Liverpool has ultimate weapon in Champions League chase that Jürgen Klopp knows can be decisive

Having fallen to a disappointing 1-0 loss against Bournemouth at the weekend, Liverpool’s task of making the Premier League top-four this season looks that bit harder. One big game player will be particularly pivotal in the run-in.

With Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham still to come between now and the end of the season, supporters would be forgiven for being apprehensive regarding the Reds’ chances of making next year’s Champions League. In truth, the next month which follows the upcoming international break will likely determine Liverpool’s fate in the race for the top-four.

Starting with a trip away to face Manchester City on April 1, Jürgen Klopp will play seven Premier League games over the course of the month with four of these fixtures coming against so-called ‘Big Six’ opposition and another three coming against three sides who are currently fighting to stay in the division. There is no doubt that Liverpool will be tested significantly during this period with each fixture presenting a set of unique challenges for the Reds.

If this all seems a bit of a bleak prospect, it is worth considering one key advantage that Liverpool has in its arsenal which will likely have a major bearing on how Klopp’s side fares during April. It may have been one of the more forgettable days in the Liverpool career of Mohamed Salah against Bournemouth but his goal contributions record against ‘Big Six’ opposition is the best of any current Premier League player this decade.

Salah is Liverpool’s top scorer against ‘Big Six’ opposition in Premier League over past 13 years, with an incredible 34 strikes. Furthermore, the Egyptian is the Reds’ top marksman against each ‘Big Six’ side during that same time period apart from Arsenal and, even in this case, he is second only to Roberto Firmino.

The legendary winger became Liverpool’s greatest-ever Premier League goalscorer against Manchester United by matching and surpassing Robbie Fowler at the top of the club’s Premier League goal charts with his 128th and 129th strikes. In his storied period with the Reds, Salah has plundered six strikes against Manchester City, four strikes against Chelsea, seven against Arsenal, seven against Spurs and 10 against Manchester United.

In the head-to-head table of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ this season, Liverpool finds itself in fourth place having picked up 10 points so far this term. Salah has scored in every game against ‘Big Six’ opposition during this campaign apart from the 0-0 stalemate against Chelsea in January and has a record of seven strikes in six clashes against the Premier League’s biggest hitters.

It is also worth noting that Salah was the difference maker in two of these games, with his double away against Spurs and his sole goal in the home win over Manchester City, being decisive for Liverpool in those clashes. In short, this season the 30-year-old has been Klopp’s ultimate big-game player.

Liverpool has scored 13 goals against ‘Big Six’ opponents this season but with Salah having scored over half of these, it is clear that he is integral to the Reds’ prospects in the next month. The Egyptian’s record shows he is still the man to fear in the blockbuster clashes.