Liverpool’s Sadio Mane may MISS OUT in revenge mission against Aston Villa

Sadio Mane could be left out of Liverpool‘s revenge mission against Aston Villa after Jurgen Klopp recognised there is an issue with his form.

The Senegal international has been one of Liverpool’s most important players since he arrived at the club in 2016 but his impact this season has been way short of what has come to be expected of him – he has only scored seven Premier League goals, the last of which was on January 28.

Mane has had a hectic schedule over the past three campaigns but Klopp insists physical fatigue has nothing to do with the way he has struggled; Liverpool’s manager has alluded to an issue with his confidence and expects one good performance will change the tide.

Whether that happens on Saturday against Villa, though, is in doubt as Klopp has Roberto Firmino fully fit again and is considering playing the Brazilian alongside Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota as Liverpool seek to correct the 7-2 defeat they suffered in Birmingham last October.

‘We all know how good Sadio Mane is, what a player he is and what he did for us,’ said Klopp. ‘But obviously the numbers scoring-wise are not great at the moment and he knows that. For a player with the mind-set of Sadio, he wants to do extremely well. But this is the situation he is in.

‘Each striker in the world knows these kind of situations. I’m not concerned but I see it as well (that his form isn’t the best), it’s clear. We work on it. It’s the only answer I can give. The schedule over the last three years was for a lot of players in world football a tough one.

‘For him, as well, that’s true, but I don’t think that’s the reason. There is no physical problem for Sadio, not a real one – we all need breaks from time to time, that is clear – but it’s not a general problem.

‘It’s just the situation. If you don’t score for a while, then strikers start thinking. There is a moment when you start thinking exactly the right things again and then it will be fine again. We have to make sure this time is not too far away.’ 

Another Liverpool player with question to answer about his form is Naby Keita. The Guinea midfielder was substituted four minutes before half-time during Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, a stark admission that his surprise his inclusion had not worked.

Keita has struggled to live up to the big billing he was given when arriving from RB Leipzig in 2018 but Klopp has spoken to him about the reasons why he took him off. He wouldn’t, however, offer any indication when the 26-year-old will start again.

‘That’s all settled – how we line up against Villa has nothing to do with that,’ said Klopp. ‘Yes, maybe it’s right or not (that he gets a quick chance to play). If possible, we will see. That’s it, pretty much. I have spoken to Naby.’