Liverpool forwards seem to be like buses this season — as soon as you wait for one to score, two come along at the same time. Despite a poor start to the calendar year, with Leicester City’s Wout Faes their top scorer since the World Cup winter break, Jurgen Klopp’s side secured their first Premier League win of 2023 with a routine Merseyside Derby victory over Everton. The 2-0-win saw Mohamed Salah return to the scoresheet, whilst Cody Gakpo scored his first Liverpool goal at Anfield to renew hope for fans in desperate need of it.
While it’s too soon to suggest that the performance was a turning point in Liverpool’s season, the win was certainly a step in the right direction. And with so many players returning from injury, coinciding with good performances from Gakpo amongst others, Klopp’s plethora of attacking options might be enough to defy the odds and earn an unlikely place in the top four.
Still in the Champions League at the time of writing, the Reds will want to avoid putting all their eggs in the Istanbul basket and hope a return to domestic form can spur a winning run with enough moment to put them on the periphery of the top four heading into the last few games. Goals will do just that and Klopp will have them in supply when all of his marksmen are back on the pitch. Let’s look at all the players Liverpool will have going forward for the final push of the season.
Mohamed Salah
The star of the Liverpool attack, Salah is the main man and his 18 goals so far this season prove just that. While the Reds were one of the favourites amongst Premier League winner odds at the start of the season, their inconsistency has cost them, and the Egyptian has been guilty of that at times this term, but his desire to win has pulled Liverpool through murkier waters than this, and you wouldn’t put it past last year’s Golden Boot winner so contribute to a few more big moments before the end of the season.
Darwin Nunez
The man signed as Sadio Mane’s replacement; Darwin Nunez suffered a stuttering start to life at Liverpool with a red card on his home debut. He looked to have found his feet before the World Cup and has now once again looked encouraging with his sheer direct nature a nightmare for defenders. Strong and quick, you believe that if he can sort his decision making out, he’ll be a key player for Liverpool in years to come.
Cody Gakpo
The new man at Anfield, Gakpo arrived in January from PSV in the Eredivisie but came into a team out of form and struggling for results. Playing through the middle he struggled to influence games but when shifted out wide against Everton he was dangerous. His goals at the World Cup show he knows how to find the back of the net and if Liverpool fans are patient with his integration in the squad then the £35 million they paid for the 23-year-old’s services could be a steal.
Roberto Firmino
We could well be witnessing Roberto Firmino’s Liverpool swansong this season. The Brazilian has cemented himself as a club legend since joining in 2015 but injuries have restricted him to just a handful of starts. A hat-trick against Bournemouth shows he still has what it takes to link the play in his unique role and he’ll want to bow out of his time with the Reds knowing he played a part in earning European football.
Diogo Jota
After his big breakout season last term, Diogo Jota had forced his way back into the starting line-up before injury against Manchester City ruled him out for Portugal’s World Cup campaign. Dangerous from close range as well as in the air, Jota will be a welcomed addition to the frontline and will surely take his tally to double figures for the third successive season in red.
Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz was a breath of fresh air when he joined Liverpool from Porto last January, and started the campaign as perhaps the Reds’ best player before his injury against Arsenal. After almost five months out it might take the Colombian time to get back up to speed but if he can rediscover his best form then full-backs will be in for a torrid time in the second half of the season.
