A Striker’s Career Is Hard Work – Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has said he is completely relaxed about Mohamed Salah’s start to the season despite the Liverpool forward appearing frustrated in recent weeks.

He failed to score in the midweek Champions League defeat to Napoli and was substituted 66 minutes into last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

“Obviously expectation changed, that’s normal,” Klopp told a news conference on Friday. “He’s set a completely new standard last year.

“From the rest, it’s what he did last year. Nobody expected 10 goals after five, six, seven games. It was always a nice surprise.

“Each striker could write a book about these moments when you score without knowing how it exactly works, how you did it, hit each ball in a perfect way and stuff like that. That’s so rare that it happens like that.

“Ninety-eight percent of a striker’s career is hardest work and only two percent is kind of easy-going stuff. All good.

“The only thing that’s massively changed is kind of the questions you ask. Last year, from the beginning, I don’t think he was a big story to talk about. Then it started with a slightly positive story: ‘Oh, wow. Not bad’ and then: ‘Oh, even better.’ It all was a surprise.

“Now, that’s the world out there. That’s how it is in my job. If I win games, I know everything about football. But if I lose three in a row, people think I have no clue about football. Both is not true. The truth is always somewhere in between.

“Last time when somebody asked me what I think and how we deal… I’m completely relaxed. I didn’t say: ‘Mo, he should relax’ because he has to work hard. But that’s what he’s doing. It’s a completely normal situation, nothing to worry about and I’m relaxed about that.”