Klopp Insists Liverpool Will Not Miss Salah, Mane, Keita During AFCON

CLUB VERSUS COUNTRY

In the midst of threats by European clubs not to release African players in their folds for the Africa Cup of Nations starting on January 9 in Cameroon, Liverpool Manager, Juergen Klopp, has insisted that he is happy with his squad and has options to cover for the absence of key players during the fiesta.

The 24-team AFCON event will take place in Cameroon between Jan 9 and Feb 6 and Liverpool are set to lose Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Guinea’s Naby Keita for several weeks.

Salah has scored 21 goals in all competitions for Liverpool, while Mane and Keita are also key members of the side.

“I am happy with the squad and we still have options,” Klopp said on Wednesday. “We knew three would be qualified and be there and we knew that at least two of them will go pretty far in the tournament.

“Can you be prepared for something like that, properly, perfectly? Like a one-for-one replacement for Sadio, a replacement for Mo, one replacement for Naby? That’s tricky in each situation.

“We are quite confident we will find solutions.”

Klopp added that while Liverpool might not be able to play the same way without the trio, they would adapt their gameplan to suit the line-up.

“Whoever will play in a period when the three boys are not here will have a plan and gives us the chance to win a football game,” said the German.

“Can we play exactly the same football? Probably not, but who cares? We play the football we are able to play then, that’s the situation.”

Second-placed Liverpool, who now trail league leaders Manchester City by just one point, hosted Newcastle United with Salah scoring the second goal in the 3-1 defeat of Newcastle.