"It was hard for him" - Paul Merson names Liverpool star who struggled against Aston Villa
Liverpool secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp's men struggled to break down a resolute Aston Villa side but eventually secured all 3 points thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty.
One player who struggled to have much of an impact on the pitch was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who played in the unfamiliar role of a false 9 for Liverpool. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Paul Merson spoke about the false 9 position and Chamberlain's impact:
βIt has never been a position. So you are asking someone to play in a position that isnβt a position. So it was hard, it was hard for him. Villa sat very deep, they pinged them back. For me, I thought he found it a little bit difficult today.β
With Roberto Firmino and Divock Injury missing through injury and Diogo Jota only on the bench, Chamberlain was asked to play in the unfamilar position of a false 9. While the 28-year-old tried his best, the midfielder did not look comfortable in the position and was substituted in the 58th minute.
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Liverpool will next face Newcastle United on Thursday with Diogo Jota expected to start up front for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita could miss crucial games for Liverpool because of AFCON 2021
With AFCON 2021 set to be conducted between 9th January - 7th February, Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita could miss some crucial games.
While the midfield department is relatively well stocked, the absence of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in particular could have a huge say in the Premier League title race for Liverpool.
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Salah and Mane are certain to miss out on Liverpool's Premier League fixtures against Brentford and Crystal Palace. There is also huge doubt about their participation in the crucial clash against Chelsea on January 2nd.
With Sadio Mane and Salah missing in January, Jurgen Klopp will be counting on the likes of Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and probably Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well to shoulder the goalscoring burden.
Also read: βIf I played for Manchester United, Iβd hate coming back tooβ - Steven Gerrardβs savage response to Michael Owen when asked about emotional Liverpool return