Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Arsene Wenger, Liverpool
Alfie Culshaw
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has cited the loss of Sadio Mane as a potential factor contributing to Liverpool’s early season struggles.
The Reds have endured an inconsistent beginning to the new campaign, as they currently sit 9th on ten points, eleven behind league leaders Arsenal.
Saturday’s game against Brighton was another frustrating day at the office for Jurgen Klopp, as his side conceded a late equaliser against the Seagulls as the game ended 3-3.
Leandro Trossard’s early brace gave the visitors a two-goal cushion, before the Merseysiders turned it around with a double from Roberto Firmino and an own goal from Adam Webster.
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Trossard completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute as Alisson Becker failed to keep his back post effort out.
Speaking to beIN Sports, Wenger spoke of Darwin Nunez’s inability to settle quickly in England and the loss of Sadio Mane as reasons for Liverpool’s poor form.
“It’s difficult to understand,” he said. “They have the same core (group of players), same type of game.
“They are less efficient in winning the ball back than before. Nunez, at the moment, hasn’t worked out for them and they made a big investment. He’s sitting on the bench.
“They lost Mane, who was a top level, big game player. He had something (about him), aggressive attitude and determination. He’d score no matter what happens, he’d make things happen.
“It’s difficult to measure how much (his departure) takes away. They miss something they had before.”
Mane scored 23 goals for the Reds last season, and 120 across his Liverpool career, so it is likely the team are indeed feeling the loss of such a goalscoring presence.
Comparatively, Nunez has yet to start firing in front of goal on Merseyside, having netted just twice in his first seven games for his new club.
While Roberto Firmino has taken some of the goalscoring burden, scoring five times already this season, Nunez and Mohamed Salah are yet to get going on this front.
Klopp will need to start extracting more from some of his forward players, otherwise this could be a difficult campaign for the German manager.