'Team Player' Mané Joins Consistency Chorus

Sadio Mané — although no great dancer or celebrater — has proven himself an absolute treasure on the pitch. The 24-year old has already ensured this will be his fifth straight season notching double digit league goals from the wide position, and immediately established himself as a crucial cog in Jürgen Klopp's first team machinery. His elite-level speed, direct running and willingness to penetrate beyond the opposition's defensive line provides a dimension the Reds were sorely lacking before his arrival, and — although they haven't been perfect since his return — his absence left a void in the side, as they won one, drew two, and lost four during his AFCoN campaign with Senegal.

Mané himself, having recently been voted Liverpool's player of the month for February, doesn't want to place himself above any of his team-mates.

“Honestly, I’m a player who doesn’t give importance to these kinds of things. I’m a team player,” the attacker responded when asked if he had reached any personal goal scoring targets for the season. “The only important thing, always, is to score goals for the team and so the team wins. That’s what is always important for us, not whether Adam scores, or I score, or Philippe scores or someone else. The more important thing is the three points."

The way the front four have shared the goals and assists around — combining for 34 goals and 21 assists so far this season — suggests that egotism is not a defining trait in the group. What has seemed to haunt not just the attackers, but the whole team in general, however, is inconsistency. Massive performances against top six rivals have been canceled out by lackluster displays versus teams near the bottom of the table. On the back of an impressive demolition of Arsenal, and with a rematch against Burnley — who handed the Reds their first loss of the season at Anfield back in August — coming up, it is only natural for Liverpool fans to begin their ritualistic gnashing of teeth.

Chill Sadio Mané won't join in, but believes he has the tonic, adding his voice to James Milner and Adam Lallana in calling for consistency. Hopefully, his calls won't fall on deaf ears.