Mohamed Salah could lose Liverpool penalty duties as Jurgen Klopp admits next step of action
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he will discuss penalty duties with Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward missed another penalty during Sunday’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Salah scored to cut the deficit in half after the Gunners took a two-goal lead at Anfield, but he missed a golden opportunity to restore parity from the penalty spot in the 54th minute after Rob Holding fouled Diogo Jota inside the penalty area.
Roberto Firmino’s late equalizer spared Salah’s blushes, but Klopp hinted that Salah may be forced to relinquish the responsibility of stepping up after he missed his second penalty in as many weeks.
Klopp became a viral sensation after he was captured celebrating Salah’s penalty kick before realizing the Liverpool star had missed. However, he explained after the game:
“I only saw the penalty after the game. A few people in the crowd reacted, so when you don’t see the penalty, you react on what the people see and a few people obviously thought the ball was in but it wasn’t.
“He missed the goal. So that’s why for a second the fist, and then I realised, ‘Oh, Mo isn’t celebrating.’ And then I realised the ball wasn’t it. That’s it.’
When pressed on whether or not he could decide to strip Salah of penalty duties after he missed a spot-kick in last month’s loss to Bournemouth, Klopp appeared reluctant to discuss the matter in detail, but conceded: “I’m not going to talk about it in depth.”
If Klopp chooses to remove Salah from penalty kicks, there are a number of candidates who could step up to replace the Egyptian talisman.
Salah took over penalty kick duties from veteran midfielder James Milner shortly after joining the club and “asking nicely.” Fabinho has an impressive record from the penalty spot and is another candidate to assume leadership if Liverpool decides to make a switch.
Salah nearly made up for his penalty miss in the dying moments of the game, but Aaron Ramsdale made a world-class save to deny him. In a frantic finale, Arsenal’s goalkeeper made another magnificent save to deny Ibrahima Konate a goal from point-blank range. This, according to Klopp, was emblematic of the Reds’ inconsistent season.
He told Sky Sports: “A bit typical for us this season. An open game, completely open, they score with the first situation and the second one. Our reaction was good. It was a spectacular game in the end. How we didn’t win it with those late chances I don’t know.
“I’m caught in between [being happy and not]. I have no problems with drawing. Arsenal were good but they could and should have lost this game. The point for them is better.”
Mohamed Salah could lose Liverpool penalty duties as Jurgen Klopp admits next step of action
