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Liverpool legend makes confident Xherdan Shaqiri prediction despite Jurgen Klopp fury
LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp will get the best out of Xherdan Shaqiri despite the heated dressing down he gave to the Swiss winger after their cup defeat to Chelsea.
Klopp: We couldn’t strike back after Eden Hazard’s goal
That’s the opinion of Reds great Jan Molby.
The German boss had angry words for the winger during an on-pitch discussion following Liverpool’s Carabao Cup exit at the hands of the Blues at Anfield.
The pair shook hands but cameras showed Klopp frustratingly gesturing at areas of the pitch towards a sheepish Shaqiri, who was one of Liverpool’s better performers on the night.
The summer signing, brought in from Stoke, has made just two starts for the Merseyside club and was brought off at half-time during the win over Southampton last weekend despite helping to force two of their three first-half goals.
Klopp discussed the impassioned confrontation with Shaqiri after the match and explained he was frustrated with a wasted free-kick late into the game as Liverpool sought a comeback - insisting the Swiss international should have looked to find Mohamed Salah with a clever pass rather than a cross into the box.
The manager said: “We wanted to have Mo a bit wider so we had passed the ball to Mo. The whole bunch of players was in one direction - where we shot the ball, actually.
“But if we can send Mo into a one-on-one situation in the last situation of the game, it would have been not too bad. What I said was about the free-kick, nothing else.”
Molby - who spent 11 years at Anfield, winning two titles - wrote in his Liverpool Echo column: “Xherdan Shaqiri has started his Liverpool career in good form, but he is a bright footballer so it should come as no surprise.
Sometimes teams haven't been able to get the best out of him, but I think Jurgen will, no doubt.
“He has got quick feet to match his brain and he sees things that others sometimes don't in that final third.
“He is a different option for Klopp and he certainly brings his own quality to what is already a superb array of attacking options for the Liverpool boss.
“Sometimes teams haven't been able to get the best out of him, but I think Jurgen will, no doubt.
“Stoke didn't see the best of Shaqiri because they more or less refused to build their play around such a talented player.
“But if you give him an opportunity, he is almost like a playmaker who can operate in different positions, and that bodes well.
“He likes to get on the ball and make things happen and he is a very exciting footballer, so it's good to have him in the squad.”
Shaqiri is expected to drop back to the bench for Liverpool’s second clash in four days against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow (5.30pm) as the visitors look to maintain their 100 per-cent start in the league.
But the former Bayern Munich attacker could be a valuable option to help change the game if Liverpool find themselves struggling away at Maurizio Sarri's side.