Mo Salah has three potential replacements as Liverpool weigh up penalty role change

Jurgen Klopp was left bemused when he was told it was approaching a year since Liverpool had not been awarded Premier League penalty for the best part of the year.

As the Reds boss was quizzed by the media on 3 March, his side had gone 11 months - in a 2-0 victory over Watford on April 2, 2022 -without a spot-kick. He could even see the funny side of the surprising stat.

However, fast forward little more than a month, that figure had changed. In Liverpool’s subsequent five top-flight fixtures, they have had two opportunities to score from 12 yards. In the pursuit of an unlikely top-four finish, both were squandered.

Mo Salah blazed wide of the top left-hand corner in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth last month. The effort typified an abject team performance on the south coast.

Despite his blunder, there was never any doubt that the Egyptian wouldn't retain the duty when Diogo Jota was brought down against Arsenal last Sunday. Even the best players miss spot-kicks, while Salah had reduced the deficit before half-time after Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners in command.

In front of the Kop, Liverpool’s talisman had the gilt-edged chance to draw his side level with ample time left on the clock for a winner to be yielded. However, Salah's decision to opt for Uber precision backfired. He directed his effort towards the same side of the goal as he did at Bournemouth, only this time going low - and again missed the target. Having awkwardly laughed off the error against the Cherries, this time Salah buried his head in his shirt out of frustration.

Luckily, the 30-year-old's blushes were spared as Roberto Firmino came off the bench to head home an 87th-minute equaliser. Yet after the pulsating 2-2 draw, the debate about whether Salah should continue with the mantle of taking spot-kicks was sparked. Despite scoring 24 goals this season, Liverpool may count themselves four points better off had both penalties been converted. Salah spurned five in 29 spot-kicks for the Reds in total and Klopp admitted after the game that talks will be held on Salah's remit.

The Anfield boss said: “I only saw the penalty after the game. A few people in the crowd reacted, so when you don’t see the penalty, you react on what the people see and a few people obviously thought the ball was in but it wasn’t.

"He missed the goal. So that’s why for a second the fist, and then I realised: ‘Oh, Mo isn’t celebrating.’ And then I realised the ball wasn’t it. That’s it’. That’s something we will talk about but not here."

Conversations between Klopp, his backroom staff and Salah at the AXA Training Centre will take place this week. Of course, there's more chance than not that Liverpool won't be awarded a penalty when they face Leeds United on Monday night. But a plan needs to be in place if one is given.

Should Klopp make the decision strip Salah of his role, the obvious replacement - despite not being renowned for his goalscoring prowess - is Fabinho. The midfielder bagged three spot-kicks for the Reds last season while Salah was not on the pitch. He also tucked home the second penalty in the shootout victory against Chelsea to claim the Carabao Cup - as well as the 2020 victory over the Londoners in the UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield loss to Arsenal that same year.

For a defensive midfielder, Fabinho is deadly from 12 yards. But all of those finishes were when the Brazil international was operating at the peak of his power. This campaign has been the antithesis.

Fabinho's form has plummeted. By his own admission, he's not been at his best. Therefore, you'd have to have some concern about whether the 29-year-old would have the conviction and confidence to step up and score.

James Milner has proven reliable from the spot. The veteran 37-year-old has nerves of steel and was Klopp's go-to man before Salah moved to Anfield in the summer of 2017. Milner's put away 19 of 21 penalties, while he was also successful in the shootouts against Chelsea in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup final triumphs last term. Yet the vice-captain finds himself as a fringe player these days and started just one of the past 13 games. There’s every chance he won’t be on the pitch.

The solution, should change happen, might be Darwin Nunez. The striker has hit 14 goals since arriving at Liverpool for an initial £64 million from Benfica last summer.

And while Nunez has been guilty of missing several golden chances throughout the season, his penalty record is unblemished. The Uruguay international has never missed from 11 attempts, with one of his successful efforts coming in a 3-0 Champions League win against Barcelona.