da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da apostaganha： Liverpool will face Everton on Monday as they look to continue their unbeaten run at the top of the Premier League. In this clash, Mohamed Salah will need to be at his best against one of the best left-backs in the division in Lucas Digne.
On the chalkboard
The Reds’ season could not have started any better. As it stands, they are currently eight points ahead of their nearest rivals, Leicester City, and are 11 ahead of the champions Manchester City. With 13 wins from their first 14 matches, only Manchester United have been able to take any points from them.
Their success so far this campaign has been in stark contrast to the Toffees’ performances. They are currently 17th in the top tier after losing to Leicester, and they are just two points ahead of the relegation zone.
Still, the form books are thrown out of the window for a local derby, so Marco Silva and his men should be well up for the clash at Goodison Park on Wednesday. One duel in particular could have a huge impact on the final result.
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There aren’t many players who have impressed for Everton so far this season, but Digne is one of them. The 26-year-old has arguably been their most creative player, making an impressive 2.8 key passes per match. For context, that is the third-most of any player in the Premier League this campaign. His 2.4 crosses, as well, are at least double what any other Everton player has achieved.
Although Trent Alexander-Arnold is the right-back he will likely come up against, Mohamed Salah is expected to be in front of the 21-year-old on the right wing. It is essential that the Egypt international makes it as difficult as possible to progress up the pitch and put balls into the box – interestingly, only the Reds have more headed goals than the Toffees so far this season.
With just 0.5 tackles per match this campaign, the 27-year-old winger is not known for his defensive attributes, but he will need to be more in tune with them here to stop the opposition’s danger man.
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On the other hand, though, £27m-valued Digne – as per Transfermarkt – will need to be just as sharp defensively. In all fairness, the former Barcelona man is far better than Salah in that aspect – he has 2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per match – but in the former AS Roma man, he will be facing one of the best goalscorers in the league.
Salah has won the last two Golden Boots in the Premier League, and he has contributed once again this term with six goals in 12 games. Not only that, he also has three assists and has 1.5 key passes per match. He is one of Jurgen Klopp’s star men, and he cannot be allowed to dominate proceedings in midweek.
Everton manager Silva will still be in charge for the big match and, as such, Liverpool would love to be the team to end his reign. Salah and Digne could have the biggest say as to whether that proves to be the case.