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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Graeme Souness observation explains why Jurgen Klopp had no choice but to sell Sadio Mane

Pep Guardiola reportedly once claimed: "There is nothing more risky than not taking any risks."

Some would argue his rival Jurgen Klopp found that out the hard way, with his handling of Sadio Mane, which is in complete contrast to the way Guardiola runs things at Manchester City.

Moments define matches, seasons and even legacies. The ability to recognise when a player isn't pulling quite as hard in the same direction as his teammates is part of what makes great managers truly great. It can be a sliding doors moment, get it wrong and your side can suffer repercussions that hinder them in the long run.

For example, Graeme Souness once claimed that Mane's timid reaction to a tussle with Rob Holding concerned him, as he seemed to imply there had been some kind of mentality shift within the Senegal international.

Souness was speaking after Arsenal got the better of a Liverpool side that had already won their first Premier League title earlier on in the campaign back in 2020, as he blasted: "A telltale sign is Mane's had a bit of a wrestle up with Holding a couple of times coming off Mane has a big smile on his face.

"Normal circumstances Mane goes to war with you, he’s not smiling at you - he can’t wait for the second half to start to get after you again and that tells you where they are, they are in their armchairs."

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Graeme Souness' scathing review of Sadio Mane now makes for interesting reading (Sky Sports)

Almost exactly two years on from Souness' comments, Mane was sold to German giants Bayern Munich. He left a club legend, but there is an argument to be made the remarks represent a weakness of Klopp's.

The German doesn't seem to possess the same ruthless streak as his City counterpart, who has overseen the departure of a number of high-profile figures within his squad during his illustrious Etihad reign.

Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and most recently Joao Cancelo have all been shown the exit door despite being viewed as important figures within the dressing room.

In contrast, much of Liverpool's squad have been in the side for many years. Jordan Henderson arrived at Anfield in 2011, Andy Robertson in 2017 and while both Roberto Firmino and James Milner have departed in the last few weeks, both spent eight years in the first-team.

For the most part, Klopp's unwavering loyalty to his players has served him well, but Souness' scathing comments may be an example of one of the rare occasions the Liverpool boss could have pulled the trigger sooner.

A huge summer awaits the Reds and Klopp will have to make some big calls on both incomings and more outgoings if Liverpool are to bounce back from a disappointing season last time out, in which they missed out on Champions League qualification.

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