Mohamed Salah absence could be about to change everything for one Liverpool ace

Our weekly Liverpool jury columnists discuss their opinions of Wednesday’s first-leg victory in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Liverpool defeated Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday night, preserving their perfect start to the season.

This victory in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final demonstrated the tenacity that Jurgen Klopp’s team has displayed this season, which stands in sharp contrast to the previous campaign.

With nine days to go before their next match, which is an away trip to Bournemouth, the Reds will be hoping to welcome back Dominik Szoboszlai from his New Year’s Day hamstring injury.

Three Liverpool supporters have offered their opinions as part of a weekly ECHO fan column, analysing the team’s performance in the middle of the week and the wider picture for Klopp’s squad.

Rhys Buchanan (city centre, @Rhys_Buchanan) – Attention turns to Bournemouth

What a start to the year for the Reds. On a chilly Wednesday night at Anfield, we gave Fulham a scare, but we always had a lot of talent on the bench, so we knew we could turn things around. Conor Bradley, the man of the match, deserves special recognition for his superb performance filling in for the injured Trent Alexander Arnold.

Even if we’ve been plagued by injuries and might be in danger of a crisis, nothing changes for me because the one big game I already have marked on my calendar is the away match against Bournemouth on Sunday.

Despite the fact that our team has already proven its resilience in the face of hardship this season, we just need to score three points, regardless matter how they are scored. We have an abundance of attacking alternatives at our disposal. If we can accomplish that and keep winning, maybe it will buy us some much-needed time to bring some key players back into the team for our next league match, which is at Anfield against Chelsea at the end of the month.

Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) – Elliott chance may be coming

Harvey Elliott may get an opportunity to establish himself as a front-runner after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury and Mohamed Salah’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations

The mercurial talent has had numerous spectacular cameos this year, most notably netting a winner against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last month. His performances have been underestimated by some, partly because he has been overshadowed by the soaring performances of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold.

Elliott is comfortable in the front three and can also play in the middle three, so it’s unclear what his ideal position is given his natural football adaptability.

His lack of speed as a midfielder is my sole concern, although this fear may be unfounded because players with similar profiles, like Bernardo Silva, thrive in the midfield despite their petite size and lack of speed.

Liverpool 2.0 appears to be moving in the direction of a fast-paced midfield. If this is the plan, Elliott might keep hankering after first-team experience. He deserves the opportunity to establish himself as a regular member of the squad, particularly in light of Liverpool’s recent notable absences.

James Noble (Worcestershire, @james_noble98) – Players stepping up in the absence of others

As we approach the winter break in 2023–24, Liverpool’s presence becomes more and more noticeable, despite some notable absences in recent days. Jürgen Klopp’s team presently exhibits a fantastic sense of individual and group responsibility.

Thankfully, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, and Cody Gakpo all made significant contributions during Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal and Wednesday night’s 2-1 comeback victory over Fulham. The injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold is unfortunate, but it could have been worse, and Conor Bradley gave amazing performances on Sunday and Wednesday.

We have established a strong platform ahead of that second leg, but the Cottagers are a very astute team, and we can anticipate another difficult test from them in West London later this month.

We’re developing into games that have confidence, guts, and astute personnel and approach changes. As the campaign goes on, depth and unpredictability are qualities that may become even more important. These capabilities may increase as a number of players are expected to return in the upcoming weeks from either injury or international action. We appear ready to come out of the break and go farther down those four paths of potential, continuing to mature into this season.