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Jurgen Klopp has challenged Mohamed Salah to improve his Liverpool decision-making in crucial moments as he looks to finish the season on a high.

The Egyptian winger has been the star man at Anfield this season following 28 goals in 37 games. Twenty of those have come in the Premier League and he is therefore on course for a third Golden Boot.

However, he has not scored in five games for club and country in all competitions.

And the talk more recently has focused on Salah‘s contract. His current terms run out at the end of next season. But, he has reportedly compromised on his demands to put a new deal within touching distance.

On the flipside, though, Paris Saint-Germain have supposedly joined Barcelona in the hunt for the 29-year-old.

Liverpool boss Klopp reiterated his stance that “the decisive parties are talking” and once again shut down talk over his contract. He instead turned the attention on Salah’s on-pitch duties.

Klopp insisted that the winger is performing as he should, but that he can improve in key areas.

“He might not have scored from open play, there may be a penalty here or there, but that’s not too important,” the manager told a press conference.

“The performance level is important for me, the threat he is for other teams, how he brings players together in the moment.

“When he gets the ball, two or three players are going for him and in these moments he could decide in a better way, no doubt about that. He could pass the ball quicker.”

Klopp added that Salah and Senegal international Sadio Mane are performing well in the circumstances of their disrupted season.

“It’s a tough period for Mo and Sadio,” the German added. “With the Africa Cup of Nations, coming back and being immediately available for us again.

“That was really, really special and it’s completely normal in the season that you have these little things.

“For these boys, they’re not that big changes but they’re still there. We see him [Salah] every day in training and we see him playing, there’s nothing to worry about apart from that we have to manage the physical part of it as well.”

Klopp focuses on Benfica threat

Klopp was speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Benfica in Lisbon.

Liverpool also travelled to Portugal for the last eight on their way to their triumphant 2019 final. They faced Porto on that occasion.

Darwin Nunez is the obvious threat for Benfica amid the Uruguay striker’s 27 goals in 34 games this term. He netted the winner to send his side past Ajax into the quarter-finals.

But, Klopp also picked out Rafa Silva, who has directly contributed 29 goals this season, as another major threat.

“He’s [Nunez] not the only one, they have a really good team I have to say,” the coach said.

“We expect him to start tomorrow, we have to make sure he doesn’t get a lot of balls, but there are other players.

“Rafa is – with the ball – wow, really quick. I know Julian Weigl, we all know Joao Mario and there’s a lot of quality in the team and experience in this team with [Jan] Vertonghen and [Nicolas] Otamendi.

“It’s the quarter-final of the Champions League, who cares? This is how it should be.”

Liverpool play Manchester City in a Premier League title showdown either side of both legs with Benfica.

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