Jurgen Klopp has outlined his approach with Sadio Mane after the winger’s very short pre-season. It should get the best out of the winger.
Mane only arrived back to Liverpool after the Community Shield defeat to Manchester City. His African Cup of Nations commitments limited his pre-season dramatically, yet he’s featuring plenty at the start of this season.
Mane played just 16 minutes of the Premier League opener against Norwich but featured for the full 90 against both Chelsea and Southampton. Another 77 minutes followed against Arsenal, begging the question – is Klopp overusing Mane?
“We try [to rest him]. I did today [v Arsenal],” said Klopp, per the Echo. “I took him off, and I think if I am 100 percent right then Sadio doesn’t have to go away on international duty with his national team after Burnley which will help him, and then after that, we have a full week to prepare the next opponent.”
Those two weeks off should be absolutely vital and it leaves little room for criticism over the approach Klopp is using with Mane. It explains why Liverpool have used him so much since his return, too – he’ll get a break when others won’t.
Carragher on Klopp & Mane
Jamie Carragher recently questioned the use of Mane, believing Liverpool are over-reliant on their £34m signing. He’s scored three goals already this season and added an assist, making it easy to ask those questions.
Are Liverpool running him into the ground because they need him? Apparently not and Klopp has hopefully erased those fears with his comments.
They’re simply taking advantage of the rest he’ll get in a few weeks, allowing intensity now in the knowledge he can recover. Honestly, that might even be preferable to having that extra week or two in pre-season.
Mane should be a little fresher than the rest, recovering from the fast-paced start when other top players can’t. It’s an approach that may just give him a little edge over the next month.
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