Liverpool were one of the only teams in the top half of the table to win in the Premier League at the weekend, and it meant the climbed to joint top of the table.
Their brilliant campaign so far continued – and the scoreline of 2-1 flattered West Brom in all honesty. Liverpool fans have Sadio Mane to thank for getting the 3 points though. The summer signing crucially found the net once and assisted the other goal to help Klopp’s men secure 3 points.
Beyond the goal and assist though, there were some more impressive stats from the former Southampton man. He made 3 key passes and completed 80% of his passes overall, not a bad % for a wide man. He’s only 24 and the only thing I would say that needs definite improvement is his consistency. Mane needs to deliver these kind of performances week in week out to realise his world class potential and perhaps earn the tag of ‘signing of the season’.
Here’s how the fans reacted on Twitter. His goal on the day was particularly impressive, and now many fans are labelling him as a bargain at £30million – perhaps even the signing of the summer. Is that OTT?
Liverpool signed Firmino, Mane, Milner, Matip, Coutinho, Origi and Karius for less than United signed Pogba for.
What a time to be alive.
— SH (@Sennesation) October 24, 2016
@Wilshoholic Mane quality signing, one of the signings of the summer. Always seems to do well against us LOL
— JordinhoJordan (@JordinhoJordan2) October 22, 2016
MANE!!! Quality goal. Fantastic assist from Firmino too and a brilliant finish. 1-0!
— Shanta Firmino (@Coppin_LFC) October 22, 2016
The Klopp Effect: our new signings are actually playing well. Matip amazing, Mane incredible, Karius looking a little shaky but still good
— Conor (@GucciGrujic) October 22, 2016
What a signing Sadio Mane is proving to be. Incredible asset. He’s worth £60M plus now at least. pic.twitter.com/dBrP4Lxr3K
— Dave O’Connell (@DaveOCKOP) October 22, 2016
Mané is incredible man, Liverpool’s best player in my honest opinion
— ️️ (@MADVILLAlNY) October 22, 2016
So is Mane the signing of the season? I think it’s far too early to be saying things like that. One thing his early form does show us though is that he can hack it at a big club in Liverpool, contrary to what many initially thought. It also shows that those who initially labelled Mane as overpriced were completely wrong. In this market, if £30million can buy you a player of Mane’s quality then you’ve done pretty well.
Mane and Klopp appear the perfect fit. The player has great pace and desire about him to win the ball back quickly and his dynamic attacking approach makes him unpredictable for defenders, and there is nothing that Jurgen loves more than just that.
