“He’s an exceptional player” – Pep Guardiola acknowledges ‘incredible threat’ on offer from Liverpool star ahead of Community Shield showdown
Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players about Mohamed Salah ahead of this weekend's Community Shield clash with Liverpool.
The Cityzens are aiming for their third victory in this fixture in five years, but are also looking to avenge their last meeting with the Reds. In that match, which was the FA Cup semi-final of last season, they found themselves 3-0 down at half-time.
🤩A classic @MoSalah strike from last season ahead of #LIVMCI 👌🤩 https://t.co/SSyxLkFD0n
Salah has scored four times in his previous six appearances against City, which has made Guardiola wary ahead of Saturday's curtain raiser at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. The Spanish boss told Manchester City's official website (as quoted by Rousing the Kop):
“I’m not saying something new because all of us in this room know him. He’s an exceptional player, an incredible threat, a top goalscorer and we know that he’s quality.”
Salah ended months of speculation by signing a new long-term deal at Liverpool. This was following an exceptional season where he scored 31 goals in 51 appearances and led his side to both domestic trophies.
Mohamed Salah has 11 G/A against Manchester City in all competitions.
14 games (7 goals, 4 assists) 🇪🇬👑 https://t.co/EboVnSR4DR
Jurgen Klopp once again complains about Liverpool's relentless schedule
The German boss has made no secret of the fact that he is not a fan of the relentless fixture his side faces after they played in every single available game to them last term.
In his pre-Community Shield press conference, Klopp told reporters that the fixture should not be taking place in July, with The Mirror quoting him as saying:
“I like the competition but I think it would be possible to find another date. We had a longer season than other teams and now we have a shorter pre-season.
“It makes not too much sense. Maybe somebody can think about this. But we have to find a way and that’s what we are working on. In two days, the season starts again and we are really looking forward to it. It is important as we have played this game a couple of times and it would be nice to win it. It’s the last one that we still have to win.”
Liverpool will be aiming to win the Community Shield for the first time since 2006. This trophy is the only piece of domestic silverware that Klopp is yet to win during his seven years in charge of the Merseyside outfit.
I love Klopp but this is a ill judged moan. The community shield is always played the week before the season starts so schedule pre-season around it and treat it as the final friendly 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/lJ5pGBo8it