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Chelsea v Everton: Enzo Maresca has said Cole Palmer remains troubled by a groin problem and is still unable to play three games a week, raising fresh doubt over whether the Chelsea attacker will force his way into England’s World Cup squad.
It’s something that is a little bit day by day. You can see if he’s getting better, some days it can be worse. For instance after Leeds, he was completely bad the day after. And he played half an hour. After Bournemouth, he was OK. He played one hour. There’s not any sense [to it]. It’s day by day that decides how he feels.
Palmer’s struggles has allowed Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden and Morgan Rogers to move in front of him in the fight to earn a spot in attacking midfield for England.
Have any thoughts on Salah? Do his comments post-Leeds harm his legacy? Has his time on Merseyside come to an end? Do you have an opinion on the situation that somehow, miraculously has not been said yet? Sound off in the comments below the line or send us an email.
Liverpool v Brighton: The reaction from Salah’s comments in the UK and in his home country could not be on two further ends of the spectrum.
The true measure of Salah’s cultural weight became clear in the breadth of national conversation, as talk around his interview spilled beyond the confines of football punditry. One of Egypt’s most known news presenters, Amr Adib, whose loud, brash political and economic opinions often go viral for all the wrong reasons, staunchly came to Salah’s defence. Political commentators dissected Salah’s words through the lens of negotiation tactics. Even YouTube film critics and foodie TikTokers felt compelled to offer their analysis. “It feels as if every public voice has an opinion to air,” says the president of one of Liverpool’s oldest fanclubs in Egypt, Ahmed Fahmy. “The dramatics of it all proves that a crisis involving Salah is a crisis for the nation.”
What Egypt thinks of the Salah saga and their choice words aimed at Jamie Carragher below (in what I must warn you feels like a shameless self plug).
Liverpool v Brighton: It is unclear whether Salah will start, come off the bench or even make an appearance at all. And how will supporters react if he does make it on to the pitch?
Here are five Liverpool fans’ thoughts on the saga that may help gauge how the Anfield faithful react.
The biggest story of the week was Mohamed Salah’s comments after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds and the subsequent fallout. Yesterday it was confirmed he would be back in the squad to face Brighton after he had been omitted from Tuesday’s Champions League win at Inter.
The Egyptian will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
Preamble
Hello, football. A jam packed day awaits. Readers, any football plans for the day? What ground are you heading off to? How optimistic are you that your team will get the win this weekend? Let me know in the comments below the line or via our dedicated matchday live email.
Join me as we get stuck in with the buildup to today’s matches and as we go through any breaking news and big stories.
