacking marksmen Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané for six games in all competitions, while midfielder Naby Keïta missed five matches. More importantly, Salah was top of the Premier League charts with 16 goals and 9 assists, at the time of his departure to represent Egypt at AFCON, while Mané had registered 8 goals and 1 assist before linking up with Senegal.
AFCON joy and pain for Liverpool trio
Participation at the African tournament brought contrasting fortunes for the Liverpool players involved, with Keïta the first to be booking his return to England when Guinea were surprisingly eliminated by Gambia in the Round of 16. Keïta scored in the shock Group B defeat against Zimbabwe, although that didn’t prevent Guinea from getting through to the knockout phase, where any further progress would ultimately be curtailed.
Salah arguably endured the most physically draining run at AFCON with Egypt, who finished second in Group D behind Nigeria, before forging a gruelling path all the way to the final. Ivory Coast were beaten after extra time and penalties, victory against Morocco required extra time, while Egypt also needed extra time and penalties to get past Cameroon in the semi-finals, dashing the hopes of the host nation.
Sadio and Mo ??pic.twitter.com/jbZReKyd1p
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) February 6, 2022
Senegal and Mané just about managed to top a competitive Group B in the opening phase of the tournament, before finding their momentum in the knockout stage. That was when The Lions of Teranga found their true form, comfortably beating Cape Verde 2-0 in the Round of 16, cruising past Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in the quarter-finals, then breezing past Burkina Faso 3-1 in the semi-finals.
The stage was now set for Senegal versus Egypt in the final, as much of the international media focused on the inevitable duel between Liverpool stars Mané and Salah, the pride of their countries at stake. The score was tied at 0-0 after ninety minutes and extra-time, it was Mané who won the penalty shoot-out and AFCON for Senegal, before Salah even had chance to take one from the spot. Salah was clearly upset afterwards and eventually consoled by Mané.
Potent return to Merseyside needed
Following the participation of three important players at AFCON, fans of the Reds will be hoping they need little time to rest and recover, ahead of a crucial run of games for Liverpool and with the Premier League title race still to be resolved. Manchester City have the points advantage and remain firm favourites to clinch the title, according to the bookies, although having Mané and Salah back in attack, plus Keïta in midfield, is welcome news at Anfield.
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Sadio Mane says Mohamed Salah “will come back stronger” ?? pic.twitter.com/gDFxxNQ31l
— GOAL (@goal) February 7, 2022
Liverpool will also need the top form of their African trio in upcoming matches, in order to maintain their pursuit of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, while the Reds are also battling on multiple fronts. Klopp’s team has reached the EFL Cup final, reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, and progressed to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League.
Indeed, the next couple of months could make or break the season for Liverpool in their quest for honours. Having already celebrated lifting the AFCON trophy, Sadio Mané will certainly be keen to get his hands on further silverware, while Mohamed Salah will inevitably be looking to brush aside his African disappointment, eager to hit his best form and shoot Liverpool towards more success