Jurgen Klopp called Mohamed Salah a “tough cookie” and says the Liverpool forward is ready to train ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League trip to Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.
Salah was substituted moments after scoring a second-half penalty in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Brighton on Saturday with a foot problem.
Doubts over his fitness were heightened when he missed training on Monday ahead of the midweek visit to the Emirates, but Liverpool manager Klopp confirmed the Egypt international has recovered well.
Wednesday 16th March 7:30pm
Kick off 8:15pm
“It looks like Mo is a tough cookie. We were quite lucky with it,” Klopp told reporters in his pre-match press conference.
“It was swollen and painful but yesterday a little less swollen, less painful. I got a message before the press conference that he is ready to train and we will see how it looks.”
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Salah came off injured shortly after scoring a penalty in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Brighton
Klopp was also asked about Salah’s agent posting a cryptic tweet after the Liverpool boss commented on the 29-year-old’s ongoing contract impasse last week by insisting “we cannot do much more. It is Mo’s decision”.
Salah’s current deal at Anfield expires in less than 18 months’ time and his agent Ramy Abass Issa then appeared to respond to Klopp by posting a row of seven laughing emojis.
“I’m not on Twitter – another good reason for that,” Klopp said. “The last thing I want to do in a press conference is to create headlines but I don’t know about any kind of reactions or stuff like this.
“That’s not what I’m concerned about. The decisive parties are in contact and we will see.”
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Ramy Abbas Issa (@RamyCol) March 11, 2022
‘We’ll keep annoying Man City’
Title-chasing Liverpool travel to an in-form Arsenal looking to close to within a point of leaders Manchester City after the champions were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football.
The Reds have won eight on the bounce in the Premier League and Klopp reiterated his plan to be “as annoying as possible” to Pep Guardiola’s side with 10 games of the season remaining.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Liverpool’s win at Brighton in the Premier League
“That’s the plan of course, to keep being as annoying as possible,” the German said.
“We have to win our football games. We’re very ambitious and determined to do great stuff, but we respect a lot how good they are.
“We respect even more all the other teams we will face. There are few really tough ones. Each Premier League game is tough but a few are especially tough and one of them we play tomorrow night.
“I’m sitting here and if I was to say ‘we will win 10 games’, that doesn’t sound very likely, but as long as it’s possible we will give it a proper try, I can tell you.”
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says his side are focused solely on their own results heading into the final 10 games of the season
Arteta on top-four race: We haven’t done anything
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal are still not among the best teams in the Premier League but has backed his young squad to deal with the pressure of being favourites to land a top-four finish.
The Gunners have won five games in a row and sit fourth in the table, a point clear of Manchester United having played three matches fewer.
Asked if Arsenal are one of the best teams in the country at the moment, Arteta replied: “No, there are better teams in the country because that’s what the league table shows.
“We haven’t done anything. What we are doing is try to improve, understand better what we want, being much more consistent in performance and results, but nothing else as yet.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his team’s current run of form is the best he has seen them during his time in charge
“Credit to Jurgen, the coaching staff and to the club as well for what they have created. They haven’t just created a team that can compete and be successful.
“They have created a huge cultural understanding of who Liverpool is today. The stadium and the atmosphere they can create, the support, the level, how they communicate.
“It’s a long of things, not just individuals, or the players that they have recruited and the plan that they had to reach that level. It’s a whole plan that I really value, I think.
“We are facing arguably the best team in England and have to be at our best to beat them.”
A 2-0 win over Leicester on Sunday leaves Arsenal in a great position as they look to end a five-year absence from the Champions League.
Arteta said: “What we have done so far means absolutely nothing and I think everybody has to be encouraged and empowered by the possibility always to find ways to improve and get better.
“Winning another game in this league always gives you momentum. Being able to beat the most in-form team in the country would be really, really big so that’s the aim tomorrow.”
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal’s win over Leicester in the Premier League
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