Mohamed Salah might not always be Liverpool’s first-choice penalty-taker but he wants to be as prepared as possible if required to step up for a spot-kick.
James Milner is Jurgen Klopp’s go-to pick for penalties but with rotation needed more than ever at this stage of the season, Salah could well find himself responsible for dispatching a penalty at some point.
And with that knowledge, Salah has enlisted the help of Liverpool’s substitute goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, to help him prepare for the possible spot-kick.
Mignolet, who has only made a couple of appearances for the Reds this season, is making himself useful in training as he researches the goalkeeper of Liverpool’s next opponent and mimics him for Salah on the eve of every match.
“He sits next to me on the coach when we travel to games. He asks me about penalties and what ideas the opposition goalkeeper will have. I’ll tell him he should do this or that. We practise penalties the day before a game and we work together,” Mignolet said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
“I try to do the same as the keeper he will face the next day, to make it as realistic as possible.
“The big thing about Mo? He is a cult hero in Egypt. People forget how big a figure he is in the Muslim world.
“We went to Dubai in January for a training camp and he was everywhere. He’s like a statue.
“He carries all that on his shoulders and he does it so well, like the pressure is nothing. He is down to earth, still the same guy as he was when he signed. Everywhere we go there is attention for him.
“When there are crowds around the coach shouting ‘Salah! Salah!’ we join in with them and make it funny.
“But he has an example to give. He has got so much talent but he works so hard to help.”
