If Liverpool are to progress in the FA Cup at Manchester City’s expense on Saturday, then stopping Jeremy Doku will be key.
The Belgian is not the most prolific of attackers, but as he showed during November’s 3-0 win over the Reds, he can be the catalyst to City coming out on top.
Doku was unstoppable that day, causing Conor Bradley all sorts of problems before lashing in a brilliant goal. With Bradley missing, Arne Slot is going to have to find a new solution on Saturday, and it may involve unpopular roles for Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.
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Dominik Szoboszlai fouls Erling Haaland which resulted in a red card at the end of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester City
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Frimpong and Szoboszlai can stop Doku danger
Given how good he was in November, Slot may have been anticipating that he would be asked about Doku ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, and he certainly gave a well-thought-out answer.
“I did my homework quite well for this game, but I have to disagree with you about Doku’s performance last time, because the year before he was even better!” the Dutchman laughed.
“I think he had 11 times a dribble past one of our defenders [Trent Alexander-Arnold] and in the last game he had seven or eight. So, I wouldn’t be too sure that he’s not able to do that another time.
“But I, we, hopefully learned from that, and it’s not always about Doku on his own, it’s also about the environment, how many players can we bring. If it’s one-v-one then he’s probably one of the best out there and that’s a big quality to have for a team. The amount of times I’ve said here one on one quality can make a difference against teams who defend in a low block, so it’s a vital quality.”
Conor Bradley of Liverpool is challenged by Jeremy Doku of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium
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“We have to make sure our defender is not as isolated as he was the last time we played them. Sometimes he was not only one-v-one but he had the full-back to support him. So my defender, Conor Bradley back then, had two players to defend, that makes it even more difficult for a defender.”
With Slot keen to double up on Doku, it seems inadvisable for Salah to play on the right wing, especially with Liverpool so short of options at right-back. Instead, the way to stop Man City’s livewire is surely to start Jeremie Frimpong and Szoboszlai on the right flank, with the former at right wing and the latter in defence.
Salah could cost Liverpool at the Etihad
On what will be his final appearance against Manchester City for Liverpool, Salah will no doubt be desperate to make a difference. He has had some wonderful moments against Pep Guardiola’s team, and one more on Saturday would be extra sweet.
However, part of the reason Bradley found Doku so difficult last time out was because he had little support from the Egyptian. This time has to be different.
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Arne Slot reacts with frustration during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg match against Galatasaray at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Carl Recine
Slot confirmed that Salah is fit to play at the Etihad, but it would make much more sense to start him from the bench here.
Instead, the pace of Frimpong and the physicality of Szoboszlai can make it a much fairer fight with Doku. As Slot says, Liverpool must have learnt some lessons from being continually outmanoeuvred by the Belgium international.
Salah has become a factor in that, and though fans will want to see him attempt to terrorise Guardiola one last time – and nobody wants to see Szoboszlai moved from centre-midfield again – Slot must show that he’s learned from the past two seasons and try to make Liverpool more robust on the right.
There is no magic fix here, but playing Salah ahead of a slightly suspect defender in Frimpong looks like a recipe for disaster. Get Szoboszlai in there again and have Frimpong’s pace as a break-glass option.
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