Sadio Mane is without a doubt one of the best players to emerge under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
He had it all. Mane was rapid, strong, technically sound, clinical and just the worst matchup you could ask for as a right-back. Some would even argue that the Senegal star, at his peak, was even more devastating than Mohamed Salah.
Whatever the case, those two thrived together at Anfield alongside Bobby Firmino, but there was something about the polished nature of Mane’s game that has stuck with Klopp all these years.
Form aside, is this a better XI on paper than what we’ll see tonight? 🤔
Liverpool splashed the cash this summer…
PSG vs Liverpool 2025
PSG vs Liverpool 2025
He discussed his former star forward with Peter Crouch.
Jurgen Klopp was blown away by Sadio Mane’s completeness
Klopp knows as well as anyone that Liverpool’s success while he was at the helm wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of a front three that are right up there with the best we’ve seen in the Premier League.
Firmino was the middle-man, the connector, the enabler of the two wide men. Salah was Mr. Consistency, always sniffing for a goal and coming up with the goods more often than not.
Mane was somewhere in between. He wasn’t as silky as the Brazilian, but he was often the one to start the play, using his almost-supernatural strength and speed to drive Liverpool up the pitch.
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Klopp valued that, as he explained on That Peter Crouch Podcast: “Sadio surprised me every day. Sadio was the complete player.
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“So the last few months of when he was here, he was not in the best shape, stuff like this. So he played the false nine. How he interpreted that role, Woah, I thought okay, we have only one of these positions. We cannot play both. It was fine that one played wing. Complete player”.
The German is suggesting that Mane could have easily been the Firmino of the side if necessary. When he did play centrally for Liverpool, he looked like an elite centre-forward.
Looking at this season’s side, many have suggested that Liverpool are missing Luis Diaz, and it’s a fair point. But Mane was even more of a danger.
Should Liverpool have tried harder to keep Sadio Mane?
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Final
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“Liverpool was like home, it was my comfort zone. So, I thought let’s try something because I have won almost everything here.”
Sadio Mane on why he left Liverpool
Slot prime Mane into Slot’s side now on that left flank, with the attacking talent Liverpool have brought in — that would be something to behold.
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