Klopp urged against Salah & Firmino tinkering as former Liverpool midfielder sets out selection plan

Liverpool need to resist the urge to tinker with their attacking unit, says Don Hutchison, with the Reds at their best when using Roberto Firmino as a central striker and Mohamed Salah in a wide support role.

Jurgen Klopp has moved his prolific Egyptian forward down the middle at times this season, with experiments made with a system which uses two up top.

Liverpool have, however, enjoyed greater success when operating with Salah and the in-form Sadio Mane providing deep-lying assistance to Brazilian frontman Firmino.

Hutchison believes that should be the go-to approach in an ongoing Premier League title bid, with that formation playing to the strengths of the Reds’ most creative and potent attacking threats.

The former Liverpool midfielder told Premier League Productions while reflecting on the Reds’ most recent outing – a 3-0 win over Bournemouth: “It was comfortable and Liverpool could have scored three or four more. Liverpool were sensational.

“They were better that Mo Salah was playing off that side, he wasn’t playing as a No. 9, he was off the right-hand side up against [Diego] Rico the full-back. Firmino playing through the middle. 

“He’s got to play that 4-3-3, Klopp, until the end of the season. He’s got to get Mo Salah one-v-one.”

Victory over the Cherries briefly lifted Liverpool back to the top of the table, prior to defending champions Manchester City crushing Chelsea 6-0.

The Reds do still boast a game in hand on Pep Guardiola’s side, with 12 fixtures to come, and Hutchison believes chasing could favour a team which have spent much of the season leading.

The ex-Scotland international added: “There was no nervousness inside the stadium, different to when they were seven points clear, especially against Leicester when they went 1-0 up a couple of minutes in and they didn’t really know what to do. 

“I think it suits them, chasing. When they were five clear and seven clear, everyone was saying, ‘If they’re going to blow this, it’ll be a bit of a bottle job.’ 

“They scored after a couple of minutes against Leicester and then for 88 minutes you were watching a side not knowing what to do. They comfortably see it through 1-0 or go for four or five but they didn’t, they were in no man’s land.

“It might just suit them, the way Liverpool are with all the emotion of going for the holy grail trying to get it over the line, to chase it for a little bit.”