Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is well aware he isn’t playing as well as he typically does this season and has offered a scathing critique of his own performances.
Speaking to French outlet Canal +, the Senegal international explained he isn’t sure why he’s out-of-form this term.
“This is the worst season of my career. I have to admit it,” Mane said, before scoring in the 2-0 win over Southampton last weekend.
“If you ask me what is wrong I will struggle to give you an answer. Personally, I don’t know. I have always tried to be positive, whether things are going well or badly. I question myself all the time.
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“I even underwent a test to take a look at my body. Am I eating the right foods, or has everything changed? But they checked the test results, and everything is fine.
“I need to understand that in life there are ups and downs. I will keep on working hard – and perhaps in time this situation will pass.”
We at Empire of the Kop feel quite bad for Sadio – that he thought there must be something wrong with his body, so he underwent a test to find a non-existent problem.
Mane isn’t alone in underperforming this season, with only Mo Salah, Andy Robertson and perhaps Fabinho the only players standing out.
As a matter of near-fact, Liverpool will be back to their best next season – with fans back inside Anfield and Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson all fit again – and that includes Mane, who is undoubtedly still one of the best players in the world.
Why do folk keep talking about Matip as some sort of solution?
He can’t be relied on to be fit or stay fit.
Gomez will have to be eased back and even then it would be more suprising if he didn’t pick up a number of muscle injuries or something that keeps him out for 3-4 months.
4th series injury by the age of 23 is not good.
Injury records of current players and definitely players we’re considering signing need to be much higher on the list of considerations and priorities, or this disaster of a season will have taught us nothing and will have been for nothing.