Liverpool FC’s Forwards Need To Step Up And Support Mohamed Salah

After a midweek when manager Jurgen Klopp criticized his own supporters Anfield attempted to push Liverpool to a rousing win over title rivals Arsenal on a cold Saturday evening.

Succumbing to an early goal for the visitors hardly helped, but, once Mohamed Salah had equalized, momentum seemed to be with the home side.

Time and again Red shirts surged towards the Arsenal goal generating panic among the Gunners backline.

But as the crowd rose anticipating the ball being lashed into the net, something would go wrong; a heavy touch, stray pass or wrong decision by the Liverpool forwards.

The longer the game dragged the less likely it looked the Reds would generate the goal the home crowd so desperately craved.

Were this a one-off perhaps it could be excused based on the strength of the opponent. The problem was it came just a week after the Reds had Manchester United pinned back for 90 minutes and failed to make the breakthrough.

In the aftermath, Klopp both praised the fans and his team's performance but acknowledged the cutting edge was missing.

“The reaction to the 1-0 was fantastic,” he told the media, “we were super-intense, nearly too intense; we tried massively to influence from outside that we have to calm down in moments, that we have to mix it up a little bit better. That’s what we did, created really good moments with that.

“Second half, we started extremely well. I’m not sure if it’s directly from the first second but we had them where we wanted to have them, our high press was absolutely exceptional, they lost it there a little bit. And we should have created better chances with the high ball wins we had there, that’s definitely something we should improve if we have similar situations again.”

The coach went on to suggest his side should have won based on chances where Trent Alexander-Arnold hit the crossbar and substitute Joe Gomez bent a strike just around the post.

However, the fact it was two defenders coming closest and Mo Salah being the one to get the goal was perhaps a microcosm of the problem.

When it’s not the Egyptian talisman doing the business, the rest of the forward line has tended to flounder.

This season the attack at Anfield has been far from its fluid best and a long way from the golden era when Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino partnered Salah upfront.

Although signings like Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were rightly heralded as astute buys, and have played crucial supporting roles at various stages, now asked to become the fulcrum of the team have flattered to deceive.

Successors Stand Up

This year the Anfield forward line feels more transitional than any other time under Klopp and there is no certain starter beyond Salah.

“Jurgen Klopp is not sure about that front three, he moves them around from position to position, you don't know which one is going to play each week. He substitutes them quite early,” pointed out pundit Gary Neville on his podcast.

"He had that front three [of Firmino, Salah and Mane] that worked like clockwork and always played. Now he's got a situation where he's juggling balls every week and wondering which one he's going to pick.

"They're scruffier. The three that were there before were world-class. Nunez, Gakpo and Diaz are scruffy, Salah is obviously not. I think that is something where Liverpool are short."

Neville’s guest on the show Reds defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher agreed.

"Looking at Liverpool's front three, there's something not right about it," he added.

"Gakpo has been here for nearly 12 months and he's had flashes but nowhere near enough. Diaz looks a shadow of himself after his knee injuries last season.

"I really feel that Diaz needs to have a good second half of the season otherwise Liverpool will be going into the market in the summer on the left-hand side. It just feels that with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino going, they haven't replaced them in terms of quality.

"I know Darwin Nunez started on the bench and he is on a poor run of form in terms of goals, but Nunez has to be almost the first names on the team sheet.”

Evolving a team from one that has enjoyed success is one of the hardest things to do in sports.

No matter how well-planned a succession might be the point the baton is handed over will always be challenging.

Given the struggles of Sadio Mane since he left Liverpool and the lower level at which Fiminio is now playing, few would suggest holding onto the old guard was the answer at Liverpool.

To establish the same consistency in its forward positions as in the past the promise current candidates have shown will need to become more fundamental.

That said, the situation at Anfield is far from terminal. The club remains on course to challenge for the title and is still delivering results.

However, after failing to put Arsenal and United to the sword Reds fans could be forgiven for wondering what a peak Mane, Firmino and Salah combination would have produced.