Here is your morning digest for Saturday, April 15.
'He hates that' - Jurgen Klopp makes Mohamed Salah admission and confirms Liverpool injury doubt
Jurgen Klopp has admitted Mohamed Salah hates being left out of his Liverpool starting XI when defending his decision to bench the Egyptian as one of seven changes for the Reds' 3-3 draw with Benfica in midweek.
Coming in the middle of a Man City double-header, the forward was benched along with Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara as the German rotated his side to face the Portuguese outfit, with the Reds still chasing an unprecedented quadruple.
Salah has not been at his best in recent weeks, with the forward not scoring from open play since mid-February, with international heartbreak in the Africa Cup of Nations final and World Cup qualifiers, as well as Anfield future, perhaps contributing as well as fatigue. Yet Klopp admitted he always planned to not start the forward against Benfica when explaining his decision to rotate his side, revealing his players aren't given a say if they feel fresh enough to start or not.
Read the full story HERE
READ MORE: Liverpool send Mohamed Salah message as Darwin Nunez ignores Jurgen Klopp intervention
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp makes Mohamed Salah admission and confirms Liverpool injury doubt
Diego Simeone has just given Pep Guardiola a real problem for Liverpool
It was surely with a knowing nod that Liverpool, still glowing from once again winning through to the Champions League semi-finals, discovered what happened to Manchester City the same night.
After all, they know all about what can happen when you take on a Diego Simeone side. Their Champions League visit to Atletico Madrid in February 2020 brought about the beginning of the end of the Reds' reign as European champions, with some of the antics of the Spanish side leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
Certainly, rare are the occasions a manager has to substitute a player at half-time to avoid him being sent off due to provocation, as was the case with Sadio Mane in the Wanda Metropolitano.
Read the full story HERE
