For Liverpool manager Tuchel, in the past period of time, he has encountered great difficulties in the platooning, including Salah, Mane and many players have missed many rounds of matches because of the national team competition, which has weakened the overall strength of the team. However, in the past few games, Klopp has shown a very good ability to adjust, and the team has won five consecutive games in all competitions. With the return of Mane and Salah, the return of Elliott from injury, and the arrival of Luis Díaz, Liverpool are bound to "add wings" in the second half of the season.
Judging from the games in the coming period, Liverpool's schedule will be quite intensive. Over the next 29 days, they will host 10 games in all competitions, including six Premier League games, two Champions League games, one League Cup match and one FA Cup match. On average, it takes 2.9 days to play a match, which puts high demands on the physical condition of the players and the rotation of Tuchel. Among these competitions, the Champions League with Inter is undoubtedly the most important. From the perspective of paper strength, Liverpool undoubtedly has a clear upper hand, especially in the comparison of strength in the forward line, Liverpool has an overwhelming advantage. However, inter's defensive quality is quite good, and in the knockout stages with very large serendipitous circumstances, a solid defense can help a team achieve the desired result even more than a sharp attack. Therefore, Klopp and his team should not take it lightly.
In the league, Liverpool's schedule during this period is not bad. Of these six opponents, the only teams at the top of the table are Arsenal and West Ham United. In the first leg against these two opponents, Liverpool achieved a record of 1 win and 1 loss. However, due to the obvious superiority in overall strength, liverpool have great hopes of winning at a normal level of play. With the exception of these two opponents, the other four opponents are not ideally ranked in the standings. In the league table, although Liverpool is still in the second place, the gap from the top of the table has reached 9 points. It can be said that this schedule will be Liverpool's last chance to catch up with their opponents. If they can score between 15 and 16 points in these six games, they are expected to significantly close the point gap at the top of the table and continue to maintain pressure on the opponent in the closing stages of the league. Instead, they will withdraw early from the battle for the league title.
In terms of squads, especially the team's strongest striker line, Diogo Jota has become the team's most trusted attacking point in the past period. The 25-year-old Portuguese striker switched freely between the centre and left wing positions and showed great adaptability. Driven by him, substitute forwards such as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takushi Minamino have played well. Jota has scored 10 goals in the league this season, making him the only player in the squad besides Salah to score in doubles. His 7.21-point average rating per game also ranks third on the team, behind Salah and Trent Arnold. After the team signed Luis Díaz, it was almost impossible for Jota to lose his main position as the main player since Jota had been mainly in the middle this season, and Luis Díaz's most suitable position was the left winger.
Since Salah's position as a right winger is equally irreplaceable, Mane in the left winger position is the player most likely to lose the main position. Although mane has played well this season, contributing a total of 10 goals in the league and Champions League, he has made 26 appearances and averaged only 0.38 goals per game. And from the specific performance, Mane has had a more obvious decline compared with his peak in terms of speed and ability to seize opportunities. Since Mane's contract with Salah is still more than a year away, the team is likely to choose to abandon a player in the case that both are in their thirties. Judging from the strength of the players and the team's reinforcements, the possibility of Mane being abandoned is very high. However, it is reported that as one of the core players in the team's front line, Mane does not lack attention in the transfer market, and many teams, including Real Madrid, are interested in including him in the squad.
Judging from the current situation, Mane is very clear about the situation he is facing and it seems that he has decided to leave the team. According to British media, Mane has informed his agent that if he can receive an offer from Real Madrid, he will be happy to play at the Santiago Bernabeu. For Liverpool, if Mane leaves the team at the end of the season, they can reap a hefty transfer fee, which is undoubtedly a double win. At the same time, Liverpool also seem to be "eyeing" Real Madrid midfielder Valverde. According to Marca, liverpool have put Valverde on the list of reinforcements amid the poor midfield position, hoping to sign the €65 million midfielder. However, it is reported that Real Madrid seems to have no intention of voluntarily selling the Uruguayan star. (The picture comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete)