Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp urges Sadio Mane to keep his cool and make his opponents pay with the quality of his football… after Atletico Madrid tried to get the star sent-off in their Champions League clash
- Klopp has urged Sadio Mane to keep his cool when opponents try to wind him up
- The boss says that he should make them pay with the quality of his football
- Klopp had to take Mane off in a Champions League game against Atletico
- The Spanish giants were trying to get Mane sent-off during the European clash
Jurgen Klopp has urged Sadio Mane to keep his cool when opponents try to wind him up and make them pay with the quality of his football.
The Senegal international has been excellent this season, his form perhaps going under the radar as Mohamed Salah has set off at such a blistering pace, and that has led some teams attempting to provoke a reaction from him in tense moments.
Klopp was forced to take Mane off in a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid when the Spaniards tried to get him sent-off while Liverpool’s manager became involved in a furious row with Mikel Arteta last weekend after Arsenal’s bench appealed for action to be taken against Mane.
Jurgen Klopp (left) has urged Sadio Mane (right) to keep his cool when opponents wind him up
Mane has it within his character to be combustible but Klopp has spoken to him about the rough treatment he has received and explained the best way to handle the attention is by continuing his run of scoring important goals.
‘Even when it was not obvious to the outside, you can see it in games they go for him because they want to wind him up,’ said Klopp.
‘But it is two different things; one is to make Sadio to be really aggressive during the game, we saw that against Flamenco in the Club World Cup final.
Mane’s form has perhaps gone under the radar given Mohamed Salah’s blistering form
Klopp was forced to take Mane off in a Champions League game against Atletico Madrid
‘Rafina wanted to go for him after he caused them some problems when we played Bayern in the Champions League, it was obvious from the first second. It was really hard and Sadio is having a discussion with him: “what do you want?’ fouling him and getting up and saying it was nothing.
‘But Sadio is now of an age where he is much better at that. Not that emotional any more but yes we’ve had these talks, of course, but that was not about that.
‘The headline is “we pay back with football”. So, whatever we do, we pay them back with football.’
The Liverpool manager was involved in a furious row with Mikel Arteta last weekend
Mane has scored nine goals so far this season and his importance in the five years he has been at Anfield, since leaving Southampton, cannot be understated. His form dipped last season but Klopp feels he has benefitted from having a proper summer break and pre-season.
‘I will speak about that until the next 20 years but the authorities will not change it,’ said Klopp. ‘So that is really tough for the boys. But this year Mo and Sadio had a proper break and at the moment, so far, we are getting the benefit of that.’
‘I will speak about that until the next 20 years but the authorities will not change it,’ said Klopp. ‘So that is really tough for the boys. But this year Mo and Sadio had a proper break and at the moment, so far, we are getting the benefit of that.’
