Salah on Champions League Chances: “I Want to Have the Feeling Again”

Liverpool have won nearly every trophy on offer since Jürgen Klopp took charge and assembled one of Europe’s top sides, but for many players and fans the best moment, the best feeling, will have been winning the Champions League in 2019.

The route to it, including an especially memorable victory over Barcelona, the chance to make right the previous final’s disappointment, and a cathartic trophy lift and celebratory return to Anfield made for fond memories for many, including Mohamed Salah.

“I want to have the feeling again that we had after winning the Champions League,” Salah said in the matchday programme for Wednesday’s tie against Villarreal. “It was unbelievable and in my mind that’s why I want to win it again with Liverpool.

“The feeling we had in the city when we went on the bus and toured was unbelievable. The Premier League was kind of different because [of Covid], but I want to win the Champions League again and I want to win the Premier League again. That is my target.”

To get a chance at that, they’ll have to beat Villarreal over two legs starting Wednesday at Anfield and concluding next Tuesday in Spain. On paper, the Reds will be favoured—but then so too were Bayern, and Villarreal upset the German giants.

As for Salah’s role in things, at the end of the day he says the only thing that really matters is to win. Still, as a forward it feels good to help to that end by scoring and assisting, and the Egyptian thinks that this season has been his best yet on the ball.

“I’m always trying to score goals and give assists,” he added. “That is always my game and this season I feel a lot of improvement with the ball, but the most important thing is to help this team win trophies and I am trying to help to do that.”