“LFC at Risk of Missing Key Penalty Takers Against Chelsea”
Liverpool’s upcoming League Cup final against Chelsea is not only a battle for silverware but also a test of their penalty-taking options. Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, may find himself without two reliable converters for penalties, which could be a major setback for the team.
In the current Liverpool squad, only two players have successfully scored penalties during regulation time for the club. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are the sole individuals who have proven their prowess from the spot. Salah, in particular, has been the go-to penalty taker, converting 31 out of his 38 attempts. Nunez, on the other hand, has managed to score once from two penalty opportunities since joining Liverpool.
It is worth noting that no other player in the squad has had the chance to take a penalty in regulation time, discounting shootouts. This lack of experience in penalty-taking, combined with uncertainty surrounding Salah and Nunez due to injuries, puts Liverpool at risk of losing two potential options if a penalty is awarded during the League Cup final at Wembley.
Although Klopp surely has a list of potential takers, the current circumstances raise concerns about the availability of reliable penalty takers. Even Dominik Szoboszlai, who has proven himself from 12 yards during his time at RB Leipzig and for the Hungarian national team, is under doubt due to a recurring hamstring injury.
If Salah, Nunez, and Szoboszlai fail to pass late fitness tests, Liverpool will be left with a shortage of penalty takers for the crucial final. Furthermore, considering that 10 out of the 15 penalty takers from both cup finals in 2022 remain at the club, and only six are known to be available for the upcoming fixture, the situation becomes even more challenging for Klopp.
In such a scenario, it is highly likely that Klopp will turn to Alexis Mac Allister as the chief penalty taker in regulation time if Salah is unable to feature. The Argentine midfielder has missed only one senior penalty out of eight attempts, showcasing his reliability during his time at Brighton.
As Liverpool prepares for the League Cup final against Chelsea, the lack of available penalty takers presents a significant hurdle for Klopp and his team. The absence of Salah, Nunez, and potentially Szoboszlai leaves Liverpool with limited options from the spot. The responsibility may fall on the shoulders of Mac Allister, who has proven himself as a dependable penalty taker in the past. Only time will tell if Liverpool can overcome this challenge and secure victory in the final.