Manchester City – Liverpool, at 1.30pm
MANCHESTER (Dagbladet): – He is a brilliant player.
That’s what Liverpool star Mohamed Salah says about Erling Braut Haaland Viaplay.
The interview was conducted on Thursday and will be shown in connection with the top match between Manchester City and Liverpool today. England counts down and Viaplay tops the crew.
Commentator Andreas Toft confirms that dad Alfie Haaland will appear during the broadcast at the Etihad Stadium. Match start: 1.30 p.m.
RINGSIDE: Andreas Toft followed Pep Guardiola’s press conference in Manchester on Friday. Photo: Tore Ulrik Bratland Show more
Toft was the one who did the interview with Salah before the top game in the Premier League. He tells Dagbladet about a smiling and pleasant Egyptian. But it wasn’t all questions he wanted to answer.
– I met him at Liverpool’s training facility. We were some rights holders who met him for an interview there. Salah very rarely does interviews. To meet him, and talk about the match, was absolutely fantastic, says Toft.
The club wanted the questions in advance. This is not something special for Viaplay, but applies to all rights holders.
– Sometimes there are conditions for how the interviews are to be conducted. It is part of the agreement to be interviewed, says Toft.
HUGE MEETING: Erling Braut Haaland against Mohamed Salah. It can’t get that much bigger. Photo: NTB Show more
– It is not special for the Premier League. It also applies to special agreements with rights holders in the European Cup matches, WC and EC. This is clarified in advance, he says.
– There are many questions you want to ask when you first sit down with Salah. But what everyone may be wondering is where he will go when or if he leaves Liverpool (his contract expires in June 2025). It was really busy this summer. But that was one of the things the club did not want to talk about – contract and future. So then you have to adjust accordingly.
May become a victim of rage
According to the BBC, Liverpool turned down a £150m bid from Saudi Arabian club Al-ittihad. This corresponds to over two billion kroner. Al-ittihad is said to have been willing to go up to NOK 2.7 billion, but Liverpool refused.
– Were there other things Salah didn’t want to talk about?
– He has a burning commitment to Palestine. I wanted to talk to him about those things. But he didn’t want to talk about that either.
Toft emphasizes that you can ask all the questions you want at press conferences. But questions about the future and politics are often heated topics.
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– How long did you get with Salah?
– Ten minutes were set aside. And then it is quite strict. You go in and sit down. The press man stands right behind you, counts down and pats you on the back when the ten minutes have passed. There are zero loops in the roller.
– How do you assess the duel between Haaland and Salah?
– This will quickly become the big duel. And you have so many points. Haaland can score his 50th goal in the Premier League. If so, he will become the fastest to 50 league goals in English football history. It is quite sick, says Toft.
Manchester City confirm
– But he has not yet scored against Liverpool as a City player. He is missing Liverpool and Brentford. Salah can score his 150th goal in the Premier League. He is two goals short of reaching 200 goals for Liverpool.
In the interview, Salah is asked how Haaland has helped Manchester City to improve:
– He has scored many goals, which has helped them. Before he came, the system was different. Everyone scored, but the system was different. They still won the Premier League. Guardiola has changed the system so he can help them score, Salah replies.
DUO: Tor Ole Skullerud (tv) and Andreas Toft comment on Manchester City against Liverpool on Saturday. Photo: Olof Andersson / Viaplay Show more
Manchester City v Liverpool is the biggest matchup you can get in the Premier League.
– It is massive, says Toft about the match.
– It is team number one meeting team number two. It is these two teams that have fought against each other in recent years, except when Liverpool had a bit of a bad season last year.
GET THIN: Erling Braut Haaland didn’t let it lie when Bernardo Silva came late to the team picture. Video: Manchester City, Bård Sørø Olsen/Dagbladet TV-sporten Show more
He continues:
– Liverpool have lost by one point in the series twice to Manchester City. This is due, among other things, to a loss or draw at the Etihad Stadium. It could be a battle that defines the final outcome. Liverpool have not won at the Etihad since 2015.
Today, Jürgen Klopp and co. chance again.
2023-11-25 08:01:18
#Didnt #answer #questions
