More switching might be worth a try, but I wouldn't play him at centre forward. He wouldn't get more freedom there, he'd get less, and that IMO is why he's never looked as dangerous there as he does out wide.
Mane's form, again
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More switching might be worth a try, but I wouldn't play him at centre forward. He wouldn't get more freedom there, he'd get less, and that IMO is why he's never looked as dangerous there as he does out wide.
Yeah, I admit that I was a bit harsh about Mane, but he is playing in another position now and looks like a totally different player.
Also it's easy to look back and be all high and mighty now but the criticism was warranted at the time. This upturn in his performance level is partly due to Diaz and Thiago "balling" too.
Also it's easy to look back and be all high and mighty now but the criticism was warranted at the time. This upturn in his performance level is partly due to Diaz and Thiago "balling" too.
I don’t disagree that left is the best place and last night’s performance may, hopefully, make any discussion of what to do about Salah, moot.
But, he is a smart runner, like Mané, and from the middle, he could run wide to each side or down the middle. At worst, he could pull defenders all over the place as they try to deny him any space. This happens now, but the space he vacates in on the wing for TAA or Hendo to fill. Creating space down the middle,would be more helpful. We see Mané doing that now and creating opportunities for Diaz and Mo. Mo has just been missing a bunch until last night.
I see the theory, but it's been tried before and hasn't worked that well in practice. I love Mo as we all do, but Sadio's better at playing that role than he's ever been.
What a stat!
Clearly such stats don't apply to Liverpool legends! It sounds like a lucky break for Rafa Jnr that they've brought in that ban on beating your children in Wales.
I agree Mane generally needs to more love from the fanbase. I think there is some reasonable differences between the Salah and Mane form though.
Mo's performances have only recently declined in terms of goals - his performances have always ranged from good to decent, and it's only been for an number of weeks since AFCON. You can easily write it off as some burnout and mental fatigue, mixed in with some disappointment at the AFCON/WC qualifiers, etc. Salah was never really bothered, knowing it would all come back.
In contrast, Mane really hasn't look quite the same since contracting COVID and there was signs of decline in all areas - from first touch, acceleration, passing, finishing. etc. Not huge drop offs, but enough to be notable at an elite level. Mane was concerned and on record saying he didn't understand it and was arranging private tests in an attempt to understand what was happening to his body. I'm not sure if he's just finally free from long COVID, whether the move to the centre has refreshed him, or whether he's riding a wave of confidence following AFCON, but he seems fully back.
In addition we're being forced into some tough decisions due to contracts expiring, Salah's wage demands, and the speed at which Jota and Diaz have hit the ground running. We're benefitting that Klopp never doubted Mane and still sees him as his go-to player in the big games, but I wouldn't have be surprised if there were some talks about the club regarding Mane's future role with us at some level. We've signed 2 left-sided attacking players since the decline in Mane's explosiveness became more apparent, so I think there was an acceptance we needed fresh legs in the wider areas, whilst Klopp strongly backed Mane to be able thrive in the striker role. It's all coming up roses right now and I'm sure many are hoping we can tie them down and keep this attacking unit together for the next 2-3 years.
I think the switch has done him a world of good. He’ll be using his legs less and acting more on instinct. When he was dire early in the season he had time and space and couldn’t do anything right.
Judging by his interview after the United game Mo was really surprised by the quality of that pass from Mane for the goal. "You've given me so many god-awful shitty passes over the years, but turns out you can do THIS?" (that's not what he said, but what I think he surely thought to himself).
It’s a good job your patience isn’t as limited as Xpert XI Team - poor lad would have barely finished saying “John Barnes is…” before being banned from the PS and sent to bed with bl I supper.
Sign him up for Xpert XI so he can experience the joy of beating you at that.
Ditto - on all counts.
Thank you lord of the quad for Mané. Salah and Jota have stunk the place out recently.
He also played a lovely assist against Utd. Doesnt look to selfish imho. Dont think he was the problem yesterday either as it was more a full team effort that didnt work.
Whilst it was technically an assist, it wasn’t really.
Diaz has come in, stolen his spot and pushed him down the pecking order.
He's getting less game time and at times looks a little more desperate to impress when he comes on now.
I don't know if he's trying harder, as every game recently he's been very much on the periphery. I think his confidence has taken a massive hit because he's not the name the boss turns to when the teams struggling.
Players go through ups and downs in form, Jota and Salah are currently going through theirs. Luckily for us, Salah is still a superb outlet and a thorn in oppositions sides when he's 'off form', unfortunately for Jota, his game is based around his lethality in the box, so he looks like a paper weight when he's out of form. It's all temporary though, he's only been sub par a few weeks, and his purple patch will come again in no time. Luckily for us, we have an outrageous front four, a capable fifth, and a cultural icon of a sixth, that allows us to rotate and manage these 'dips' in form without it really effecting the side.
I don’t think we should hold last night against Jota in any way, everyone was utter shite in the first half and the game clearly didn’t go the way we expected so we traded a finisher for something a bit different.
That being said he needs more game time for sharpness/confidence and he has found himself outside out the core run in group so he might not get it this season.
That being said he needs more game time for sharpness/confidence and he has found himself outside out the core run in group so he might not get it this season.
Indeed. Against Villarreal it wasn't happening at all, either through the centre or out left. As soon as Diaz came on both positions were invigorated.
LOL @ 6CM
Mane has a few shit games. Mane's going downhill. Time to sell. Mane goes on a scoring streak. We all love Mane. My fav player.
Salah has a few shit games. Salah's overrated. Sell to the highest bidder. Salah scores a few worldlies. We are so blessed to have the Egyptian King. Deserves his Ballon'dOr.
Jota has a few shit games. What's up with him ? He's unreliable long term. Jota scores a hattrick in the CL final. OMG. Best player in the world. Love him to bits.
Divock has more than a few shit games. That's Divock for you innit. Divock scores a comical goal. Let's build him a statue. xxx
So after careful analysis from forumites' responses, it's safe to conclude that the lesser a player plays, yet scores at pivotal moments, the more likeable and well received he'd be on 6CM.
Mane has a few shit games. Mane's going downhill. Time to sell. Mane goes on a scoring streak. We all love Mane. My fav player.
Salah has a few shit games. Salah's overrated. Sell to the highest bidder. Salah scores a few worldlies. We are so blessed to have the Egyptian King. Deserves his Ballon'dOr.
Jota has a few shit games. What's up with him ? He's unreliable long term. Jota scores a hattrick in the CL final. OMG. Best player in the world. Love him to bits.
Divock has more than a few shit games. That's Divock for you innit. Divock scores a comical goal. Let's build him a statue. xxx
So after careful analysis from forumites' responses, it's safe to conclude that the lesser a player plays, yet scores at pivotal moments, the more likeable and well received he'd be on 6CM.
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