Are Liverpool 2.0 ready to win the Premier League?

After a landslide victory against West Ham in the Carabao Cup midweek, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool turn their attention to league action against current leaders Arsenal. With the Reds only one point behind the Gunners, the possibility of the Premier League title returning to Merseyside is becoming more of a possibility.

With title favourites Manchester City falling down to fourth, there is a sense that trophy is Klopp’s for the taking. So how serious is their challenge this season?

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce.

00:00 The Super League
01:27 Intro
01:39 Liverpool vs West Ham
03:00 Can Liverpool with the Carabao Cup?
04:57 Can Liverpool win the league?
07:33 United and West Ham game comparison
12:46 Klopp and the Liverpool fans
14:23 Liverpool taking their chances
19:30 January transfer window
29:40 Mo Salah
39:13 Liverpool vs Arsenal
41:02 Final Comments

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#liverpool #premierleague #klopp

All right look we’ve got to start with the breaking news as we record this Podcast Thursday morning the the European court of justice has ruled that FIFA and UEFA rules blocking a potential European Super League were unlawful the expectation of course being that it will open the door for clubs what like

Barcelona Real Madrid to try again James you’ve spoken to the club this morning what’s their position on it well Liverpool insists their position is unchanged I think um I don’t think this this ruling changes anything really because it’s it’s not as if it was a legal barrier that that stopped

Liverpool from from signing up back in in 2021 it was it was more the the sheer force of the the backlash that was felt that led to Fenway Sports Group the owners issuing you know what was a pretty groveling apology at the time and um I did an interview with Tom Werner

Liverpool’s chairman last year head of the Champions League final and I asked him about it then um because you know over the last couple of years this has always reared its head every so often and he said you know we will not go back

In you know we will not sign up to a breakaway League I think his wording was you know it’s in our rearview mirror we’ve acknowledged it was a mistake and um yeah certainly Liverpool say their stance remains exactly the same on that okay let’s get into this uh our

Final athletic football podcast mine anyway before the Christmas break and for this we’ve roped in none other than the Athletics Liverpool writer James Pierce right James good to have you here uh let’s talk Liverpool right um what a win yesterday a bit of a bounceback from Manchester United which felt like a bit

Of a stalmer and you know joggen klopp has spoken about it I know there’s been spats between van djk and Roy Keane about that match but back to winning ways and a bit more convincing from Liverpool yeah it was the perfect POS really to to what was what was a pretty

D Performance against Manchester United and I think it was just it was just one of those days that kind of left you asking a lot of questions in terms of where exactly are Liverpool at because it was underwhelming um especially when you felt it was a real opportunity to

Kind of inflict some more misery on their Arch Rivals that they couldn’t take advantage of that um but yeah it was it was it was uh certainly everything that joggen klopp had demanded in terms of delivering a response because you know six changes it could easily have been a bit disjointed

Um but in fact that freshness gave Liverpool the kind of fluency and control that probably haven’t seen since they beat brenford in the early part of November because even though they’ve been winning games since then it’s been a struggle and there’s been heroic fight backs and Scrappy wins but yeah that was

That was winning in style at anfield on Wednesday night because they absolutely dismantled West Ham yeah as you know I was just thinking um when I saw the the caribo cup semi-final draw yesterday I was thinking Co this isn’t actually bad for Liverpool you got Fulham in the next

Round and then the other semi-final is between Chelsea and Middlesboro so I mean get past Fulham Chelsea midur sitting in the final you’d like to think Liverpool fans have got to be licking their lips just a little bit don’t want to get ahead of myself but just a little

Bit Yeah 100% Liverpool if Liverpool played to their capabilities they they should now go on win the caribel cup there’s no there’s no doubt about that I think you you you’d expect it to be a Liverpool Chelsea final I think as as much as Chelsea have struggled this

Season and um you know there’s a lot of issues there in terms of you know some of the some of the recruitment decisions they’ve made and the money that’s been been squandered but with the star Talent there Chelsea still have the ability to raise it I think especially in on a one

Half final appearance but um but yeah I think I think when you speak to the players and the staff at Liverpool they they see the caravel cup as as really important in terms of what it could do in terms of energizing what is essentially a new look team I mean klopp

