Sadio Mane doesn’t think he’s going to get tired during the frenetic December schedule.
Our no.10 has been in sublime form this season, scoring a total of 12 goals already – a pretty incredible return from a genuine left winger.
Liverpool have just been made aware that Fabinho will be absent for the whole of December, which is fairly devastating news – so there is a suggestion in some quarters that Jurgen Klopp will need to rotate to avoid the possibility of it happening to anyone else…
But Mane is adamant he can play every game without much trouble!
“Honestly, I think it is all in the head,” the Senegal international told the Guardian. “The tiredness is in the head, so as long as the body recovers well I think it is not difficult for us to play every single game. If the team needs us, and the coach needs us, I think we will be able to play and help the team. I am here to work every single day and to be ready to go again every single day.
“At the end of last season I was really fresh. You could see that because I was there to score goals, and I scored the goals! I cannot complain. I just have to say I was really fresh and enjoying it – I think all the players were fresh because we were successful. You just have to be as professional as you can.
“I always say to win games and win trophies motivates players all the time. If we can win the Club World Cup then it will give us more momentum. Hopefully we are going to win it and give us another blast of high energy to go again for the rest of the season.”
It’s a terrific attitude from Mane, but what else would we expect?
He’s not only our most important attacker and top goalscorer – but a wonderful member of the dressing room in terms of his dedication and the example he sets to team-mates.
Mane will start v Brighton at the weekend, along with Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah – but it’s the supply from midfield we’re now a little worried about.
In fairness, it’s the fullbacks who do most of the work in that respect, and hopefully Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can prove a capable replacement for Fab – with either Jordan Henderson or Gini Wijnaldum dropping to no.6.