Rio Ngumoha replacing Cody Gakpo is going to make 'genius' Liverpool star so much better - opinion
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Rio Ngumoha becoming Liverpool’s new primary left-winger will stop opposition defences focusing on Mohamed Salah.He didn’t even play the full 90 minutes against Wolves, but it’s already become obvious that Ngumoha is ready for regular first-team football.Van Dijk called the teenager ‘special’ post-match, and once he begins to play on a consistent basis, which should hopefully happen soon, expect Mo Salah’s goal contributions to improve a great deal. Who was YOUR Man of the Match in Liverpool’s win over Wolves? 😁 Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images Defenders focusing on Rio Ngumoha is great news for Mohamed SalahFor years now whenever you play Liverpool, the game plan has been clear.
Stop Salah no matter what.He’s comfortably been one of the Premier League’s most lethal talents since his arrival, but the focus on stopping the Egyptian has been made even easier this season.Luis Diaz’s sale to Bayern Munich saw Cody Gakpo, barring injury, play the majority of games as the Reds’ primary left winger.However, the Dutchman, who does nothing but cut inside and shoot whenever he picks up the ball, is easy to defend against.Ngumoha, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Skills, pace, desire to get to the byline and cross the ball – the 17-year-old has it all.It was just one start, but the Wolves win has shown that even Premier League defences are now going to have to make shutting down the youngster part of their pre-match game plan.In turn, it means they simply can’t put as much focus on stopping Salah as they have been able to in 2025/26 so far.The Egyptian is a ‘genius’ player, but his age and slight decline in pace mean he can no longer destroy teams singlehandedly as he once did.We have seen Salah’s decline up close this season, but after months of having little support, Ngumoha’s newfound role should give the veteran attacker a lot more space and time to operate on the ball, which is exactly what he will need to get back to his best on a consistent basis.
Liverpool fans…sum up Rio Nguhoma’s performance at Wolves in THREE words Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images We were gifted glimpses of Ngumoha’s impact on the former Chelsea man, who has now scored two in two games this week.And Slot was asked about Salah’s goalscoring form post-Wolves when speaking live at his pre-match press conference.He said: “It’s always pleasing if we score, but I think it’s also important for attackers to score because if they don’t score over a long time, they’re maybe starting to force it or going to do different things. “So, the more they score, the less they are going to force it and that’s why it’s important for our attackers either to score or be part of the lead-up to a goal.”Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox