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Carragher: Mane is Liverpool's best wide player in 30 years

Jamie Carragher has lavished Sadio Mane with high praise, comparing him with a Reds legend of the past and saying he is more irreplaceable in terms of Liverpool's title prospects than Mo Salah.

Carragher was speaking on Sky Sports' Monday night Football and left no one under any illusion to how highly he rates the Senegal international.

 

The Liverpool Echo reported Carragher as saying;

"I think sometimes he goes under the radar. 

"You talk about Salah and the goalkeeper (Allison) and the impact these players have had, he's (Mane) the best wide player Liverpool have had in 30 years. You have to go back to John Barnes since Liverpool have had a player like Mane.

 

"That is big because John Barnes is in my top five or six players to have ever played for Liverpool."

His fellow pundit Gary Neville then asked the legendary Liverpool defender that if he had to choose one of Salah or Mane to miss the key games of the title run-in, which one would it be.

Once again Carra did not hesitate.

"Salah. They have the same amount of goals. I'm a massive fan of Mane.

"Mane is the one that got Liverpool back. 

"He was Jurgen Klopp's first big signing. He's been there from the very start."

 

mane3_600.jpg
 

Carragher knows first hand about the pressure of a title run-in, having lived through it in 2008/9.

In that season, just like this current campaign, the Reds proved a very tough team to beat losing just two games. The current side have lost just once and have some pretty good football betting odds to win the title this season.

However, in 2009 it was the inability to break down well organised defences which led to costly draws that was the main issue, and they eventually finished four points behind Man United.

Carragher said that Mane was just the type of player which would have proved the difference during that season.

"We didn't have a wide player in 2009. 

"If you look at the teams that win the title, the wide players stand out massively. If we'd had Mane in 2009, I think we would have won the league."

Carragher is also a big believer of setting the tone in matches. It's all very well getting a double when your team is already 3-0 up, but which player is going to do the hard yards in putting your team on the path of victory.

Carragher said Mane has been the main man in that regard.

"Going through Liverpool's last eleven games and in the first four, Mane got the first goal." 

"There are only two other Liverpool players who have scored the first goal in those eleven matches (Roberto Firmino vs Burnley and Tottenham and Naby Keita against Southhampton).

"That's how vital Mane is."

While the overall impact of Salah over the past two seasons is indisputable, without Mane's goals over the past two months, City would be home and hosed in the title race.

Once an unsung hero, Sadio is now getting the recognition he truly deserves.

 

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36 minutes ago, The Guest said:

I’ll trust my own eyes and judgement over some Opta nerd who’s probably never got off his couch and been given some cushy job because his dad knows one of the directors.

Or you could take both in consideration and not act like you're some all-seeing genius when watching games when in reality you think Salah is a greedy cunt who should be playing on the left swinging crosses in.

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Top of my head - pennant, finnan, riise, Bellamy, Cisse. There’s more than that.

 

Not sure why you’re finding it such a struggle to believe. He was great, but an absolute moaner. Not very humble either.

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28 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

What are we arguing about now?


The importance of Salah compared to Mane.

I'm just pointing out the numbers to those who think Mane is more important.

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Mane is absolutely top class, every facet of his game, pace, touch, 2 footed, boss in the air, unpredictable, great tackler and winning the ball back and a massive pair of balls on him. We are blessed to have him.

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On 17/04/2019 at 14:53, moof said:

They’re both fucking awesome. Genuinely wouldn’t trade them in for any other wide player. Even that little monobrow cunt at Chelsea. 

Mane, Firmino, Salah

vs

Coutinho, Suarez, Sterling?

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6 minutes ago, viRdjil said:

Which do you think is a better forward line?

Th... the current lot, mate

 

its a difficult choice because Suárez at his peak elevates any forward line and sterling has become pretty fuckin good. But I’ll take mane salah firmino, I just like the way they work together - they compliment each other’s game terrifically 

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I found this a bit interesting. it shows how many goals players have scored home and away and in total obviously.

Mane has scored just 4 goals away from home in the league, I was not aware of that to be honest. 

Kane, Vardy and Mo in the top 3 for away goals.

