Mo Salah had two of his quietest games for Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain but, regardless of that, the importance of getting him signed up on a new contract was still emphasised.
That may seem strange to say when he barely laid a glove on the French but my point is, when he is kept quiet, as good as Liverpool’s other strikers are, no-one else steps up and poses anything like the same telling goal threat.
Salah is having his best season, as 32 goals and 22 assists by March testify. He is in a wonderful negotiating position even at 32. The guy is unique. But, if his thinking is to leave Liverpool and let his contract go down to the last day, it is very brave of him because he could end up with an injury that could put any big deal with another club in jeopardy.
I have to say though he has been full pedal to the floor, still breaking records and all credit to him. If he’s not at it, Liverpool don’t carry the same threat and that should be in the forefront of the thinking for decision makers at Anfield when trying to get him to sign this new contract.
Yes PSG kept him quiet but the importance to Liverpool of keeping Salah can’t be lost in those performances when those around him didn’t deliver either. No-one stepped up with his creativity or the finishing.
The way PSG’s left back Nuno Mendes dealt with Salah over the two games is the best I’ve ever seen anyone handle his threats.
The importance of getting Mohamed Salah signed up to a new contract was once again emphasised against PSG
As good as Liverpool’s other strikers are, no-one else steps up and poses anything like the same telling goal threat
The way Nuno Mendes dealt with Salah over the two games was nothing short of exceptional
Mendes is a great athlete, if a little unorthodox in some of his challenges; when Salah is going on the outside of him, for example, he challenged with his right foot. In saying that, it was effective as Mendes won 19 out of their 23 duels over the two games.
The bottom line is PSG are a very, very good team. Liverpool got away with it in the first leg and over the two games the best team has gone through.
For me, the two obvious favourites are PSG and Real Madrid who once again found a way to win at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium against Atletico.
There’s certainly no disgrace for Liverpool losing to this team because they are the real deal.
This is a different PSG we are seeing. Although the goalkeeper, despite his penalty saving exploits, is still suspect for me, they have 10 outfield players who all work their socks off out of possession. They do the hard yards unlike when Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Messi, in the latter stages of his career, were there.
Special mention also has to go to Ousmane Dembele. He is a different player to the one we saw at Barcelona. One who was moody, and didn’t look as if he cared if they won or lost. Now he is absolutely the main man in that PSG team.
All the big players at Liverpool will be itching to play against Newcastle United now in the cup final on Sunday.
Top players hate that taste of losing more than average players. You want to play the next day.
Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, is a different player to the moody one we saw at Barcelona
Liverpool players will now be itching to get to Wembley for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final
You’ll hear now how extra time, penalties and injuries will play into Newcastle’s hands but big players don’t see it that way.
The teams I played in at Liverpool during my seven years there, we either won the League or European Cup and in my last year we won them both.
That is testament to those fabulous players that they parked disappointment and they still managed to win one of the big two every year.
There was no feeling sorry for ourselves. The boss, Joe Fagan or Ronnie Moran would never allow it. We wouldn’t even talk about the game we’d lost the following day. It was gone, now get on with winning the next one. That doesn’t mean to say Newcastle United won’t be relishing the challenge too.
Eddie Howe has got them believing they can take the game to any team and they have done that with Liverpool before now. He will be hoping that his players embrace the occasion, not allowing the 90 minutes to pass them by which can happen with players who have little experience of finals at Wembley.
He will be telling them there’s no better time to play Liverpool, encourage them to believe their morale may be down and that, physically, they might not be at 100per cent.
Anthony Gordon will be a big miss though and Lewis Hall, who has been getting better and better, but their obvious threat comes from Alexander Isak.
If Newcastle decide to sell Isak in the summer, a lot of the big clubs would like to take him. But regardless of how good he is, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Mo Salah who steals the limelight come Sunday night.
Eddie Howe has got Newcastle believing they can take on any team ahead of Sunday’s game
Their obvious threat comes from Alexander Isak and a lot of teams will be looking at him in the summer transfer window
From the spot
Watching the penalty kick dramas unfold at Anfield, Madrid and Ibrox this week took me back. My last ever kick of a ball for Liverpool was in a penalty shoot-out in the European Cup final against Roma in 1984.
My usual routine was to indicate I was going to go to the goalkeeper’s left, then whip it low to his right. So, when it came to taking mine in the shoot-out against Roma keeper Franco Tancredi, that routine was in my mind.
I put the ball down, smiled at Tancredi, turned away to begin my run up then, inexplicably, for whatever reason, I changed my mind.
I ran up and kicked it with my instep and it went into the postage stamp, high to the goalkeeper’s left. Which was the exact opposite of what I had planned five seconds before.
I have absolutely no idea why I did it but I’m glad it worked. It could have been something I still regretted to this day if it hadn’t. My advice to anyone taking a penalty is make up your mind early and stick to it. Just like I didn’t!
Talking of making your mind up, I see Uefa are reviewing the rules on penalties after Julian Alvarez’s spot-kick was ruled out for Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. They say they want to clarify when double touches are ‘clearly unintentional’.
No-one intentionally kicks a penalty twice.
If you are the 10th player in a shoot-out, there’s every chance the turf to the side of the penalty spot where you plant your standing foot might be wet or damaged from the preceding kickers; slips like this happen. Show some common sense, please!
Watching the three penalty shootouts – including Rangers – this week took me back
UEFA, meanwhile, should show some common sense after ruling out Julian Alvarez’s penalty
Do or die for Ange?
Winning the Europa League trophy may be the only way Ange Postecoglou remains in a job.
Indeed he must rue the day he declared that he always wins something in the second season.
Standing 13th in the Premier League that was never going to be in Daniel Levy’s plan when they built that stadium and training ground. They envisaged being in the Champions League and competing to win something every year. I know they have had a lot of injuries but that is not unique to Spurs and others have coped better than they have.
Winning the Europa League may be the only way Ange Postecoglou can save his job
But why not Jack?
I’m a big fan of Jack Butland and he is the reason why Rangers are in the next round of the Europa League.
He was the difference between Rangers and Fenerbahce on Thursday night and maybe provided a timely reminder for Thomas Tuchel as he named his England squad.
Rangers have not had much to shout about of late but I wish I had been at Ibrox as I know how special an atmosphere those European nights can create. They were second fiddle to Jose Mourinho’s side for most of the game but dug in and found a way to win.
