Liverpool’s “generational” Doku regen is destined to take the #11 from Salah

Abject. It’s, painfully, an correct manner of summing up Liverpool‘s type this season. The Premier League champions won’t retain their belt, not like this, not with such deep tactical cracks and incoherent gamers and non-existent perception in Arne Slot‘s plan.

Probably the most regarding a part of the current 3-0 defeat in Manchester towards Pep Guardiola’s resurgent outfit is that Liverpool had been outplayed throughout the park. Be it bodily, psychological or tactical metrics, Manchester Metropolis shone, and the Reds had been blinded by their opponent’s superiority.

Jeremy Doku stood out, darting this manner and that, scoring a shocking aim within the second half after breaking away from Ibrahima Konate. The Belgian winger accomplished seven of eight dribble makes an attempt and created three probabilities, as per Sofascore.

Liverpool have gotten so many issues, and the current wins over Aston Villa and Actual Madrid offered solely the veneer of a revival as Metropolis hit the Merseside membership with a sobering actuality examine.

Amongst Slot’s largest considerations is the enduring droop of Mohamed Salah. For therefore a few years, the Egyptian has been an unstoppable pressure for Liverpool, however, aged 33 and on the entrance of a sinking ship, he’s struggling to recuperate greater than a flicker of his former greatness.

Mohamed Salah is turning into an issue

Will we see the very best of Salah in a Liverpool shirt once more? There’s each likelihood that the correct winger expended unbelievable quantities of psychological and bodily vitality driving his membership to the league title final season, and throughout all competitions, he scored 34 targets and equipped 23 assists.

Nearly three months into the brand new marketing campaign, Slot’s second within the dugout, Salah has recorded eight aim involvements, however his common play and the accuracy of his taking pictures have paled compared to the numerous years behind him. Salah is just not himself.

It is a fear, to make sure. Not simply because Liverpool are enjoying with out their talisman in his groove, however as a result of Slot has proven a hesitance towards unleashing Federico Chiesa proper from the beginning of final season, and that does not appear to be it’ll change any time quickly.

How for much longer can it go on like this? Man Metropolis lowered Liverpool’s celebrity to half-chances and a task inside the defensive press. What number of instances has Salah picked Pep aside? How usually has he been the main mild towards this arch-rival of recent instances?

There may be, in fact, the caveat to all this that Salah could be much better positioned in a system of larger fluency. This has been something however the case for the Anfield facet this season.

However Father Time is just not on the Premier League legend’s facet, and, having penned a brand new two-year extension price £400k per week in April, Salah has round 18 months to indicate that FSG have obtained greater than bang for his or her buck one remaining time.

However there is a very actual risk that Salah is previous his prime, and that Liverpool have to discover a successor.

An onerous job if ever there was one. Nonetheless, Liverpool even have a Kirkby prospect who has what it takes to swipe the icon’s shirt.

The Liverpool teen who can take Salah’s #11

Slot must discover a resolution to Liverpool’s present woes, however let’s all take a breather, only for a second. Liverpool have a lot expertise. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz will come good. However, extra excitingly, there is a wealth of teenage expertise quickly to be at Slot’s disposal, with one prospect a minimize above the remainder.

Rio Ngumoha knew he was headed to the higher crust of the Premier League, and a youth system that has proven itself since Jurgen Klopp got here alongside to be a hothouse for these immensely gifted younger stars.

Chelsea’s loss was Liverpool’s acquire. Ngumoha was poached from Cobham in 2024 and made his skilled debut towards Accrington Stanley within the FA Cup halfway by his maiden yr on Merseyside.

A left-sided winger with unbelievable pace and dribbling, the 17-year-old Ngumoha has the potential to change into a celebrity at Liverpool, together with his bodily, athletic and fierce enjoying fashion providing shades of that man Doku, Anfield villain final weekend.

You may say Ngumoha is preternaturally gifted. In any case, journalist Kieran Gill is amongst these to have singled him out as a “generational expertise”, and he definitely illustrated his potential with an unbelievable strike on his Premier League debut, netting the winner towards Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in August.

Since then, he has featured sporadically for the Redmen, enjoying seven video games in all competitions however solely beginning within the Carabao Cup, amongst that youthful group who had been brushed apart by Crystal Palace final month.

Ngumoha’s time will come. He’s so quick, so certain of himself when on the ball. He’s among the many youngest goalscorers in Premier League historical past, and that aim is bound to be the primary of many.

Time have to be afforded to at least one so younger. Take Doku. Criticised usually at Man Metropolis for being endowed with such ferocity and fleet-footedness, however missing finish product and elite decision-making.

Doku is barely 23, and his efficiency towards Slot’s beleaguered lot final weekend was the show of a winger reaching new ranges of maturity and technical understanding.

Ngumoha will solely get higher and higher because the years go on, and whereas he can contribute this season, these foundational years may see him bloom on the finish of subsequent time period, when Salah supposedly leaves, and he may take his shirt, stepping up as Liverpool’s new huge talisman.

Can Nghumoha attain these heights, take that #11 from Salah himself? You will have to remain tuned. However Ngumoha will make it straightforward to do this. Watching him play soccer is a deal with, and he has the capability to not simply emulate a stylistic peer like Doku however change into one of many absolute best in world soccer.