Reds legend says Liverpool new-boy is perfect Klopp player

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Ex-Liverpool man John Barnes believes new-boy Sadio Mane is the perfect Jurgen Klopp player, as he likes to play a very similar style of football to that played at Dortmund under the German manager, as per talkSPORT.

Barnes also had plenty to say on the manager himself, and insists that he wasn’t judging Klopp or Liverpool on last season particularly, as Klopp only took over part way into the campaign.

This season will be entirely different however, and after his first pre-season with the club and a full campaign, we’ll really get to see Klopp putting his stamp on things.

“The Liverpool situation for me is similar to the England situation,” Barnes said.

“When he [Klopp] came in I said I wouldn’t judge him this year, as it’s not his team and he needs five or six weeks to put a strategy in place.

“So I didn’t get carried away when they played really well against Manchester City or Chelsea, and I didn’t get carried away when they played really badly and lost.

“But this year I’ll be more demanding.”

That’s an entirely reasonable approach, as managers need time to not only get the team playing their way, but also need the opportunity to bring in their own players. Klopp now has that opportunity, and one of the players he chose to bring in was Southampton’s Sadio Mane.

“I think he’s had a fantastic season at Southampton and he is a Jurgen Klopp type player,” Barnes added.

“If you look at what he did at Dortmund, he likes quick, counter-attacking, fast players. You don’t have to be the best technically, but you have to be fit, strong and quick.

“So he is a typical Klopp type player.”

Mane certainly is all those things, but you’d also argue that he is technically excellent too. He certainly has a trick or two up his sleeve, and offers something we really didn’t already have at the club.

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This season definitely will be a big one for Klopp and the players, and hopefully we kick on and continue to see the improvements Klopp has been slowly introducing.

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