"Will finish strong" - Jurgen Klopp brushes aside recent struggles of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah ahead of FA Cup semi-final

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah is currently going through a rough patch, failing to find the back of the net in his last five appearances across all competitions. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, however, has jumped to the defense of his star forward, insisting the Egyptian will finish the campaign on a brilliant note.

Mohamed Salah fired on all cylinders for Liverpool during the first phase of the campaign. But his impact has dropped significantly since he returned from representing his nation at AFCON in February. Jurgen Klopp believes the massive role he shouldered for his nation in the tournament has contributed to his recent dip in form.

“It’s just in our business the problem we have is that in January he had the most intense period in his whole career," the tactician was quoted as saying, as per Teamtalk.

“The tournament went until the wire. They played in the final, they had all these 120 minute [matches], the role he has is super, super massive. There is a huge responsibility on his shoulders with dressing room meetings and stuff like this with no recovery at all."

Klopp added:

“Then you have the issue of being a superstar in your own country and everyone wants something of you. It is all super intense. Again – that is ok for the boys. But now we are in a period where there is no down [time] and that is completely normal."

Jurgen Klopp went on to add that Mohamed Salah is fully focused, just like every other member of his squad at Anfield.

He said:

“But the boys here are focused every day. ‘Oh we still are?’ I know that Mo will finish strong. It’s just at the moment we have to reset because each game for us is a final. From the beginning of January, that is crazy.”

Will the attacker bounce back in the final stretch of the season?

Mohamed Salah's numbers for Liverpool so far this season

Although he's currently experiencing a dip in form, Mohamed Salah remains the top performer for Liverpool this season. His numbers are quite staggering despite missing a couple of games at the turn of the year.

So far, the Egyptian has recorded 28 goals and 11 assists to his name in 40 appearances across all competitions. That includes 20 goals in the Premier League, where he is currently the leading goalscorer, and eight goals in the UEFA Champions League.