Liverpool’s manager spoke about the return of star player Mohamed Salah to the team’s ranks after his participation with the Egyptian national team in the Africa Cup of Nations ended.
The team achieved an important victory over French side Olympique de Marseille with a clean 3-0 win on Wednesday, boosting its chances of finishing the Champions League group stage within the top eight positions.
The match saw the return of the player after being absent from the team for over a month.
He said about Salah: “This shows his great professionalism. He can be away for over a month with a different team, yet be completely fit to play 90 minutes with us after just one day of training.”
The Dutch coach explained: “Salah was very close to scoring a goal, and usually that goal would be his, but it didn’t harm us because we scored 3 goals.”
This victory moved Liverpool up to fourth place, two points ahead of the Spanish team in ninth place. The team will face Qarabag from Azerbaijan next week.
Liverpool aims to avoid playing in the qualifying play-off for the round of 16 and to qualify directly for that stage if it remains in the top eight positions after the next match.
With this win, the English champion extended its unbeaten run to 13 consecutive matches.
The manager said after the match: “This is important because we have been forced to play with the same players for most of the season. This might be the reason our energy runs out in some matches, when we concede goals.”
He continued: “I don’t think the player has had more than 3 days of rest, and the same applies to Ryan Gravenberch and others, but they keep showing up and persevering regardless of the number of difficulties we have faced this season.”
The manager said: “It’s always difficult to face Marseille because of their passionate fans and the quality of their players, but what makes things even more difficult is the quality of their coach.”
But he added: “We were prepared for that. We won the ball from them 3 or 4 times in the first half, but we couldn’t find the player who was completely free, except for one time when he was slightly offside.”
He continued: “We were in control when we had the ball, but what made the difference this time was that after we had a great chance that hit the crossbar, they had a great chance and shot over the goal. Usually this season, a ball like that would have gone in. But we went ahead with two clean goals, then three clean goals, and that completely changes the way you view the match.”
Liverpool
Liverpool is a historic port city in northwest England, which grew to global prominence during the 18th and 19th centuries through its involvement in the transatlantic trade. Its maritime mercantile heritage is recognized in its UNESCO-designated waterfront, and the city is internationally famed as the birthplace of The Beatles.
Egyptian national team
The Egyptian national football team, known as the Pharaohs, is the most successful team in Africa, having won a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles. Its history dates back to its first international match in 1920 and its first major tournament victory at the 1957 AFCON, establishing a long-standing footballing tradition in the country.
Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations is the premier international men’s football competition in Africa, first held in 1957. It was founded to unite African nations emerging from colonialism and is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French professional football club founded in 1899, making it one of the oldest and most successful clubs in France. It is particularly renowned for winning the UEFA Champions League in 1993, becoming the first and only French club to achieve this feat. The club has a passionate fan base and a historic rivalry with Paris Saint-Germain, known as “Le Classique.”
Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an annual European club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was first introduced in the 1955–56 season as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, evolving into its current format in 1992 to become the most prestigious club tournament in world football.
Qarabag
Qarabag, also known as Karabakh, is a historically significant region in the South Caucasus, primarily located within modern-day Azerbaijan. It has been a focal point of cultural and political conflict, most notably during the Nagorno-Karabakh wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The area is home to a rich cultural heritage, including medieval Armenian monasteries and Azerbaijani architectural sites, reflecting its complex history of shifting control and diverse populations.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is a country at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, historically shaped by Persian, Turkic, and Russian influences. Its cultural landscape is epitomized by the ancient walled city of Baku, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which contains layers of history from the Zoroastrian, Shirvanshah, and Safavid eras. The country is also globally known for its oil industry, which boomed in the late 19th century, and its unique natural features like mud volcanoes and the Caspian Sea coastline.
Ryan Gravenberch
Ryan Gravenberch is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Liverpool FC in the English Premier League. He began his career in the youth academy of AFC Ajax, making his first-team debut at age 16 and winning multiple Eredivisie titles before transferring to Bayern Munich in 2022.
