Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah’s dominant presence would be sorely missed by the Merseyside club’s fans as he has only one more game at Anfield against Newcastle on Sunday before he departs for the African Nations Cup with Egypt.
However Cody Gakpo is confident their entire forward line will step up to cover for Salah in his absence. On this front, Darwin Nunez finally ended a run of 12 matches without a goal, while Diogo Jota – after having been injured for a month – came off the bench to score in Tuesday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley which took Jurgen Klopp’s side top of the table.
Liverpool talisman Salah has only one more game – at home to Newcastle on Sunday – before he departs for a month for the African Nations Cup with Egypt. This makes Jota’s return timely as this would boost the numbers up top, while Nunez now has his confidence renewed with his first Premier League goal since October.
Last week’s Carabao Cup romp against West Ham saw Gakpo’s goal tally rise up to seven for the season after he was denied a goal at Turf Moor when referee Paul Tierney adjudged Nunez to have committed a foul in the build-up, and Gakpo believes the Reds have sufficient firepower to see them through in Salah’s absence.
“For every attacking player who didn’t score for a few games, it’s always nice to get back on the scoresheet and Darwin did it with a very good goal,” said Gakpo.
“For Diogo as well. When you are injured and you come back and score that’s always nice and good for the confidence. So really happy.
“Mo is gone after the Newcastle game so we need the goals. Of course, I think I can contribute even more.”
Meanwhile Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk also firmly believes they can handle Salah’s expected lengthy absence although the Egyptian has been their main threat for so many seasons.
“It’s always important for the guys up front to score goals. I am delighted for Darwin. Diogo, it’s the same story. It’s good to see the boys back on the scoresheet,” said the Netherlands defender.
“I also want to say that Cody was outstanding, in the first half especially. It’s good to see. Everyone has to keep pushing each other. That’s the only way we can get better.
“Others have to step up anyway. We have to deal with losing Mo and we have the players up front who can make the difference. Let’s see how we deal with it.”