11 Apr 2025 10:14:52
Now that he's staying does anyone think it's worth trying Salah as a pure striker rather than a right sided forward? I'm just thinking he could play that role Ronaldo turned to as he got older as it's a bit less reliant on pace and more on sticking the ball in the net.
Just a thought, it's probably why I work in a bank rather than being a football coach!
11 Apr 2025 10:25:21
It's not a bad shout, johnnyr1970.
It'd depend on.
11 Apr 2025 10:28:19
I’d be up for it, if it gives Chiesa a chance to start. We have use him more in the last games of this season.
11 Apr 2025 10:37:47
Well we’re not getting much output from our other strikers, Salah knows where the net is better than all of them and yes, we could play Chiesa on the right wing as he should be fresh!
11 Apr 2025 11:01:30
The problem is that Ronaldo has always been a presence in the box, is outstanding in the air and learned how to make the right runs into the penalty area, mo does all of his best work in the half space where he can create for somebody else making the run (and he is near peerless at this) or beat a defender to shoot, he just doesn't have the qualities to beat a defender off the ball to attack balls going into the six yard area, much less crosses into the box. He's not a false 9 either, it's just not his game to make dummy runs or drop deep to link up play. I think he could possibly play as a 10 picking up space in the half space, but honestly that's effectively what he does for us except he starts high up on the right wing drifting into central positions when Bradley or szoboszlai overlap on the outside.
Like a 9 he starts the highest up the pitch when we're defending but like a 10 he often occupies space in the half space outside the box as our creative fulcrum, with players overlapping or under lapping and a central forward cutting into the box to give him options.
So I think the tldr of my whole rant is to say that he pretty much already plays the central role for us when he is most effective. With Conor looking to be our starting right back, I think mo will be in that space much more often, and him, dom and Conor can interchange central and wide positions as the game demands like mo, Trent and hendo used to do. Given that we will definitely sign a 9 that offers us presence in the box, mo's assist numbers will probably go through the roof again.
11 Apr 2025 11:34:16
Nice one, PB. Also, Mo can always join the attack in moments where Szobo occupies the inside half space and Bradley goes wide with chalk on in his boots which will stretch the defence and open the gaps centrally for Mo and other runners to get into.
Now I don't know if we will sign a true no. with presence or a false 9 like Cunha but either way, none of that should stop us from getting Mo as closer to goal as possible. At least, I don't see it.
11 Apr 2025 11:35:36
Tried it many times before - it doesn’t work.
You need different movement as a central striker.
You’d be turning an elite RW into a mediocre central striker and there would be no-one as good as Salah on RW.
You’ve got a great player, let him play where he’s most effective.
Just sign a central player, Cunha should be target #1 for me.
11 Apr 2025 11:39:09
It's an interesting point @Patrick they are wildly different roles that would need adaptation on salahs part but I think it's worth trying it, especially in a few of the end of season games after the title is mathematically sealed.
11 Apr 2025 11:49:32
We’d have to change how we play and I don’t think that would be worth it.
11 Apr 2025 12:11:45
Call me crazy, but I think Salah should stay on the RW where he's got 44 goals and assists in 31 Premier League games. Just rest and rotate him more if he's getting older. Chiesa could come on for the last 20 minutes and play in the domestic cups for example.
11 Apr 2025 12:24:48
Agree with MK, keep Salah where he is. I do hope that the manager is strong enough to rest him or take him off when Salah needs taking off! Recent evidence suggests that hasn’t been the case. I wonder if there was something in his last contract regarding playing time?
11 Apr 2025 12:58:31
Didn't Salah have a few strops when klopp tried to play him in the middle?
Iam certain there was friction and then Mane was played out of position to cover for firmino.
11 Apr 2025 13:10:01
Would be surprising to see the club giving our best RW of the last 30 years the biggest pay in the clubs history to then try him in a new position.
11 Apr 2025 13:44:55
The only strop Salah every threw was when he was taken off in games and even then, I think it's more towards his own performance than it was at Klopp.
11 Apr 2025 14:20:11
Maybe we could try him at right back? And because sarcasm is hard to tell in written form, I'm being sarcastic! He's a right winger, for gawd sake, keep him there.
11 Apr 2025 15:07:12
Square pegs and all that. Best rw at the club so why weaken the rw? Just buy a striker.
11 Apr 2025 15:58:15
Okay, MKS. You're crazy.
11 Apr 2025 16:18:50
Why change his position when he is the best player in the world at what he does?
Leave him be and find someone who will perform better in the middle. Cunha would be my choice to suit our system the best.
11 Apr 2025 16:36:02
I think he’d score goals upfront, but you’d lose all those assists.
With Trent going etc we need all the creativity we can get.