Former Manchester United full back Gary Neville has blasted Liverpool forward Sadio Mane for his performance in the 0-0 stalemate with the Red Devils at Old Trafford on Sunday.
In a key clash in race for the Premier League top four and title itself, the two bitter rivals played out a somewhat drab affair in Manchester, with the hosts hampered by three first half injuries and the visitors struggling to string any of their usually slick passing moves together.
And a big part of that difficulty was the ineffectiveness of Sadio Mane, according to Neville. As quoted by the Daily Express, the Sky Sports pundit proclaimed: “Mane, I’ve never seen him as poor in terms of his passing without any pressure on him.”
“I think Jurgen Klopp set up to be a little bit more pragmatic with the selection of obviously [Jordan] Henderson in midfield and Fabinho. I think then the adjustment needs to come when you see Manchester United’s problems in the first half."
The 44-year-old was surprised by Jurgen Klopp's decision making during the game, especially regarding the choice of Daniel Sturridge to replace the injured Roberto Firmino, admitting: “I was surprised by the substitution of Sturridge. I thought [Mohamed] Salah would have gone up top and [Xherdan] Shaqiri would have come on because he’s the one who can unlock and show that little bit of composure in the final third.
“So I think that was the disappointing thing for Liverpool, the final third play was really poor.”
Firmino - the key to it all? https://t.co/FqN7cpSs0X
— 90min (@90min_Football) February 25, 2019
However he did acknowledge there was a big plus for the Reds, adding: “I think Liverpool’s big thing, I said before the game, is they’ve got to stop being vulnerable.”
“To get a clean sheet against Bayern Munich and to get a clean sheet at Manchester United away, I think is a big achievement in terms of where they were against Leicester and West Ham, where they looked like they could concede chances.
“So that’s a positive for Liverpool.”
Source : 90min