Alan Shearer has praised Sadio Mane after claiming the Barcelona defence did not know how to handle the Senegalese winger in their Champions League semi-final.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage of the game, Shearer claimed the Spaniard’s defence were bamboozled by Mane and his quality up front, saying: “They don’t know whether to go tight on him or sit off and at the moment they’re doing neither. He is causing them all sorts of problems.”
"Barcelona are worried about Mane"
No Salah and no Firmino, but Mane is still causing the Catalans all sorts of problems, according to @AlanShearer.#LFC 1-0 #FCB (1-3 agg)
? Follow 5 Live Final Score: https://t.co/7Eo0MmbERv #LIVBAR #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/fdsG21Eezm
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) May 7, 2019
Before the game there was a lot of pressure on Mane’s shoulders with his usual partners Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino sidelined through injuries.
Mane had a great start to the game and Liverpool’s early pressure was rewarded when Divock Origi opened the scoring at Anfield.
OPINION
Sadio Mane would have known before this game that his influence in the attacking third would be key to Liverpool’s success in this fixture. With Salah and Firmino injured, Mane’s pace on the ball is key to the success of his side. Having said this, the winger would have also believed that Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri are good enough to help Jurgen Klopp’s men in their task to overturn a three goal deficit. Shearer is definitely right, Mane caused Barcelona great issues in the first half with his direct runs on the ball and his tenacity in pressing and trying to get the ball back by harassing the back four of Barcelona when they had possession. That aspect of his game was vital in the first half as it never allowed Barcelona to start attacks through their passing and made them counter attack after Liverpool had gone forward. Shearer made the point that Barcelona do not know how to handle Mane whether he goes in behind or drops deep for the ball and that is key to Liverpool’s attacking play and the more unpredictable Mane is, the more chance Klopp’s men have to beat their opponents.
