Jurgen Klopp has explained that Mohamed Salah will have to get used to being rested for his own good, even if he hates not being on the pitch.
Liverpool’s top scorer was only a substitute for Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Benfica in the Champions League, though he is poised to return to the side for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
Salah has not scored in open play since February and Liverpool have more attacking options after the January signing of Luis Diaz but Klopp said it was his heavy workload, particularly in the African Cup of Nations with Egypt, rather than his goal drought that meant he was on the bench.
“Even if Mo had scored four goals [against City on Sunday] he wouldn’t have started the last game,” he said. “It was just a necessity. Mo played in January and February six times 120 minutes. Even he is a human being. There will be games he cannot start and games where we take him off. He hates that.”
Klopp said he does not consult his big names before leaving them out, adding: “Footballers are completely in a tunnel, they want to play, play, play. That is why I don’t ask players: ‘Are you tired?’ I have to make decisions without talking a lot and after that it is my responsibility if it is right or wrong.”
Klopp defended his decision to leave out Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane as well as Salah for the second leg against Benfica, as Liverpool booked a place in the Champions League semi-finals against Villarreal.
“In general the intensity of the game showed me it was 100 per cent right to change seven players,” he said. He hopes Liverpool will be fresher at Wembley, whereas City did not have the luxury of resting players for their second leg against Atletico Madrid, but believes his own side need to play better than they did in the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
“City was really strong last week and we were not at our best so I would like to see a game when we are at our best as well, so let’s give it a try,” he said.
Liverpool v Benfica player ratings
Klopp has a record nine victories against Pep Guardiola but has not won in the last five and believes the City manager has altered his tactics to defend better against Liverpool.
He explained: “I think we had some decent counter-attacks in the past and then Pep decided full backs were not allowed to pass the half-way line. It is normal, we try to deny them as well. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.”
Klopp, who is urging the Premier League and broadcasters to move Liverpool’s April 30 trip to Newcastle, three days after they face Villarreal, to a later kick-off that day to aid his players’ recovery, is expecting another hard-fought encounter, which he compared to the League Cup final against Chelsea.
“It is a really intense fight on a really high level,” he said. “The concentration levels the boys have to bring on the pitch is insane. It is really similar to the Chelsea cup final.”
Liverpool have not won the FA Cup since 2006 and this is a belated first FA Cup semi-final for Klopp, who won the German equivalent with Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
“In Germany, I was quite a lot in the final but we all know I tend to lose finals from time to time so I didn’t win as often as I would have wished but this is a massive competition,” he said. “My first experience in a semi-final at Wembley so better late than never.”
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Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Coronavirus in France
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
