Mane is back to his best.
Jurgen Klopp has revealed that a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart with Sadio Mane helped the struggling Liverpool winger recapture his confidence.
Mane’s first season at Liverpool was ended by a knee injury against Everton but Klopp has said that a bad miss in December’s Merseyside derby also significantly affected the 25-year-old former Southampton ace.
“Of course we had talks,” Klopp said ahead of the Reds’ trip to Swansea on Monday night. “I cannot tell you what I told the player in a one-to-one meeting, but it was about what he did so far. Good, good, good, good, good. One or two things not that good, but the rest good. So let’s build on that and ignore the rest. That is how life is.
“You cannot think all the time about your mistakes because that makes no sense. You cannot forget all the good things. We are all a bit like that and sometimes people need help to realise again the good situation.”
It seems that, by getting Mane to focus on the positive side of his game while banishing the demons from the Everton game, Klopp has reinvigorated the player. Mane has looked back to his brilliant best recently, scoring a couple of excellent goals in the games against Burnley and Manchester City.
“I like to be honest and I don’t want to say Sadio was brilliant when he wasn’t. Everyone could see that he struggled a bit here, it didn’t look like it was too easy for him. After the Everton game when he didn’t pass the ball, everybody made a big criticism of him.
“I didn’t mention it to be honest. I didn’t mention it at half-time, I didn’t mention it after the game, it was not mentioned in any meeting because I saw in Sadio’s eyes that if he could turn the clock backwards he would do it.
“At that moment he was convinced he would score, he was a striker and a striker has to make a decision. I want him to make these decisions, but sometimes you have to accept that these decisions are wrong.”
It’s an impressive piece of man-management from Klopp. Simple, yes, but unquestionably effective. Instead of reminding the player of his mistake, he trusted that Mane had the resilience and character to put it behind him. Klopp understands that footballers are forced to make decisions rapidly and are not going to get it right every time. That’s the reality of it.
But Klopp’s pep talk has certainly had the desired effect. The confidence is oozing out of Mane once again and, as demonstrated against City, he can be a devastating outlet fort Liverpool while operating alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in a three-pronged attack.
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