Mo Salah and Sadio Mane have spent five years together with Liverpool but their recent battles against each other have taken their relationship to a new place.
Writing for BBC Sport, BBC Radio Mersyside’s Carl Woodward wrote an interesting piece on the ‘odd couple’ and he said: ‘After working together in recent weeks to keep Liverpool’s quest for an historic quadruple alive, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are set to become international rivals once again.
‘The duo share something of an ‘odd couple’ relationship which will continue over the next 10 days as Mane’s Senegal and Salah’s Egypt go head-to-head for a place at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
‘The first part of a trilogy between the two nations saw Mane convert the winning spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt in the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in February.
‘Moments after sealing his country’s first ever Nations Cup, Mane was seen with his arm around Salah’s shoulders as he consoled his Reds’ teammate in one of the most memorable images from the finals.
‘They might have been rivals on the pitch that night, but off the pitch they are friends after playing together at Liverpool for nearly five years, following Salah’s arrival from Roma in the summer of 2017.
‘That friendship has been put to the test domestically though, and strangely enough, their highly competitive attitudes have in recent years helped Liverpool become English, European and World champions’.
It’s hard to think how these battles away from Merseyside wouldn’t, even in some small way, affect the relationship between the attacking duo in our side.
Jurgen Klopp will work hard to keep the harmony but it does feel as though another victory for the Senegalese could seriously rock our No.11.
Let’s see what happens and how it pans out but the result could affect their relationship, performances and decisions on remaining with the club.
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