Sadio Mané is delivering for Liverpool right now after Jurgen Klopp’s tactical tweak. The Reds have another brilliant option.
Liverpool put themselves in a strange position when they signed Luis Diaz in January. It meant the squad now had three natural left-wingers – Diaz, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mané.
Jota and Mané had been a ‘problem’ already, of course. Liverpool fixed that by moving Jota centrally and rotating him with Roberto Firmino. That way, Mané could stay on the left and Jota could play through the middle.
But with Diaz’s arrival, Liverpool found themselves with the same issue. This time, however, Jurgen Klopp decided to move Mané into the middle. It’s a tweak that looks like genius.
Sadio Mané thrives for Liverpool
Moving Jota centrally was a fairly easy decision. He was learning his way with the Reds anyway and didn’t have a set position.
Mané is very different, though, having played from the left ever since Mohamed Salah arrived at the club. Liverpool built their wildly successful side with him there and moving him was a risk. Here’s a player who they can rely on as a winger and now Klopp is asking him to learn a new role, taking that reliability away.
But Liverpool have seen an incredible return. Per Whoscoed, Mané now has six goals in seven games as a centre-forward, all while delivering the pressing and playmaking that the team needs from the role.
Klopp even trusted him there against Benfica in midweek – a massive game for the club. Mané has been great in the position since game number one, admittedly, but this was the first demonstration of complete trust in the role.
Liverpool now have another front-three option, adding even more versatility to their incredible attack. And it’s one Klopp might just turn to again on Sunday.
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