This season has talked about this being you know he said you know it might be my year eight he said but for this group it’s year one because it is a is a very new Dynamic and they feel that you know two years ago when Liverpool won the

Caravel cup they got great momentum off the back of that went on and won the FA Cup missed out on the Prem League by the you know the most narrower margins you know missed out in the Champions League as well uh in the final to Real Madrid

So I think yeah they they certainly don’t don’t see this as kind of getting in the way and a distraction it it makes for a busy a busy January but um I think you know the way as well that klopp has been able to rotate the squad and give

People on the fringes more game time um yeah the carabal cup has had a real energizing impact on the whole Squad yeah we look at um this sort of Liverpool 2.0 and I guess Ambitions for the from the top end of the season from what I was hearing anyway you have

You’re probably more priview to it than I am was top four felt like a real possibility or a really solid ambition now Liverpool are in a position where if they beat Arsenal on Saturday they they go top of the league have you are you surprised by how this is all kind of

Going because I’ve said it before whisper it quietly don’t write off Liverpool yeah there’s no doubt that they’ve massively exceeded expectations so far I think rewind to August and it was a bit of a step into the unknown really because you know they’d lost six

Senior players I think if you add it all up it was about just over 1600 appearances for the club between them um and you know you kind of never really know how that Dynamic is going to shift because it is rare to lose your captain and your Vice Captain in Milner and

Henderson in such quick succession um you know of course the interest from Saudi Arabia kind of kind of increased the size of the rebuilding job in Midfield because klopp hadn’t intended to move Henderson or fabino on um you had The Unwanted distraction of you know the pursuit of Muhammad Salah and

Liverpool happen to dig their heels in over that and then you know when you bring in four midfielders uh only one of which had played Premier League football previously um I don’t think you can be ever be too sure in terms of how quickly they’ll adapt to the to the different

Challenge that that pose poses so um yeah there’s been there been a lot of positives so far I think you know they’ve won you know a lot of points from losing positions I think it’s some like 18 points already more than anyone else in the Premier League which which

Suggests that there’s you know a great resilience there in terms of coming back when the the chips are down um but you know the flip side of that is you know there’s there’s issues there performance- wise that still need to be ironed out that’s why I think you know

No one I speak to on Mery side is getting too carried away because I think probably two reasons one is is they didn’t expect to be up there this season it feels like this is kind of ahead of schedule for this team and secondly the fact that it’s not like Liverpool a

Consistently playing like a team that that has what it takes to go on and become Champions I think they’ve still got plenty to prove I think performance-wise it’s certainly very different to 2920 when they were week after week you know just winning just with such consumate ease and keeping

Opponents at arm length it’s it’s it’s different at the minute yeah I I was thinking you know what’s different about last night you know and yes of course this is Liverpool season in many respects sometimes they do very brilliantly sometimes they sort of have stal mates but you know the the

Emergence of that new role for Trent Alexander Arnold has been you know Tock of the tan as well as his new boots right and we’ve spoken about this but did they changed that much last night if anyone didn’t watch that match like what what was different from that Man United

Match for instance to uh the matches were against West Ham in the caribo cup yeah there was a few there was a few interesting tweaks I mean it was you know for a start Trent Alexander Arnold was one of those that was rested initially um although he still he still

Came on for the last half an hour and helped himself to to two assists um but you know it’s it is interesting that that that kind of transition of of Trent positional you know positionally because you know again on Wednesday night he he came on purely as a midfielder rather

Than this HP role that that he’s filled for most of the time since kind of early April onwards um you know it was it was more of a kind of old style Liverpool set up tactically with Joe Gomez at right back he was staying very wide providing the width down the rightand

Side um and and then you know the biggest thing was the greater energy and dynamism they had in the middle of the park because that has been lacking a bit recently they’re missing Alexis McAllister you know he’s going to be out into the new year with a with a knee

Injury he suffered against Sheffield United um zosi having set ridiculously high standards in his first few months at the club had definitely gone off the boil probably the last five or six weeks yet against West Ham you know he really had his Swagger back you know he scored

A beauty to to get the get them off get them off to a flyer and but it was more his General play as well as Z BOS like that was that felt like a really important step forward for him ahead of facing Arsenal um Curtis Jones was the

Absolute pick of the bunch I he was you know I think there’s it was it was quite funny afterward seeing klopp and Curtis Jones deep in conversation on the pitch and Curtis revealed that that klopp had basically wanted to he was quizzing him on why he hadn’t made a run from a

Throw time and you thought at the time from 40 yards away you thought well klopp must be congratulating him on his fantastic two goals but you know I think I think that is the way the klopp and and his staff with Curtis Jones it almost like always demand him more

Because they know he’s got such a high ceiling and they just want to see it you know week in week out and klopp talked about you know what a difference it makes when Curtis Jones does things at PACE where he doesn’t slow the game down where he doesn’t have too many touches

Where he’s positive and direct and um and you know wato Endo as well you know someone who’s been a you know a little bit probably I think he’s gone under the radar a little bit I think he’s got better and better since he joined Liverpool from stck

That that Midfield three with Endo the BOS and Jones you know functioned so much better um and that gave Liverpool the control that you know and the kind of thrust through the middle that they didn’t have against against Manchester United and the other interesting tactical tweet was he he stuck Darwin

Nunes out on the left and played Cody gakpo through the middle um and gakpo scored yeah yeah yeah yeah know gakpo I think he gone I think that was his first goal in six um he’s he’s he’s looked short of confidence yet he took his goal really well and even Nunes even though

You know I think that’s now 11 games without a goal for Darwin Nunes but he was much more involved much more in sync with the players around him really unlucky with one that came back off the post um and he looked I don’t obviously played off the left a lot for Benfica um

And and it just seemed I don’t know there’s just something about it that seemed to click better for him and then even on the right hand side know Harvey Elliot who I think is really really underappreciated for someone still only 20 you know been around so long you know

Not far of 100 appearances for Liverpool already um and I think he could be really important for Liverpool as an option wide right in the coming weeks because Mo Salah is going to be disappearing off to afcon in January young B do who would probably would have

Been next in line in terms of that right wing spot he’s he suffered The Misfortune of a knee injury plan for under 21s he needs surgery so um klopp is going to need another option wide right and I think Harvey Elliott couldn’t have done any more to kind of

Put his hand up on the night so it was yeah it was just it was one of those kind of morale boosting nights that you know right the way through the team you thought yeah everyone is as delivered and and klopp afterwards made note of the fact that Arsenal have had a full

Week to prepare they didn’t have you know and and you know and of course that is an advantage of sorts but I also think when you have a game like that where you win so emphatically and there’s everyone gets such a lift from it and you perform so well

Collectively I I don’t I don’t think that stands Liverpool in bad stead for the weekend yeah but you say you know Arsenal had a week to prepare klopp isn’t silly he’s ready and he’s getting that crowd ready to make them the 12th man when Arsenal come and play at anfield

Surely yeah yeah there was 100% that was the motivation behind his com comments in his press conference afterwards because you know he’s he knows he knows exactly what he’s doing there in terms of like he uh he’s been around the block enough hasn’t he in terms of you know

Knowing knowing when you can use the media to to whip the locals into a frenzy and um yeah it was I because I it was you know where where where the Dugout is at anfield you know the Press Box is only probably 15 20 meters behind

There and there was a passage in the first half where klopp kind of turned and and and kind of admonished some of the fans behind him it was it was I think there was a few moaning moans and groans when an attack broke down and it

Was it was one nil to Liverpool at the time um but yeah I think I you know it the atmosphere wasn’t wasn’t that bad at all it was you know actually it was it was a hell of a lot better than it was against Manchester United but yeah klopp

Is just you know firing firing people up with those comments with is you know if if if you’re not in the right shape give your ticket to someone else on on Saturday so I I think he knows as well a 530 kickoff under the lights at anfield

Just before Christmas um yeah that that place will be be bouncing come Saturday night yeah for sure I just want to just um Circle back to sort of the the Nunes thing but not him in particular but gakpo as well and certain other players you know Liverpool aren’t shy of shots

