Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has claimed that Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane is ‘the man’ at the club, not Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino.
The Senegal star is in the midst of a stunning run of form, highlighted by his exceptional brace against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Nicholas believes the 26-year-old will help lead his team to a 3-0 victory at Fulham on Sunday.
“A fantastic result in Munich could come at a cost,” he wrote on the Sky Sports website. “Yes, you’re in the draw and you deserve to be there, but it wasn’t a good performance. Bayern were terrible, Liverpool were just a shade better. Sadio Mane is the man, not Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino.
“Virgil van Dijk and Mane are the two getting them through this situation and I’m not convinced with their midfield either but I think Fulham are gone also [with Huddersfield]. I’m expecting Salah to get back on the scoresheet this weekend. I think it will be a fairly comfortable statement [by Liverpool] and it will be a statement of intent to say to Man City ‘we’re not going away’.”
OPINION
It would certainly be a good time for Salah to get back among the goals. He has struggled recently and, even though he impressed against Bayern, he’ll want to get back on the scoresheet as quickly as possible. This game gives him a golden opportunity to do just that because Fulham can’t defend for their lives. As for Mane, he is certainly the man(e) of the moment for Liverpool. His two goals in mid week were incredibly well-taken and he is absolutely flying at the moment. It’s going to be a real struggle for the Cottagers to contain him on Sunday. As Nicholas says, it’s him and Van Dijk who have stepped up to lead Liverpool through a rock stage of the season and credit must go to the two of them for doing so. As for not being convinced with the Reds’ midfield, that’s probably a fair statement, as it’s certainly the weakest area of the team right now. However, Jurgen Klopp’s side should have more than enough in midfield and everywhere else to brush Fulham aside on Sunday.
