Sport
Rio Ngumoha is Liverpool’s most dangerous wide attacker right now and must start against PSG
Liverpool badly needed a win at home to Fulham on Sunday and Rio Ngumoha did his best to ensure the Anfield side claimed three points. Not only did the 17-year-old find the back of the net in a 2-0 victory, he was the Reds’ most proactive attacking threat. The Cottagers couldn’t handle him.
With the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain looming, Arne Slot rotated some of his best players for Sunday’s match. Most notably, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister started on the bench. Hugo Ekitike didn’t play a single minute ahead of this week’s rematch with PSG.
Ngumoha was one of the fringe figures brought into the lineup and the teenager performed at such a level that Slot is surely considering starting him against PSG. Liverpool need an attacking spark to stand any chance of a comeback against the defending European champions and Ngumoha could provide that.
Assuming Ekitike will start as Liverpool’s centre forward in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg and Mohamed Salah is line to feature on the right wing, this leaves an open spot on the left side. Ngumuho looks like being the best option to expose the space behind Achraf Hakimi, where Liverpool could have some joy in quick transition.
In last week’s first leg, Slot used a front two system that positioned Florian Wirtz alongside Ekitike for much of the match. In theory, this was designed to make Liverpool difficult to play through from the front. The issue, however, was that PSG’s rotations through the centre of the pitch meant they always had a free man.
Liverpool must take the game to PSG in Tuesday’s second leg. They must use the energy of the Anfield atmosphere to turn around the tie and Ngumoha is the sort of player who could be the catalyst for a comeback. His direct running and dribbling ability would at least give PSG something to think about.
“He’s not only the long-term future but also the near future,” said Slot after Ngumoha’s eye-catching performance against Fulham. “I said one or two months ago his playing time would increase because he’s gotten stronger and stronger. He’s shown that it wasn’t only a nice trick but there was more and more end product to what he did, and more power, which is needed if you play against the best defenders in the world.
“I don’t think anyone is surprised he scored his first [Anfield] goal. He has such a special quality you don’t see very often in football anymore, dominating the one-v-one situations. That’s what he did when he scored his goal, making the ball free by twisting and turning and then hitting it in like a Mo Salah finish. It’s pleasing to see that he did what we know makes him special.”
Of course, Ngumoha’s Liverpool career will be defined by much more than what happens against PSG on Tuesday night. The 17-year-old is arguably the brightest young talent to have emerged at Anfield since Trent Alexander-Arnold and should be an important part of the club’s future in the years to come.
Salah’s exit at the end of the season will open up all sorts of possibilities for Liverpool across the forward line. Ngumoha is most comfortable on the left side, but could be part of the equation for the Reds heading into next season. If Ekitke and Alexander Isak are to be deployed as a front two with Wirtz as a number 10, could Ngumoha provide some verticality down the left?
For the time being, Liverpool are solely concerned with extending their Champions League run by another round and Ngumoha might have shown against Fulham that he can offer something to hurt PSG. Slot might have no choice but to send for his most talented attacking player again.