You know they’re taking what what 34 shots on Sunday uh and 29 last night Premier League average per game is what 13 they’re not scoring necessarily but is this intentional like is it just to Pepper uh you know the opposition box as much as possible that one lands if

Possible yeah I mean it is the it is the clop way isn’t it to like it is this you know it’s always he always wants his teams to play on the front foot and to and to keep asking questions I think the biggest difference between the two games

Because you’re right when you look at it you think think there wasn’t that much difference in terms of the overall shot numbers against United too often it just smacked to desperation and it was actually decision making really let them down and they were you know I think

Against United 15 of the 34 shots were from outside the box and and and quite often those shots were taken on when there was an overlap outside them that was ignored and and it was it was like oh you know this is this is just you know a lack of composure panic and

Desperation creeping in but against West Ham it it was different you know they the decision making was a lot better you know they they work the kind of their passing triangles a lot more in terms of getting in behind West Ham um and yeah could it could easily have been a

Heavier beating I mean it’s it was it was tricky as well because West Ham were absolutely Dreadful and and a night like that is always it’s always difficult to make make that kind of Judgment of was it because Liverpool was so good they never let West Ham play or or did West

Ham just play into their hands because there was there was so much space for Liverpool to exploit I mean Curtis Jones’s both of his goals really were perfect examples of that I mean the first one he plays a lovely one two with Darwin Nunes but nobody tracks Curtis

Jones’s run into the box and then the second one he’s allowed to run from pretty much the halfway line and I think I think it was a half-hearted challenge for mag boner close to the Penalty spot you know just before he tucked it away was kind of the first kind of tackle

That he that he faced so um so yeah it’s you know I think what Liverpool are always at their best when they’re playing a high Tempo putting teams Under Pressure forcing mistakes and then feeding off that energy from the stands and that that was the issue against man united that they

Didn’t they didn’t do that they weren’t able to sustain it and and it just peted out but um but yeah again against West Ham it was it was just kind of that everything just just clicked into gear again I’ve just I know you mentioned it earlier you were saying you no one’s

Getting too excited yet about the title challenge but look I mean Andy Jones you know did a date a deep dive on I know you know Andy uh very well on on Liverpool’s chances really and I don’t know if this season is so wide open that we’re not going to get the massive

Points tally as City have naturally said over the last last few years which actually opens the door for Liverpool in many ways it does yeah and I think I think that’s why it was interesting that I think klopp felt there’d been an overreaction to the game against man

United because you know he said you know I think one of his comments was you know really is that where we’re at now where we draw with Manchester United and it’s you know it’s such a Negative um thing to to happen and and I think it kind of

Dates back to I think Liverpool fans were a bit scarred by this era where you know Liverpool got 97 points and didn’t win the title you know that that is like even now it just seems absolutely ludicrous they got 92 points and didn’t win the title two years ago um so

There’s almost that I think it’s almost ingrained in your head that we you’ve got to be perfect and that every slip up is like oh my God you know what are the ramifications of this and I think you’re right when you look at the Premier League this season it’s different um Man

City not the force they were I still think they’re the I still I still have them down as title favorites because I think we’ve seen before they’re capable of rattling off 15 wins on the spin in the b in the spring um but you know an Arsenal yes I think are

Better equipped Having learned some lessons from from last season but and I think that’s what gives Liverpool a chance the fact that it’s like of course they’re not perfect and you know do they have a dominant holding midfielder probably not you know is the front line sparkling AC all across like as you’d

Want it to not really you know is there a concern there at Center back with depthwise with you know losing Joel Matic to a season ending injury you know they’re missing Andy Robertson until the back end of January um so there’s all these things that you could kind of say

Well that’s a doubt that’s a doubt and that’s a doubt but what they’re up against is isn’t kind of perfect either and and I think that’s that’s what makes this title race so exciting and you know if Liverpool can beat Arsenal on the weekend they’ll go into Christmas you know top of the

Table you know in the semi-finals of the carabel cup in the last 16 of the Europa League you know that’s one hell of a position to to be in in terms of having a platform for the second half of the Season yeah all right let’s let’s move

On to to January it’s always looming uh over so many teams ffp of course and so many uh thoughts on who to bring in but I I guess when you’re talking about a team like Liverpool even Arsenal Manchester City it’s not just bringing players in it’s bringing the right

Players in I know joggen klopp is very much on that Vibe I’m not going to get someone unless they are right for this squad they’ve got an interim sporting director at the moment in time what are the plans uh in terms of January and who who might be brought in do you

Know I think it’ll be a relatively quiet month um I certainly don’t think we’ll see we’ll see much activity there’ll be there’ll be a few players coming back to Liverpool and then potentially going back out again um you know there’s a big decision to make on Fabio cavalio who

Has struggled for game time at RB leig Liverpool have been in discussions about cutting that loan short and then sending him out somewhere else for the second half of the season so they’ve had a they’ve had a number of clubs express interest in terms of giving him the

Regular game time that he hasn’t been able to get in in Germany you know similarly Nat Phillips went on a short-term loan to Celtic just to provide defensive cover that that is up um come the turn of the year uh and and again I would i’ would expect that

Phillips to be loaned out again in the the second half of the season in terms of incomings I mean the most obvious area to address would would be Center back um yet when I asked juren klopp about the prospects of doing that recently he he was quite dismissive in

Terms of you know do you really think someone of of the required caliber is going to be available uh you know an acceptable price you know he talked about you know no one’s going to be sticking a cent half under the Christmas

Tree for us as a as a gift um so I I think a lot will depend on how Liverpool get through the coming weeks with the SCH as it is because I think if they were to lose another Center half then it suddenly goes from yeah ideally you’d

Bring someone in to actually you have to bring someone in because there’s just too much too much at stake not to um but you know that situation has been eased a little bit by just how impressive gerell Quanza has been I mean this is a young player that’s come from nowhere you know

If you’d have said back in July that he’d end up playing 15 20 games this season you just wouldn’t have believed it you know but he he was he was one of those examples of where klopp loves to give kids a chance in preseason and his

Attitude is right well go on show me show me what you can do show me your your your mentality and your work ethic and you know and and if you’re good enough you stay around and you’ll get chances and konzo has just been an absolute Revelation so um you know

You’ve you’ve got you’ve got him effectively as as as backup to to Virgil Van djk to Gomez and to Ibrahim aate so yeah I I think that would be the the one area I think a lot of fans would say also the holding Midfield role um you know Liverpool have been repeatedly

Linked with Andre fenzi but again the people I’ve spoken to at Liverpool have said you know they’re unlikely to go back in for him he was he was looked on as a possible alternative last summer um when they were struggling to do a deal with Southampton for Romeo Lavia um but

You know that in in in the end they moved on they moved on for from Andre and and I think when you look at you know Endo growing in confidence as well in that number six role McAllister’s obviously played there a lot I don’t think they see that as like as a real

Kind of necessity um so it’ll be it’ll be interesting I think I think what we know from Liverpool just from recent years is that if a deal presents itself you know that sometimes emerges from nowhere at an acceptable price they’ll press the button on it pretty quickly I

Mean you know the two years ago the noises were no no we’re not going to do anything and then suddenly Porto needed the money and and and were willing to sell leis Diaz Tottenham suddenly came in for him and Liverpool knew okay it’s now and ever we if we want this guy we

Can’t sit still to the summer we have to do it and they were very clinical in terms of pulling that one off 12 months ago similar situation with PSV and and Cody Gago um again one they thought that was probably for the summer but you know

They PSV made it clear they were willing to do business bang Liverpool did that so I don’t think you can completely rule it out um but at the minute yeah I don’t think we’re going to see gonna see a busy January for Liverpool does it worry

You though I mean canate is in injury record isn’t the greatest and you know you look at Arsenal’s title run last season and potentially some might say William CBA dipping off I know Rob holding was a good substitute but wasn’t at the same quality you know it’s it’s

That level of quality that it could be worrying you know in terms of being serious about trying to get one over Manchester City and that consistency in Squad and I know what you’re saying um you’ve got these young lad who who can do the job but you’re playing the bigger

