Garth Crooks has questioned Jurgen Klopp’s decision to play Sadio Mane in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Burnley yesterday.
Crooks was writing for his “Team of the Week” column on BBC Sport. After including Fabinho in the team, the pundit labelled the Liverpool manager’s decision to play Mane “a mystery”
“Why Sadio Mane started this game, so soon after his exploits in the Africa Cup of Nations, is a mystery to me, especially as Diogo Jota is in such good form,” wrote Crooks.
“If anyone needs a break Mane does.”
Does he have a point
It is possibly true that Mane could do with a little rest. Yesterday’s game was only a week on from the gruelling 120 minute AFCON final against Egypt.
All the resulting travel and celebrations have likely taken it out of the man who Liverpool signed for £34m in 2016.
New signing Luis Diaz also showed what he was capable of during Thursday night’s win over Leicester City. Some may have expected him to start here.
But if Crooks had been paying attention, he would know that Klopp acknowledged all of this during his post-match press conference yesterday.
“As I said before (the game), it was not the plan to start him (Mane) today because we know how intense everything was, but Diogo had a dead leg and couldn’t train yesterday, so we started Sadio,” Klopp said via liverpoolfc.com.
“Luis (Diaz) has adapted really well but this is a completely different game, like a ‘Welcome to the Premier League’, so we didn’t want to try it if we didn’t need it so that’s why we started like we started – and Sad did really well.”
Mystery solved then, Garth!
How did Mane do
Mane started brightly on the left-hand side of Liverpool’s attack. He will no doubt be eager to give a reminder of his qualities after Diaz’s dazzling debut on Thursday.
He had a good opportunity which he fired straight at Nick Pope, and then visibly faded as the game went on.
Klopp finally made the decision to replace him with 20 minutes or so left. Jota came in what was likely a role-reversal of the manager’s initial plan.
With Mane, Jota and Diaz all now fit, Klopp faces a big call of who to play in Wednesday’s Champions League game against Inter Milan.
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