EXCLUSIVE: Monaco defender Mohammed Salisu on battling injuries and facing Barcelona
Salisu's resurgence was on full display in Monaco's recent 3-0 victory over Auxerre, marking his third appearance in four Ligue 1 matches this season. This, in stark contrast to last year's campaign where he was limited to just 12 league starts, speaks volumes about his physical transformation.
The defender's newfound durability was further emphasised by his ability to seamlessly transition from international duty with Ghana to club commitments. After playing two full matches against Angola and Niger for his national team, Salisu returned to Monaco on Thursday, only to put in a commanding 90-minute performance against Auxerre two days later.
When asked about his current physical condition, Salisu beamed with confidence in an exclusive interview with Flashscore: "I would say I'm in my best shape for a long time now and I try to keep working day by day and keep improving."
Salisu's performance against Auxerre was nothing short of spectacular. He led all players with seven clearances, won two tackles, and blocked a shot. His aerial prowess was particularly impressive, winning five of seven duels. Additionally, Salisu showcased his distribution skills, completing 69 out of 84 passes.
He constantly broke the lines with ease to find midfielders Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara. When Auxerre pushed up, the former Southampton centre-back occasionally went long successfully finding Aleksandr Golovin and Eliesse Ben Seghir on a couple of occasions.
Monaco's unbeaten start to the season has not gone unnoticed, with the team sitting just two points behind table-toppers PSG after four games. With PSG's recent loss of Kylian Mbappe, there's a growing sense that the Ligue 1 title race could be more open this year. However, Salisu remains cautiously optimistic about the chances of Monaco, who last won the Ligue 1 title in the 2016/2017 season.
"We started good as a team and then I started good as an individual, I'm happy for this, because I arrived here injured and it was complicated. This is my first full season and I started pre-season with the team and I feel this is an important season for me so I need to get ready.”
“There's good spirit in the camp. The boys have good energy in training. We try to fight every game, and go game by game because it's an important season. We have a lot of games coming, so I think we need to go game by game, I think we are in a good shape," the centre-back added.
For Salisu, the upcoming UEFA Champions League match against Barcelona represents a significant milestone. Despite his stints with Real Valladolid and Southampton, the Ghanaian has never played in Europe's elite club competition.
"Yeah, I think this will be my debut in the Champions League and it's an important game for the team and for me as well so we need to focus on the game."
Salisu is no stranger to facing Barcelona, having encountered them during his time in Spain with Valladolid. More recently, he was part of the Monaco squad that stunned the Catalans in a 3-0 victory during the pre-season Gamper Trophy.
However, Salisu acknowledges that the upcoming Champions League clash will be a different challenge altogether, given Barcelona's current form in LaLiga.
"Yeah it wasn't an easy game but we won and you know how they play and you know how they have good players up front, dangerous so we just need to go with everything we have like we played last time."
As Salisu looks to build on his impressive start to the season, he remains grounded and focused on continuous improvement.
"For me I try to, like I said play game by game you know keep improving, because this is just the beginning so I try to play and improve every game," he concluded.
With his injury woes behind him and a renewed sense of purpose, Salisu is poised to become a cornerstone of Monaco's defence. As the season unfolds, all eyes will be on this Ghanaian defender, who seems to have risen from the ashes of past setbacks to soar to new heights.