Teams that experience the Kate you know World Cup winner or whatever would really come into play yeah yeah and I yeah I mean there’s no doubt that if you said to Liverpool fans you know what you know what what ideally would you like to see them do in

January it would be yeah bring in a center half and again you’re right it’s not it’s not really the numbers that he’s got now it’s more you know the availability concerns over those personel because canate you know does does miss you know a a lot of football

You know you and you have to look at his his his record over the last few years you know it it it shows that there’s been a you know a number of muscle issues and it just you always get the feeling with him that probably three

Games in six or seven days is just too much for him and you need to rotate and and obviously Gomez thankfully you know touchwood in the last probably 12 18 months is has stayed fit but again you know he’s got he’s got um he’s had some

Real bad injuries himself in the in the past so and then also you’ve got the dynamic where Gomez A lot of the time is being used at right back because you know klopp is wanting to use Trent Alexander Arnold in in in Midfield you know there’s a there’s a strong argument

That Liverpool actually need to go and buy a right back as well because um you know it it just feels like the direction of travel is Tren Alexander Arnold becoming a permanent midfielder and and Liverpool you know they’ve got they’ve got young Connor Bradley the Northern Ireland International who came on against West

Ham um and he’s getting more experience but of course you know you know going back to your earlier point it’s a big ask to suddenly expect a young player like that to play an influential part in a in a title challenging season so so yeah you just feel if if they don’t

Bolster defensively in January it it just leaves the kind of like teetering a little bit in terms of needing Good Fortune because it you’d almost have that sense of well they’re only one injury away from from being in being in real trouble yeah for sure I think I need to refrain a little

Bit I said Kate World Cup winner I should say World Cup finalist he’s only 24 poor kid I’ve already given him a World Cup anyway let’s move over to the quick one um and I know haven’t got much time but um George uh smka or schat uh interim sporting director for the time

Being is it a thought that Liverpool deal with this you know at the end of the season or is that something that it’s continuously um being looked at because obviously you know Manchester United also looking for one as well does that you know change things up a bit as to who’s

Available yeah I think I think schmad when he came in he was effectively tempted out of retirement it was it was all always very clear from all sides this was a shortterm appointment um you know it was he you know he did the deals to in the summer um you know I think

With his background probably not no great coincidence that um you know what was it three three of the four that came in were were from the Bundesliga you know his his knowledge and expertise proved proved valuable in terms of uh those those you know those deals that

Needed to be negotiated he gets on well with Klo um so it’s it’s been a decent Arrangement yet yeah I think I think after the you know i’ I’d expect him unless there’s a change of tact I’d expect him to still be there throughout the jamary window um and then I think

That period Then will be when Liverpool will hopefully recruit a long a longer term successor because there has been you know a period of turbulence in terms of that sporting director position because obviously Michael Edwards was so influential for so long you know across everything this you know this real top

Operator and then you know they thought they had the long-term successor in Julian Ward who’d been as a his Deputy yet then you know Ward walking away need felt he needed a break from football after just a year in the job um and as you said Liverpool aren’t the only big

Club looking for one and I know when they had the search last time it was there was they felt I think there was a dir of like real top quality candidates who were available because I think the ones you’d want were in under long-term contracts elsewhere um so yeah I would

Expect that situation to be addressed in the second half of the Season ahead of next summer because it’s it’s not just in terms of next summer you know have want you want you want a new person in place before the summer before you know when you get into grips with exactly

What the squad needs but also there’s some contract situations that need to be addressed as well because you know coming up to what is it you know Muhammad Salah Virgil Van djk Trent Alexander Arnold all reaching the last 18 months their current deals and that you know I think that’s a relaxed

Situation at the minute but of course the next six months are really animportant on that because you know you then before you know it you know we we’re in the summer and we’re talking about players being into their last year and that that always creates you know a

Sideshow yeah I mean let’s talk about the summer and especially uh around Mo Sal I mean I think about this a lot and I I mean it’s been reported the the big sums of money that were on offer um in terms of a bid from the Saudi pro league

For him um and also look afcon on its way uh it’s going to be a tricky one without mosalah who has provided a fair few goals for Liverpool this season um where what’s the position here Liverpool reluctant to say that you know what he’s probably going to leave and they’re

Starting to look at life beyond moel or is nothing quite set yet is this all still part of the rumor mill yeah nothing nothing is set um I mean even rewinding to the summer when of course there was this kind of sustained pursuit of of from from Saudi

Arabia and not once did he ever kind of agitate or push remove his his attitude was always you know it’s down to the club you know it’s this you know I’m I’m I’m under contract I’m fully committed um unless unless Liverpool get the kind of offer that they feel they can’t say

No to and you know as it was the owners made it absolutely crystal clear there was no price at which they would have done business because Mo Salah is so influen ential and you know I think people looked at it and said oh you know

Come on in his early 30s you know cash in and um I just think that overlooks the fact that Mo Salah is is is not he’s not your regulation type of play for something you know he for someone of his age you know he he’s an incredible athlete and

Specimen in terms of he still never misses any football it’s like it’s crazy it’s not just his goals and assists it’s his durability which is which sets him apart and yeah I I I hope he stays around I think I think a lot obviously will hinge on what Salah

Himself wants because you know there was never any chance of happen anything happening in January I think there was we I think you know what the rumor mill is like it wouldn’t surprise me if if if if there there were there was talk but that can be dismissed you know he’s he’s

100% around for the rest of this season um and then I think a lot will depend on what his wish isues are because you know klopp in Liverpool’s stance has always been that if if someone actually wants to leave and they give them enough time to source of replacement then they

Wouldn’t stand in their way um but at the minute Mo Salah does not look to me like someone who’s who’s thinking about a fresh challenge I think actually when you speak to people around the club he’s been energized by the injection of fresh blood into the the squad this this

Season you know that that thought of actually you know we we are capable of competing for and WI in big trophies again and I think that excites him and and also I think you know when you see when you see the you know the goals he

Scored already this season was he up to 15 in all comps you know and you just think you know why why would you go to a much lesser League why would you you know he’s still rewriting the record books at Liverpool you know every every single week it feels like there’s

Another another Salah record to be broken you know recently you know joining the 200 Club in terms of goals for Liverpool um you know it’s and he and he feeds off that you know he loves writing his name into the history books of the club um so

Yeah I think it’ll be a delicate nego like negotiation process I think in terms of because obviously you know he’s the highest earner at the club and he’ll want to be suitably you know renumerated for that and of course you know I think by the time his current deal is up he’ll

Be he be kind of approaching what 33 um so but when you look him I don’t see any reason why Salah can’t keep doing what he’s doing in into well into kind of his his you know 306 37 e even because um yeah he he is he is unique um and you

Just yeah so much of it will hinge on what he himself wants and at the minute you know he seems incredibly happy where he is but you can also understand from a Saudi Arabia perspective especially the pro league you you’ve got probably the biggest Muslim star at a good age who

Has kind of won everything with his current Club OB of course the records being set and stuff but you know in their Pursuit for excellence and pursuit for what they want in a weird way I look at it and we’ve spoken about this before he’s a bigger star for them than

Cristiano Ronaldo because he ticks all those boxes yeah he he really does I remember being over in Kat when when Liverpool won the club World Cup in in 201 19 and it was It was kind of Salam Mania on a on a level i’ i’ not seen before and

I’ve traveled all over the world covering Liverpool and um yeah like just just the the noise inside the stadium every time he touched the ball and you know the the screams from the fans outside the the team hotel and yeah it’s difficult to put into words just how you

Know how how you know how high his profile is in that part of the world so you know we you just you knew knew last summer when when Liverpool turned down that you know offer that was rising to 150 million pound you we all knew that

Wasn’t the end of it you know we knew they’d be back you know if not in January then then next summer um but you I don’t know you also look at it and you think From salah’s perspective you know you look at someone like Jordan Henderson who you know has gone over

There and you know is obviously earning a hell of a lot of money but you know you know he’s coming back and playing for England and people are questioning kind of like whether he’s playing at a high enough level to really do himself Justice for his for his country and so

You know you you wonder whether that’s food for thought for some of these players as well because um yeah it’s not as if you know you know of course mosala treble quadruple his wages um but I think it comes back to your motivation he’s never smacked to me as someone who

