When Liverpool needed a hero in Germany last night, forward Sadio Mane stepped up and produced a wonderful brace that put Bayern Munich to the sword.

The Reds 3-1 triumph has sent them into the quarter final stage of the Champions League.

Mane’s twists and turns left Bayern’s defence in his wake for the game’s opener. The Senegalese international then headed home a Mohamed Salah cross to put the tie out of sight.

In 2019, Egyptian superstar attacker Salah hasn’t been firing on all cylinders. Mo has looked sluggish in front of goal and seems void of the confidence that saw him reach the greatest of heights in 2018.

As Salah started to slump, in terms of grabbing goals, Mane has produced the goods that’s kept Jurgen Klopp’s men in the hunt for a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy.

In his last ten appearances for the Anfield side, Mane has banged in ten goals!

For the season, Sadio has scored sixteen league goals and a further three in Europe.

The forward has started most games out on the left-flank but Klopp’s tactics allow him to get into the box at almost every opportunity.

If it’s on the right-hand side with Salah or Trent Alexander-Arnold, then Mane can get into the box and look to convert a cross just as he did so successfully last night.

Even when it’s on the left wing, Sadio can lay it off to left-back Andrew Robertson and head into the box for any potential second ball that may arrive.

You then have Roberto Firmino playing centrally as the club’s number nine. The Brazilian will often work harder than his fellow attackers. That will see him either going deep to get on the ball, which creates space behind him for either Mane or Salah to run into. Or he can take their place out wide and that gives one of the wide-men the chance to run into a position inside the penalty area.

Mane has great pace and has shown this season that he has the composure to find the back of the net on a regular basis. Against Bayern, Manchester United and in the Champions League final last year against Real Madrid, Sadio showed that he is also a striker for the big occasions.

His top class performances for Liverpool are the reason why Klopp and the Reds hierarchy were determined to keep the star at the club. He cost the club £34m from Southampton in 2016 and that fee now looks like an absolute bargain!

In November, Liverpoolfc.com confirmed that the forward had signed a new long-term deal. The player himself stated his ambition was to win trophies with his current club:

“I am very happy, very happy to extend my time at Liverpool,” 

“It is a great day for me and now I am looking forward to everything – to helping the team, to helping the club achieve our dreams and, especially, to win trophies.”

That’s what Liverpool need. They need game changing players that are determined to succeed and bring trophies back to Anfield.

Liverpool seem to be on the edge of greatness. If they are to succeed then they will need a team full of heroes.

Sadio Mane is in the form of his life and he could be the player that produces the goods needed to see Liverpool win a major trophy come May!

 

 

Posted on March 14th, 2019 by scott
Filed under: Article