Rovers skipper steadying himself for Salah battle
Roberto Lopes of Shamrock Rovers, left, and E Republic of Ireland player Ciaran Walsh.
Pico Lopes recently found himself in the unusual position of shouting at his television screen when his potential upcoming opponent Mo Salah appeared.
The Shamrock Rovers defender is heading for the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next month when his Cape Verde side meet Ghana, Mozambique and Egypt.
He was in the side knocked out of the last delayed tournament two years ago by Senegal, when Sadio Mané scored in the 2-0 win, but his former Liverpool teammate is now consuming the thoughts of Lopes.
The centre-back was born in Dublin but declared for the birthplace of his father Carlos and is line to feature at his second showpiece, this one at least not overshadowed by Covid.
Chris Hughton’s Ghana are first up on January 14, followed by Mozambique five days later and the group concluder against the Egyptians on January 22.
“I was screaming at the TV – saying ‘why are you showing him his left side?,” confesses the 31-year-old about the painful research of surveying Liverpool’s matches.
“Just keep him on his right foot’ - but that’s easier said than done.
“I’ve probably watched him through closed hands at the moment, because he’s in frightening form at Liverpool.” Lopes has been a game battler when faced with such daunting tasks, Zlatan Ibrahimovic among the stars he’s marshalled, and he’s confident of keeping the Reds ace quiet in what could be a game to decide their knockout phase destiny.
“He’s a strong man and for a player small in stature his hold-up play is so good,” he said about preparing for the duel.
“He’s got incredible upper body strength so with his back to goal there’s a chance of him rolling me and I mightn’t be able to shake him off. Then, if he’s running at you, it’s about showing him the line but if he gets inside you, we know what he can do with his left foot.
“It’s difficult but you have to take the name and the stature out of the player. If I treat them like royalty, they’ve won the game before it’s started in my head. That’s the way I view it. I must try to be the best version of myself – think how I adapt to any player.
“He’s one of the best players in the world but I need to trust myself, not just put him on a pedestal that I can’t reach.” Up first for the four-in-a-row league winner is Ghana. Their boss Chris Hughton might be linked with the vacancy in his homeland of Ireland but won’t be budging until duties with his ancestral home are completed.
“I loved watching Ghana when I was growing up,” admitted Lopes. “They had some huge players like household names Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan. Even at the last World Cup, they did really well and Mohammed Kudos from West Ham stood out. Despite one or two recent bad results, which is possible in African football because factors make it a leveller, I expect them to be on the front foot and attack.” **Virgin Media has been announced as the title partner of the Football Association of Ireland’s Esports programme, including the ELOI which will now be titled the Virgin Media ELOI.
The new two-year agreement will provide Virgin Media with title sponsorship of the ELOI, eNational Team and a newly launched EFAI Cup.
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