That is something that that really drives him in terms of his his bank balance I think what really excites him is is is rewriting record books and and winning and winning big trophies and I’m not I’m not convinced that even next summer is that really what he’s ready

For because you know he could he could effectively go over there in three or four years time I think and and still probably be by far in way the the biggest star and and the biggest talent over there yeah for sure right let’s look at let’s look at um the afcon uh

Situation and especially that January period as well and you you look at this intense you know schedule over the Christmas period you we’re coming into sort of the back end of the season Post January you will miss MOS MOS sala’s firing power with injuries as well and

That Liverpool have to be sort of thinking about that as well yeah yeah it’s um it is gonna it is going to pose a real a real challenge I think they know there’s been I don’t I don’t think it’s clear yet exactly when Salah will go there’s you know I think klopp

Was asked recently whether he knew whether he’d be around for that FA Cup tie against Arsenal on January the 7th and and he said you know that’s that’s that’s still to be agreed and then yeah you could be looking up to a month without him um and you know Ben do a

Really talented young Winger would have I think probably been in in line for some for for a fair fair amount of minutes he’s now going to be recovering from knee surgery um so you you’re probably looking at you know Harvey Elliot you know Dominic zabai has actually played wide right

Before um yet you know do you really want to move him out the middle I think probably not um Kade Gordon uh as another young Academy graduate who’s endured a real Torrid kind of 18 months with injuries you know it actually was one of the few that that sha in the the

Dead rubber in the Europa League recently against Union sanir and you know he must be looking at it and thinking wow you know that you know because because usually on that right hand side there is no route into the team because salah’s such a machine he

Doesn’t miss games but um so I’m sure Cade Gordon will be looking at at that and adogo jot is pretty close to a comeback as well after a hamstring injury and he can play on the right hand side so yeah klopp klopp does have options yet of of course it just changes

The entire kind of dynamic of Liverpool’s attack because so much goes through Sal and you know and also people I think it kind of goes under the radar as well just how much he does for the team in terms of holding the ball up linking play you know he’s he’s such a

Creative Force as well when you look at his assist numbers it it’s not just the goals you’re going to be going to be missing so um and you’ve also got you know wato endo’s off to the Asia cup around the same time in January um so yeah Liverpool really really can’t

Afford to pick up any more injuries because you know it’s they’ve been dropping pretty regularly over the last few weeks and then yeah with those two departed in January um yeah you don’t want that Squad to be depleted any further especially when with some of the challenges they’ve got coming up so

Quick one um give the Liverpool fans an early Christmas present are they going to do Arsenal on a on the weekend it’s a big one yeah do you know what I think it just felt like that win over West Ham was was the perfect way to go into it

And and I think also with the klopp kidology saying you know come on you don’t need to rely on me having an argument with the opposition coach which is obviously a reference to is spat with artetta a couple of years ago that that fired everyone up I think yeah I I think

The stage is set for for a cracking game and I think it’ll be it’ll just be such a different game as well to the one against man united you know Roy Keane didn’t like Virgil Van dijk saying but van djk was right there was only one

Team that was really trying to win that game and Arsenal won’t come and play the same way they will be more expansive they will ask more questions of Liverpool there will be more space in behind for Liverpool to exploit um so so yeah I’m you know I think Arsenal they

Do command respect because I I I think you know when I’ve watched them this season they seem to be playing last season you always felt there was so much emotion attached to the way Arsenal played and that can go one or two ways and sometimes it probably cost them in

The end I think now they’re a bit calmer bit more methodical um and and you know it will be a real difficult test for Liverpool but yeah it it feels like the Stag is set for for Liverpool to to really make a statement on Saturday

Night so um yeah they just need to go out there and there’s no doubt that that klopp will get the response he asked for from the fans it’s just it’s just whether the the players can produce um on the field because it will it will definitely be noisy enough off

It you know what James expect uh a bit of social media interaction from me if Arsenal managed to get a result against Liverpool at anfield all right thanks so much for your time and also thank you all for continuing to listen and support this show through 2023 check out the

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