The loss of key men over time is an inevitable part of the world of football and, indeed, of any sport, although there is no doubt that some teams adapt better than others to the loss of a star player.
Sadio Mane’s departure in the summer window that just ended has been repeatedly mentioned in front of fans’ faces as an explanation for some of Liverpool’s poor performances this term, as was the case with Peter Crouch (Mirror) and Garth Crooks (BBC). , for instance.
Danny Murphy, however, wasn’t about to consider such justification for a second, with the former Red instead noting “complacency and lack of focus.”
“I think the Mane thing is just an excuse, and maybe the players can hide behind it,” the 45-year-old told talkSPORT. “I do not agree with Mane’s point. You miss the quality, but leaving is not the reason why the back players don’t follow the runners or they disengage, that’s complacency and lack of concentration.
(Video) Liverpool fans will have their heads in their hands at Trent’s total lack of effort for Napoli’s second goal
Trent Alexander-Arnold was arguably to blame for the second goal conceded in Napoli
READ MORE: Murphy fears ‘fantastic’ Liverpool star may have injury as he is a shadow of his former self
Make no mistake: the loss of our former number 10 will have hurt Jurgen Klopp’s men ahead of the start of the 2022/23 campaign, although we can hardly fault the level of investment provided (£64m up front, to be precise). ) to source a successor in Darwin Núñez.
In any case, it is very difficult to imagine, if Mane had chosen to remain in the red Liverpool, how and where exactly he would have made the difference against Napoli.
The refusal to be flexible with the high line while the midfield doesn’t look as compact, as Jamie Carragher rightly pointed out on CBS, has meant that the defense sometimes fails to make up for underperforming department, leading to a multitude of Moments in which Luciano Spalletti’s men pushed their way into our back line as if there was a complete lack of world-class operators in the back four.
#Ep58 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Qualifying Liverpool’s UCL group, making a new signing… and more!
