Liverpool had to really fight hard in order to pick up a point vs Napoli in the Champions League and the Italians proved that Liverpool can be halted at Anfield.
Napoli took the lead early on in the match through Dries Mertens and it was only a 65th-minute goal from Dejan Lovren which helped the Reds secure one point. After the draw, Liverpool might be sitting on top of the group but they are ye to secure qualification meaning their final game against Salzburg is going to be a tricky affair.
And according to Michael Owen, Jurgen Klopp is constantly using the same lineup which is going to be a serious issue for Liverpool during the coming few weeks.
“It’s not going to be easy going to Salzburg, they score goals,” Owen said[as reported].
“But at least they’ve got two results where they can get a draw or a win to qualify. It’s not ideal for Liverpool, I’m sure they would’ve liked to have sewn it up tonight.
4️⃣-3️⃣ vs Salzburg
2️⃣-1️⃣ vs Leicester
1️⃣-1️⃣ vs Man Utd
4️⃣-1️⃣ vs Genk
2️⃣-1️⃣ vs Tottenham
5️⃣-5️⃣ vs Arsenal
2️⃣-1️⃣ vs Aston Villa
2️⃣-1️⃣ vs Genk
3️⃣-1️⃣ vs Man City
2️⃣-1️⃣ vs Crystal Palace
1️⃣-1️⃣ vs NapoliLiverpool are on their worst run without a clean sheet in 21 years 😬 pic.twitter.com/rPjqiCd7Mt
— Goal (@goal) November 28, 2019
“Klopp would have liked to have rested some players for that Salzburg, but he can’t do that now.”
Apart from Owen, former Man United defender Rio Ferdinand also raised doubts as to whether Liverpool can actually win vs Salzburg.
The former defender said: “It’s going to be a tough test. The young lad that’s scoring loads of goals upfront [Haaland], they’ve come here and scored, they can score goals but I just think [with] the experience Liverpool have, they will be able to get the result there and get through.”
Liverpool have a really tight schedule during the festive season and Klopp would have really wanted to play a second fiddle side vs Salzburg. But now that they are still not guaranteed a place in the knockout stages, Klopp will have no other choice but to play the likes of Mo Salah and Andy Robertson for that game.
Both these players had been playing with injuries and badly need rest for atleast a couple of matches. But given the Premier League is Liverpool’s main focus, these rest matches can only come in the club competitions and the spare European game.