 

1 Sergio Agüero 19 15 4 28 14 14 0.68 1.07 0.29 Manchester City
1 Mohamed Salah 19 11 8 34 17 17 0.56 0.65 0.47 Liverpool
3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 18 11 7 32 17 15 0.56 0.65 0.47 Arsenal
3 Sadio Mané 18 14 4 32 17 15 0.56 0.82 0.27 Liverpool
5 Harry Kane 17 6 11 28 12 16 0.61 0.50 0.69 Tottenham
5 Raheem Sterling 17 12 5 29 14 15 0.59 0.86 0.33 Manchester City
7 Eden Hazard 16 11 5 33 17 16 0.48 0.65 0.31 Chelsea
8 Jamie Vardy 15 6 9 30 15 15 0.50 0.40 0.60 Leicester
9 Alexandre Lacazette 13 9 4 31 17 14 0.42 0.53 0.29 Arsenal
9 Paul Pogba 13 10 3 30 15 15 0.43 0.67 0.20 Manchester United
11 Roberto Firmino 12 7 5 33 16 17 0.36 0.44 0.29 Liverpool
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Was just reading a stat that said, of players with 9 goals or more, he's got the best goals to games ratio of any Liverpool player in the CL / European Cup.

 

23 games, 15 goals.

 

Considering he starts from a wide position, and never plays up top like Mo has at times, that's a great return against top class opposition.

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2 hours ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

Was just reading a stat that said, of players with 9 goals or more, he's got the best goals to games ratio of any Liverpool player in the CL / European Cup.

 

23 games, 15 goals.

 

Considering he starts from a wide position, and never plays up top like Mo has at times, that's a great return against top class opposition.


Hmm where did you read that mate?

I think these are the correct numbers.

Europe Salah:
CL 17/18: 12 (1) - 10 goals, 4 assists
CL 18/19: 10 (0) - 4 goals, 2 assists

Europe Mane:
CL 17/18: 11 (0) - 10 goals, 1 assist
CL 18/19: 10 (0) - 4 goals, 1 assist

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27 minutes ago, Code said:


Hmm where did you read that mate?

I think these are the correct numbers.

Europe Salah:
CL 17/18: 12 (1) - 10 goals, 4 assists
CL 18/19: 10 (0) - 4 goals, 2 assists

Europe Mane:
CL 17/18: 11 (0) - 10 goals, 1 assist
CL 18/19: 10 (0) - 4 goals, 1 assist

It popped up on Twitter. Just checked and you're right; no idea where they got the extra games and goal from, as even if they include the qualifiers he didn't score.

 

Although looking on transfermarkt, they've got Mo down for five assists last season, and Mané down for three. 

 

The correct stats, as you listed, actually give Mané a slightly better goals per game ratio than the ones I posted.

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6 hours ago, Code said:

I found this a bit interesting. it shows how many goals players have scored home and away and in total obviously.

Mane has scored just 4 goals away from home in the league, I was not aware of that to be honest. 

Kane, Vardy and Mo in the top 3 for away goals.

 

1 Sergio Agüero 19 15 4 28 14 14 0.68 1.07 0.29 Manchester City
1 Mohamed Salah 19 11 8 34 17 17 0.56 0.65 0.47 Liverpool
3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 18 11 7 32 17 15 0.56 0.65 0.47 Arsenal
3 Sadio Mané 18 14 4 32 17 15 0.56 0.82 0.27 Liverpool
5 Harry Kane 17 6 11 28 12 16 0.61 0.50 0.69 Tottenham
5 Raheem Sterling 17 12 5 29 14 15 0.59 0.86 0.33 Manchester City
7 Eden Hazard 16 11 5 33 17 16 0.48 0.65 0.31 Chelsea
8 Jamie Vardy 15 6 9 30 15 15 0.50 0.40 0.60 Leicester
9 Alexandre Lacazette 13 9 4 31 17 14 0.42 0.53 0.29 Arsenal
9 Paul Pogba 13 10 3 30 15 15 0.43 0.67 0.20 Manchester United
11 Roberto Firmino 12 7 5 33 16 17 0.36 0.44 0.29 Liverpool

Salah is a better counter-attacking player, whereas Mane is the more likely player to score when we have more of the ball. Seems fair.

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