Mohamed Salah must embrace Cristiano Ronaldo edge to fire Liverpool to Champions League glory

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  • The very best of Manchester City‘s incredible season, their slick passing, creative genius and utter dominance in midfield – it can all be seen in Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian has been the living embodiment of Pep Guardiola‘s elegantly engineered philosophy that has guided the Citizens to the Premier League title.

    Yet, there’s no substitute for goals and Mohamed Salah has provided them by the bucketload this season, unceremoniously upstaging De Bruyne’s exceptional all-round play and creative influence to claim the PFA Player of the Year award.

    In the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between City and Liverpool, it was De Bruyne who delivered a commanding display, registering 147 touches as he orchestrated the hosts’ attempt at overcoming a 3-0 first leg defeat. In contrast, Salah was a peripheral figure for the most part as he had just 31 touches in the encounter but crucially made the difference with his goal in a 2-1 win for the visitors.

    The Egyptian has made a habit of lurking in the shadows during games, stalking his prey before pouncing at the opportune moment to strike the lethal blow. He doesn’t indulge in elaborate build-up play but instead focuses on his movement with his outstanding positioning putting him in dangerous areas from where he can go for the jugular.

    In that sense, despite his diminutive frame and favoured left-foot, he bears more resemblance to Cristiano Ronaldo than Lionel Messi who he often draws comparison with.

    The Argentine is the epicentre of Barcelona‘s play, doubling up as chief playmaker and premier goal-scorer. Ronaldo on the other hand is just as crucial to Real Madrid but absorbed by a necessity to feature on the score sheet. Salah is developing a similar unquenchable thirst for goals and that bodes well for Liverpool ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash against Roma.

    The fact that he’s mentioned in the same breath as the two giants of the game is impressive in itself, let alone the whispers of him potentially ending their Ballon d’Or duopoly. With 41 goals in all competitions this season, the Egyptian is neck and neck with Ronaldo (42) and Messi (40) and has perhaps earned his place alongside them for now at least.

    Against Bournemouth and West Brom, he took 69 and 72 minutes respectively to score. Such has been his form, that it’s almost a mini-drought when he goes an hour without hitting the back of the net.

    The anxiety and restlessness from the Liverpool support prior to each of those goals was palpable, as was his team-mates’ blatant efforts to keep feeding him the ball in the final third as he chases down Ian Rush’s club record of 47 goals in a single season.

    For his part, the frequency with which Salah pulls the trigger has escalated as well, averaging four shots per game. Only Harry Kane shoots more often in the Premier League.

    It’s no coincidence that Ronaldo’s sensational form in the Champions League in recent years has led to Madrid winning the prestigious competition three times in its last four editions. The Portuguese’s goals have led them to the semi-finals this time as well in their quest for an unprecedented third triumph in a row.

    Liverpool have their own rabid goal-scoring sensation. The more Salah taps into that ravenous nature of his game, the same that Ronaldo has so masterfully honed, the more likely he is to propel the Reds past his former employers and into the all-important final – the result of which has the potential to make or break his Ballon d’Or claim.

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