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da poker： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has named his latest Premier League Team of the Weekend, and he had a warning for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
What did he say?
Well, following Sadio Mane’s brilliant goal and assist in the 2-1 win against Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday, the Reds attacker made it into Crooks’ best XI – alongside Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Norwich City hat-trick hero Teemu Pukki up top.
The Senegal international gave the visitors the lead with a brilliant curling effort from outside the area, before setting up Roberto Firmino for what proved to be a crucial second goal in the second half.
Crooks told BBC Sport: “The Senegal international was on top of his game again after a hectic summer of football in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“While there has been talk of Mane not getting sufficient time off to recuperate from the tournament, he looked sharper and fitter than anyone else on the field against Southampton.
“Jurgen Klopp needs to be very careful not to overplay Mane. If he does and loses the player through injury, he could live to regret it.”
Is he right?
He certainly is.
As the same article reports, no other Premier League player has scored more goals than Mane’s total of 15 in 2019, and he completely overshadowed Mo Salah on the south coast at the weekend.
It appears as though the 27-year-old African is the Merseyside outfit’s form forward at the moment even if Firmino did get on the score-sheet against Saints, and given his exertions over the summer he will need that rest and recuperation time, too.
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Klopp showed that he is aware of the situation as with Mane not starting against Norwich on the opening day, but he may well need to utilise the likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri on the left wing in the coming weeks to prevent any potential burnout or injuries flaring up.
As Crooks says, should they lose Mane now they would indeed live to regret it.
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