How do Liverpool cope without talisman Mohamed Salah during AFCON?

Mohamed Salah is gone.  

For how long? Well, that depends on Egypt’s fortunes at the Africa Cup of Nations but the signs, from Liverpool’s perspective, aren’t good. The Pharaohs have reached the final in two of the last three editions and have landed in a pretty forgiving group alongside Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique. Their path to a long tournament looks well paved. 

Meanwhile, as Salah fights for the only trophy that’s ever really eluded him, realistically speaking, Liverpool must solve the puzzle of how to cope without him for just over a month. It’s a really tough puzzle as well, akin to the 1,000-piece showstopper your parents might have stashed above the cupboard in the dining room, where the finished product doesn’t even match the picture on the box. 

Life without Salah. A concept that, in theory, Liverpool spent a good amount of time deliberating over the course of the summer, in the face of brazen £100m-plus bids from Saudi Arabia; but in practice have very little recent experience in, given the Egyptian has been ever-present in the Premier League for the last 18 months. In the summer they declined to see what it looked like; this winter, they have no choice. 

To state the obvious, there’s no way to replace Salah’s production in-house. 14 goals and eight assists from 20 starts represent gaudy numbers - he has been directly involved in more goals than any other Premier League player - while 3.3 shots per 90 and 2.4 key passes per 90 confirm what we know: he’s integral to Liverpool as the prime component in their attack. 

Perhaps, when Dominik Szoboszlai was signed last June, part of the thinking was that he could play from the right flank if needed. After all, he’d spent much of the previous season with RB Leipzig in a wide berth. That makes Szboboszlai’s hamstring injury, which forced him off against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day, all the more cruel. That was Salah’s last game for a little while and, seemingly, Szoboszlai’s too.  

That’s not just one, but two of their three major creative forces now down or out; just Trent Alexander-Arnold remains standing. If he gets injured this really will start to look bleak, but for now, Klopp simply needs to plug some gaps and accept that the Reds’ attacking effort will need to be more balanced over the next month. Share the load, as Samwise Gamgee might say.  

They have no shortage of options in attack, ranging from expensive additions to youth prospects coming through. But all of the senior options - Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo - prefer the left rather than the right if played wide, meaning Klopp’s use of the younger crop in the UEFA Europa League may be more indicative of what’s to come. 

That tournament has been a great opportunity for minutes for Kaide Gordon, and perhaps would have been an ideal chance for Ben Doak prior to injury, but the Reds are in the midst of a title and cup charge, so tasking teenagers with Salah’s deputy role might be a little much to ask. If it’s not Diaz or Jota forming up on the right, then, perhaps it’s Harvey Elliott, only a smidge older than Doak and Gordon, but a player much more experienced and one clearly ready to make a leap. 

Elliott’s super-sub appearances in the Premier League this season have been thrilling, frequently turning the tide of games in Liverpool’s favour later. He’s only scored one and assisted one in 14 cameos, but unlike with Salah, the stats don’t tell the full story there. His energy, his ability to pick a pass and his willingness to shoot are all reminiscent of the Egyptian in some ways. 

What works against him being given the chance to impress, though, is the ominous fixture list looming: Difficult cup games against Arsenal and Fulham, a potentially very sticky trip to AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea and then Arsenal again in the league. Elliott will no doubt get his minutes, but in those pivotal contests, Klopp wouldn’t be blamed for moving Diaz or Jota wide right. 

The good news? There are plenty of options and lots of flexibility. The bad news? Plan A has gone, Plan B is injured and Liverpool’s entire domestic trophy potential is on the line in the next 30 days. Klopp’s answer to this conundrum can be nothing short of perfect.