Liverpool’s start to the 22/23 Premier League season has been nothing short of a disaster after they failed to win any of their first three games.
After two draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace, Jurgen Klopp’s men produced a tame effort at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Monday night.
Erik ten Hag’s side were better in every single department as goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford secured a 2-1 win for the Red Devils.
It has been quite a turbulent start to the season for Liverpool, with their ever growing injury list a real concern for the Anfield club.
However, the main problem is the fact that they have lost talisman Sadio Mane, who was sold to Bayern Munich in the summer.
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Mane, along with Mohamed Salah have been Liverpool’s go to men as they battled for the top honours in the last few seasons. The pair wreaked havoc every time they stepped onto the pitch. The debate has always been which one of Mane or Salah is more important in Klopp's team. And it looks like we have the answer.
With Mane gone, the Liverpool attack look flat, less energetic and less dangerous.
Back in 2020, former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher was asked whether he would lose Salah or Mane for the rest of the Premier League season. The former centre back chose Salah, which surprised fellow pundit Gary Neville.
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Carragher said on Monday Night Football: “They've got the same amount of goals and I'm a massive fan of Mane. People talk about Jurgen Klopp and the signing of Salah, which has been unbelievable, and [Virgil] van Dijk, but Mane was the one that got Liverpool back up there.
“He [Mane] was Klopp's first big signing and he was the one that got Liverpool back into the top four, the next season was the Champions League final and this season is challenging for the title.”
He added: “It's not just the goals Mane is scoring, it's the importance of the goals...You go through Liverpool's last 11 games and Mane gets the first goal in the top four games.”
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These comments from Carragher have now resurfaced after Liverpool’s difficult start and it sounds like Carragher was right. The Reds have only scored four goals so far this season, whilst Mane alone has scored three in the Bundesliga already. Mane often popped up for Liverpool at a time of desperate need, the Senegal international has scored some of the most important goals in the Klopp era. The void left by Mane is going to be hard to fill.
Darwin Nunez is yet to settle into the Liverpool side and Diogo Jota remains injured. This could be a long and tough season for the Anfield club.
Was it a mistake to let Mane go? Only time will tell.
Topics: Liverpool, Sadio Mane, Jamie Carragher
Marcus Chan