There was friction within African football’s most beloved double act this weekend, as Sadio Mane’s frustrations with Mohamed Salah boiled over, although there’s been plenty of success for the continent’s stars in Europe’s major leagues this past week.
Mane’s displeasure with his teammate came within the context of another resounding Liverpool victory, with the Senegal forward netting the Reds’ second in a 3-0 win at Burnley.
Mane played a key role in another fine Reds performance, as they maintained their 100 percent start to the new campaign and secured a club-record 13th successive league win in the process.
The 27-year-old’s second goal of the season came via a Roberto Firmino assist, as the Brazilian exposed space in the Burnley half, dribbled to the edge of the box and played in Mane, who snapped his shot beyond Nick Pope.nfl nike jersey cheap
Earlier, the attacker had played in Salah for a fine chance, only for the Egyptian to strike the woodwork, although the latter didn’t return the favour late on when he opted to go for goal himself, rather than tee up Mane.
The West African reacted emotively after being replaced, gesticulating furiously to teammates and not hiding his anguish at perceived selfish play on the part of Salah.
In another context, this act would be perceived as a gross display of dissent, but in this Liverpool machine, it’s being read as a testament to the side’s hunger and single-mindedness under Jurgen Klopp.
Certainly, the coach opted to play down Mane’s frustrations post-match.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
“I could describe five or six situations where everyone thought, ‘pass it, pass it, pass it’,” Klopp told journalists, as per the Metro. “That is the freedom of the player.
“The boys have to make these decisions: pass the ball, don’t pass the ball,” he added. “We can make this mistakes. You can lose the ball and mis-kick the ball, or sometimes you cannot see your teammate.
“It is not that you ignore him. Sometimes to us it looks like you must see him but you don’t. It’s not a big challenge, but of course with a striker always you can have this.
“What you do depends on the situation,” the German coach concluded. “We will leave it 100 percent because we won 3-0, and everyone goes away in different directions. In one week, I don’t think I will talk about it again.”
Credit must also go to Joel Matip, one of the unsung heroes of this Liverpool side, who cleared an Ashley Barnes effort off the line with the scores level, ensuring the contest didn’t turn against the visitors.
Also in the Premier League, Alex Iwobi scored his second goal in a week for Everton as they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2, with new Ivory Coast call-up Willy Boly seeing red in stoppage time.
