Alisson Becker has praised Sadio Mane and says Luis Diaz’s arrival in the winter transfer window has had a positive effect on the Senegal attacker.
While the former Southampton star hasn’t consistently been at his best this season, he has exploded into life in 2022 and is leading the Liverpool attack at the moment.
His FA Cup semi-final brace against Manchester City means he has scored against the Blues in all competitions this term after he scored in each of the Reds’ Premier League encounters with Pep Guardiola’s men.
Mane helped his country win the AFCON and booked Senegal’s spot in the Qatar World Cup while having already won the Carabao Cup with Liverpool. He’s now helped his teammates to another sem-final and a final in a week.
His return of 18 goals isn’t his best ever but it’s already more than last season (16) and if his purple patch continues until the end of the season, he could match or better his tally of 26 scored in 2018/19.
He moved to Anfield for £34m and is clearly thriving on the competition from Luis Diaz as he has 12 goals for club and country in 2022 and while he’s not as quick as he used to be, his positioning and movement are still world-class.
Kyle Walker learned that the hard way when Mane darted in behind him at the Etihad to finish Mohamed Salah’s perfectly weighted pass first time to earn Liverpool a point in the title race.
Alisson Becker, who has been the Reds’ most consistent performer this season, told the Athletic that Mane’s versatility, quality and goalscoring ability have helped him fight for his place in the side since Diaz joined for €60m in the summer.
“Sadio is an amazing player,” Alisson said. “He can play everywhere.
“Diaz is now playing more on the outside of the pitch where Sadio played for most of his career.
“But Sadio has shown he can play as a No 9 too.
“In that role, he’s freer to move everywhere. He has so much quality and he’s contributing a lot for us, scoring goals and creating situations.
“There’s a healthy competition here that helps to bring up the level.”
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