Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits “surprising” Mohamed Salah treatment fuels touchline anger

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits “surprising” Mohamed Salah treatment fuels touchline anger

Jurgen Klopp faces his second ban of the season in an incident which began with a foul on Mohamed Salah which was ignored by officials.

Salah is very rarely fouled compared to his Premier League contemporaries, despite his ubiquity on the right flank and his tendency to get the better of players.

That’s according to the stats, with the Egyptian having been penalized just 31 times this season in the top flight – less than half of the other seven players.

Overall, 55 players have been fouled more times than Salah this season, while 108 have been fouled more frequently every 90 minutes.

Since joining Liverpool in 2017, the No.11 has won 155 free-kicks, significantly less than Jack Grealish in his last three Premier League seasons (294). In reality, Salah is fouled much more frequently, such as on Sunday when he was stubbornly held up by Tottenham defender Ben Davies. Despite being right in front of the linesman, the foul went the other way.

“These statistics are amazing. I know them too, they are really amazing” Klopp said on Tuesday.

“A man who always has the ball at his feet, who is a setter, who scores an insane amount of goals over the years and that’s it.

“I don’t know how Mo handles these things. Absolutely exceptional.”

The incident against Tottenham was one of countless similar ones, but was notable for being followed soon after by Richarlison’s equalizer to make it 3–3.

Klopp’s reaction after Diogo Jota won the game 99 seconds later has left him in trouble, with a fierce celebration in the face of fourth official John Brooks earning him a yellow card and his post-match comments leading to a possible suspension.

It comes after a similar outcry following Bernardo Silva’s rugby tackle on Salah in October’s 1-0 win over Manchester City, with a red card that day earning Klopp a one-game touchline suspension.

“For me at that moment it’s not ‘again, Mo!'” he said of his actions on Sunday. “It’s just obvious. “I think the situation with Bernardo Silva was a clear foul on Mo and that situation was clearly not a foul [against Mo].

“Especially considering Bernardo Silva and now this challenge, it should be the same punishment.

“I don’t understand. I don’t think I’m right or wrong [to react this way] right now.

“It’s so obvious it’s wrong or right for me right now and if nothing happens after that then it’s over. “But we concede a goal 35 seconds after that incident.”

Klopp is under investigation by the FA for comments about referee Paul Tierney, who booked the Liverpool manager and told him he deserved a dismissal, according to Klopp.

“I don’t want an apology for my reaction or whatever, it just explains it,” the German continued.

“It’s like: there’s a foul, there’s a free kick, there’s the goal.

“We scored a goal almost immediately after that. So yes, that was the emotion I was in. “I’m in a completely different mood now, but this situation is really difficult to handle.

“You [in the media] had similar conversations with other managers – which is not to excuse the behavior or anything – but you never had the real situation you were in.

“You write about it, but you’ve never been able to really understand it.

“I can’t describe it because it happens more or less easily, but the emotions are quite strong.

“If all the managers were at home like they were on the sidelines, it would be a crazy life. “Obviously we’re not, because that’s an extreme situation and that led to that at the time.

“Obviously it’s still the wrong reaction, but that’s about it.”

Also.. 

Supercomputer predicts Liverpool vs Fulham 

Liverpool face Fulham in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, so we simulated the game to see if the Reds could continue their winning ways

Liverpool have the chance to make it five Premier League wins on the bounce when they take on Fulham on Wednesday night.

After sacrificing a 3-0 lead at home to Tottenham, Diogo Jota scored a 94th-minute winner to earn Liverpool a 4-3 win over Tottenham in their last outing. The victory moved the Reds up to fifth in the table, but they remain seven points behind Manchester United who have a game in hand on Jurgen Klopp’s side.

With five games left, it would take a disastrous end to the season for either United or Newcastle to drop out of the top four, with Liverpool heavily relying on results going their way if they want to claim a Champions League spot for next season. Next up for the Reds is Fulham, with the reverse fixture ending in a 2-2 draw on the first day of the season.

With five games left, it would take a disastrous end to the season for either United or Newcastle to drop out of the top four, with Liverpool heavily relying on results going their way if they want to claim a Champions League spot for next season. Next up for the Reds is Fulham, with the reverse fixture ending in a 2-2 draw on the first day of the season.

So, could Liverpool pick up three points against Fulham? Let’s take a look.

We predict that the visitors could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Cairney, Cordova-Reid; Vinicius.

Similar to their clash with Spurs on the weekend, Liverpool started fast, with Mohamed Salah firing against the post after just six minutes of the game. The pressure from Klopp’s side continued, and just 13 minutes in, the Reds took the lead.

A one-two between Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez saw the latter burst down the left and pull the ball back for Cody Gakpo inside the box. The Dutchman cut past two Fulham defenders before finding a sight of goal, and a powerful strike saw the ball nestle in the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

Fulham failed to respond to going behind, with the visitors unable to register a shot in the opening 45 as they struggled to escape their own half. Jones and Jordan Henderson were finding themselves in some good attacking positions due to how deep Fulham were sitting, and just before the break, it was Liverpool’s captain who doubled the lead.

A turnover in possession saw Harry Wilson scoop the ball up just outside his own box, but unaware of Henderson’s presence, the Englishman stole the ball from the former Liverpool man and pounced on goal. In the one-on-one, Henderson wrapped the ball around the keeper, putting the Reds in a comfortable position. With a solid lead, the Reds eased off the accelerator in the second half, although Salah missed big chances to add up the lead. As the game wore on, Fulham started to push forward and Liverpool took advantage of the space left behind to grab a third.

Jones made a fantastic tackle in midfield to start a Liverpool attack, and a lovely dink over the Cottagers’ defence allowed Gakpo to run through on goal. With time, the striker placed his shot past the ‘keeper at the near post to make it 3-0 and confirm the victory.

FIFA 23 predicts Liverpool could claim five straight league wins by beating Fulham 3-0 in the simulation. Curtis Jones could play in midfield three again, while Cody Gakpo could enter the goalscoring list twice in a routine win.