Liverpool Must Make Most of Sadio Mane Before Africa Cup of Nations Departure
Having sealed a last-gasp victory away to Everton on Monday night, Liverpool head into Christmas in buoyant spirits, with their 1-0 win at Goodison Park not only lifting the mood on the red half of Merseyside but also improving the Reds' title hopes.
Jurgen Klopp's side have taken 37 points from their first 17 games, with only Roy Evans' side in 1996/97 (38) and Rafa Benitez's 2008/09 outfit (39) having more for Liverpool by Christmas since the Premier League's inception in 1992.
However, both Evans (19) and Benitez (18) had overseen more league games by that stage, underlining Klopp's squad as genuine title contenders—even though their average of points per game (2.18) suggests they will fall short.
In only two of the past 10 seasons—2010/11 and 2015/16—an eventual tally in line with this average (83) would have secured the title, and this is magnified by leaders Chelsea's own exceptional average (2.53).
Antonio Conte's Blues are current favourites to win the title, but with just six points between them and Liverpool in second place, Klopp's side have been handed a glimmer of hope for Christmas—and their bright form must be sustained if they are to catch up and continue their title bid.
Soon, however, they will be left without Monday night's match-winner, Sadio Mane, who will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of January.
This leaves Mane with three more club outings before he joins the Senegal squad in Gabon—at home to Stoke City (December 27) and Manchester City (December 31), and away to Sunderland (January 2)—and Liverpool need to maximise the 24-year-old's quality ahead of his costly exit.
When Mane signed for Liverpool, becoming Klopp's biggest signing of the summer—and the club's biggest since Christian Benteke, who left a disappointing legacy at Anfield—the £30 million spent to take him from Southampton represented something of a risk.
While the winger scored 25 goals and laid on 14 assists in 75 appearances for the Saints over two seasons, his exciting attacking play was marred by a troubling inconsistency.
In 2014/15, his first season at St. Mary's Stadium, Mane directly contributed to a goal in just 10 of his 30 league outings (33.3 percent), while in 2015/16, he scored or assisted in just 12 of 37 games in the English top flight (32.4 percent).
But he has so far surpassed this at Liverpool, with his late goal at Goodison—following up Daniel Sturridge's hopeful effort to tap home from close range in the 94th minute—serving as a perfect example of his importance.
While he shone under lower expectations on the south coast, Mane has taken on the burden of key status at a club with title ambitions and produced regularly, assimilating successfully within Klopp's system—vindicating the German's long-term interest from his time with Borussia Dortmund.
Mane has added much-needed pace to Klopp's forward line, along with the requisite blend of industry and creativity that has also made Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino pillars of Liverpool's attack.
With eight goals and seven assists in his first 18 games for the Reds, Mane has made a consistent start to the season, directly contributing to a goal in 56.3 percent of his appearances.
The No. 19 is both Liverpool's leading goalscorer and assist-maker, netting both home (five goals) and away (three goals), and he has also hit the squad's most match-winners in the Premier League (three).
The derby-day winner has further cemented his popularity within the Kop, with the forward who broke Robbie Fowler's hat-trick record now firmly established as a fan favourite, too.
This makes Mane's imminent departure all the more damaging for Liverpool as—unlike Joel Matip, who controversially withdrew himself from contention for Cameroon—he has answered the call from Senegal manager Aliou Cisse to represent his nation at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament is set to run from January 14 to February 5, with Senegal's final Group B game coming against Algeria on January 23, and as Mane will leave Merseyside after the trip to the Stadium of Light, this could see him miss up to eight games:
- Plymouth Argyle (H), FA Cup third round: January 8
- Southampton (A), EFL Cup semi-final first leg: January 11
- Manchester United (A), Premier League: January 15
- Swansea City (H), Premier League: January 21
- Southampton (H), EFL Cup semi-final, second leg: January 25
- TBC, FA Cup fourth round: January 28/29
- Chelsea (H), Premier League: January 31
- Hull City (A), Premier League: February 4
This includes both clashes with former club Southampton in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and crucial Premier League clashes with leaders Chelsea and rivals Manchester United—with victory in both essential.
However, Liverpool's next three games before Mane's departure includes another must-win encounter, with Manchester City's trip to Anfield on New Year's Eve arguably serving as the Reds' most important game of the season so far.
With Mane standing as Liverpool's most prolific goalscorer, creative talent and, vitally, match-winner in the league, his presence in the starting lineup against Stoke, City and Sunderland is key.
Against City in particular, whose defence have struggled for cohesion under Pep Guardiola so far, the Senegalese's tempo-shifting pace and ability to break the lines with high-intensity football will play a crucial role in Klopp's attacking system.
Furthermore, with both Coutinho and Sturridge still working their way back to fitness this winter, Klopp is desperate for able bodies in attack, and Mane's performances before leaving for Gabon can relieve the pressure.
Victory over Stoke, City and Sunderland—with Chelsea playing Bournemouth, Stoke and Tottenham Hotspur over the same stretch—can boost Liverpool's hope of bridging the gap at the top of the Premier League table.
"It will not be easy for me to go with Senegal next month," Mane told reporters ahead of his departure, "I would love to carry on playing with my team-mates and help my team, but I think they will understand because it is my country and it is my dream. I will be wishing them good luck, but without me the team will be the same. Even better I think. They will cope."
With Coutinho and Sturridge returning in the coming weeks, this is correct to an extent—though reports from the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce suggesting Klopp is interested in signing VfL Wolfsburg's Julian Draxler underline his desire for further quality—for now, Liverpool need Mane.
If Liverpool are to challenge for the title this season, Mane will be pivotal to their efforts, and before he sets off for the Africa Cup of Nations, Klopp can hope for three more influential displays from his £30 million man.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.co.uk. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow Jack on Twitter—@jacklusby—and Facebook here.
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