Mo Salah is fielded nominally as a winger at Liverpool but that is merely a starting point for his trademark darts from the right that have pierced defences at home and abroad in a sensational season for the Egyptian international.
Yet, as good as Salah has been, his adventurous positioning creates additional defensive responsibility for his team-mates.
Sadio Mane has accepted the drop down to a supporting role but the man who typifies the sacrifice Jurgen Klopp asks his players to make for Salah’s sake is Roberto Firmino and that should be in evidence again as the Reds travel to Stamford Bridge in pursuit of the result that would seal their place in the Champions League again next season.
The relentless pressing, tackling and interceptions of the Brazilian, valued at just £45m by Transfermarkt, is integral to the way Klopp’s Liverpool want to play and his speed could expose Gary Cahill, who has returned to the fold in recent weeks.
There are also not a great deal of strikers who would accept someone else being the team’s main goalscorer as happily as Firmino does but the former Hoffenheim man is happy to sacrifice himself for the team.
Liverpool showed the damage they can do to a back three with their rampant first-leg performance against Roma. On that occasion, it was effectively their front three against Roma’s central-defensive trio and the result was not pretty.
If Chelsea allow themselves to be similarly outnumbered on Sunday, Firmino – who plundered two goals against the Italians at Anfield – will fancy himself to get on the scoresheet again on Sunday.
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