How Klopp and Liverpool turned Salah into Europes deadliest from seestyle's blog

Commentators acro s the football world are struggling to explain the phenomenon that is Mohamed Salah, but one Armani Watts Jersey Liverpool team-mate reckons he knows the secret to the Egyptians succe s.

Salah was conducting an interview in the mixed zone at Anfield on Saturday evening, reflecting on his sides 3-0 win over Bournemouth as well as his 40th goal of a remarkable campaign, when Virgil van Dijk, strolling past, interrupted.

Lucky! grinned the Dutchman. Salah, unperturbed, finished the interview.

Van Dijk is joking, of course. There is nothing lucky about Salahs rise; the fortunate ones are those who get to enjoy his exploits, week in and week out.

The records continue to tumble. Hes already enjoying the most prolific debut season in Liverpool history. No Reds player has ever reached 40 goals as quickly.

Hes the only man to score in 22 different Premier League games in a season, and soon, surely, he will break the record for goals in a 38-game campaign. At Anfield, he has his eye on Ian Rushs record of 47 goals in a single season.

His form, quite simply, is incredible. Liverpool knew they were getting a good player when they signed him, but even they could not have foreseen this kind of impact. The 36.9 million paid to Roma was a steal.

So what happened, then? How did he go from being a good player to the force of nature we see now?

Credit must go to Salah first and foremost. The Egyptians first experience in the Premier League at Chelseawas difficult, but he has taken his second chance with both hands. His work ethic, attitude and willingne s to develop and to fit in has been noted by everyone at Anfield. Hes a popular figure at Melwood, and not just because of his scoring record. Humble, quiet and a positive presence, he has had no problem integrating with a close-knit Liverpool squad.

Vital, too, has been the role of Jurgen Klopp, who has not only been able Dustin Colquitt Jersey to use Salahs qualities but to improve them.

Klopp had first noted Salahs talent during the summer of 2013, when his Boru sia Dortmund team ran into Salahs Basel in a pre-season friendly. Discu sing the small, lightning-quick winger with his coaching staff afterwards, he was amazed.

We didnt know him, Klopp would later say. Chad Henne Jersey It was: What the f***?! It was unbelievable.

Klopp, naturally, would track Salahs progre s from Basel to Chelsea and then on to Italy, first with Fiorentina and then with Roma. Liverpools recruitment team, too, were all over him.

They had been close to landing him in January 2014, after a lengthy pursuit. Reds scouts performed detailed background checks, going so far as to attend a Basel training camp in the town of Davos in the Swi s Alps. There, they made notes on Salahs mentality, attitude, the way he trained and the manner in which he interacted with team-mates, coaches and anyone else he came into contact with. The reports were overwhelmingly positive.

Their diligence would not be rewarded, however, as Liverpool were pipped to his signing by Chelsea, who were seeking a player following Juan Matas transfer to Manchester United. It didnt work out for Salah at Stamford Bridge. He made just 19 appearances, and admits it was probably the wrong time (and perhaps under the wrong manager) for him to come to England.

His move to Italy, though, was a smart one, as was his decision to change his agent. Liverpool, through sporting director Michael Edwards, head of scouting Dave Fallows and chief scout Barry Hunter, continued to monitor him closely.

By the time 2017 arrived, they were convinced that he was the one, and that he was gettable. Their report, fleshed out by their Italy-based scout Paul Goldrick, was fed back to Klopp.

The me sage was simple:This guy will score goals, trust us!

Klopp, by that time, was eager to add to his attacking options. He had seen how Liverpool struggled when Sadio Mane was absent or off-colour, and he was keen to see Philippe Coutinho move back into a deeper role in midfield. He wanted speed, he wanted dynamism, he wanted goals. He needed someone who, like Mane, could both connect with and get beyond Roberto Firmino. Klopps faith in the Brazilian is absolute. His side, to a large extent, revolves around the No.9's brilliance.

He looked at other targets. Liverpool tried to sign Christian Pulisic from Dortmund but found the price too hefty. A pair of Julians, Draxler and Brandt, were seriously considered and continue to be tracked. Neither, though, could Khalen Saunders Jersey match Salahs raw output.

Liverpool had seen the goals he scored at Roma, and felt he could be even better Jordan Lucas Jersey on Merseyside. The Italians played with a more orthodox No.9 than Liverpool, with Edin Dzeko leading their line, but still Salah consistently found himself in the box, in dangerous positions. His last season at the Stadio Olimpico brought 19 goals in all competitions - he should have scored more.

One of Klopps strengths as a manager is his willingne s to trust the opinion of others and with Edwards, Fallows and Hunter all in agreement that this was THE signing to make "They just didn't get out of our ears about him! he was happy to take the plunge. Keen to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2014, Liverpool allowed the deal be conducted, to a large extent, away from the media.

His signing was officially confirmed on June 22, 2017. Crucially, this gave Klopp the chance to work with the new signingfor the entirety of pre-season. The benefit of this, and of the tactical work and conversations that took place last summer, have been seen throughout the campaign.

Liverpool were impre sed by Salahs physicality upon his arrival at Melwood. At Roma, he had been encouraged by Luciano Spalletti to work on his upper body, on shielding and protecting the ball in tight areas, facing the play or with back to goal. Wingers dont get space in every game, Spalletti reasoned, they need to have variation in their game. They need to be able to operate in tight spaces too.

Salah certainly can. Witne s his goals against Everton and Leicester in Derrick Nnadi Jersey December, or that solo strike against Tottenham in February. If you watch him only on TV he looks quite skinny, Klopp says. But he is so physically strong.

Tactically, too, Klopp found a player willing to listen. He spoke with the player a lot during pre-season, and liked what he heard. He used trips to Hong Kong and Germany to get acro s his idea of how Liverpool would play with Salah in the side.

Repetitive training drills focused on getting him to play inside rather than outside. The idea was that Liverpools full-backs would provide the width in the team, with Salah, Mane and Firmino free to wreak havoc infield - "organised mayhem,"