Liverpool's Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring his team first goal during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England. Photo : AFP
“It’s going to be tough. We play Man City away, so they will always be the favourite to win at their home, but we’ll go there and give it a try,” Salah said in an interview on the club’s official website on Saturday.
The title holders will host the Reds on the 26th matchday of the English Premier League. Salah said his team should be calm, especially as "strong" opponents City have the advantage of playing at home.
“City will always be City. They have one of the greatest managers ever and they have great players – they have played at the top level for many years; they won everything in the club. They are always going to be a strong side, and they always can win a game at any time,” the Egyptian skipper explained.
“So, I think the game is going to be very tough. They have the advantage that they are going to play at home and they have experienced players also, so we just need to stay calm and give it a try,” he added.
Performance secrets
The 32-year-old Salah is enjoying another impressive season this campaign, with 24 league goals and 15 assists, to remain the top scorer of the English Premier League and help his team go far away in the title race.
Liverpool lead the league table with 61 points from 26 games, 17 points ahead of fourth-placed City, who still have a game in hand.
On Wednesday, Salah continued to shine, scoring and providing an assist for the 10th time this season as Liverpool fought back to secure a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa.
He extended his Premier League scoring and assisting record in 41 separate matches.
Salah, who joined Liverpool in 2017 from Italy’s AS Roma, said that the more experience he gets, the more his performance develops.
“It’s fun; it’s different, but I see it differently now. I am more experienced,” Salah replied when asked how his performance improved at this age.
“When you are one of the senior players in the group, you have to care not just on the field. In the past, when I came here in the first year, I probably was thinking just about the field and playing and not about the players," he explained.
“But now, for example, I was downstairs early, and Virgil [van Dijk] came in second, and we were just talking about the result [against Villa], that we are not happy and what we can improve or change. So, things change with time," Salah continued.
Salah also insisted that working on himself mentally and physically is a key reason behind his success.
“I do work on my body almost every day, and I also work mentally to stay focused and calm,” the former Chelsea player noted.
Teammates harmony
Salah pushed his team forward with 20 assists in all competitions this season. He said the increased harmony with his teammates contributed greatly to this achievement.
“I think I am trying to study their game more, not just my game. I think I used to only know my game in the past, and they needed to adapt to me,” Salah expressed.
“Now, with time, if you want to improve yourself, you need to adapt to their games, so I study them. I watch the players when they train and play most of the time," the star elaborated.
“I go home and watch as well sometimes … I need to adapt my game to theirs; this makes me improve in that part,” Salah concluded.
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