Right Winger of the Season: Liverpool’s Sadio Mane

Magnificent Mane – skysports.com

There is a long-held frustration among Liverpool fans at the club’s tendency to sign players outside the elite of European football.

It is understandable therefore, that when Sadio Mane first showed up at Melwood last summer, the response was lukewarm. Sandwiched between his October goal and March brace against the Reds last season was a four-month barren spell, during which he did not net a single Premier League goal. Mane was always quick, but his confidence and technical ability fluctuated, often rising in big games and moments. The question was whether he could grow to become the star that Liverpool were crying out for.

This blog would argue that he has. Without Mane in the team, Liverpool have picked up just two points from four games, including poor performances and a notable lack of width against Burnley and Swansea. With him, they have gained 54 points from 25, equalling 2.16 points per game, a better return than Leicester City’s 15/16 title-winning side managed.

One of the defeats in that record was a late capitulation at Bournemouth, where Liverpool scored three goals, one of them by Mane. Another was a 2-0 loss at Hull, which came days after he had flown across the world from Gabon, where he had played three crucial AFCON matches in gruelling heat.

The week after that defeat to the Tigers however, he was back to his best. Mane tore apart Ben Davies in a 2-0 win over Tottenham, as Jurgen Klopp’s side took 10 points from the next five. When Liverpool play well, Mane is often the key.