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As brilliant as Mohamed Salah was in his first season in Liverpool, battling through the Premier League’s defenses with luscious ease, making way for a record 32 goals in 36 games, Liverpool has been a more dominant team in both. seasons since then, in which Salah has combined for just six more goals in the league than just his first season.
Jürgen Klopp’s team reached the Champions League final in 2017/18 sometimes playing exciting football, tearing teams apart with fierce regularity. But it wasn’t until the team became more balanced and efficient across the field, offensively and defensively, that they became the winning mechanical machine that they are today.
In 2017/18 Sadio Mane provided 10 goals and seven assists in the league, a decent but not outrageous return. The next season, he tied Salah for league goals with 22. This season so far, Mane has 14 goals and seven assists. Salah only has a more combined goal and assist. And Liverpool have improved as a result.
They may have made it to the Champions League final in Salah’s incredible individual season, but they only finished fourth in the Premier League with 75 points. The following year, they racked up 97 points, finished behind a historically great Manchester City in one of the team’s best league campaigns, and were one more in the Champions League.
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This year has been even more unforgiving. If the season is played, Liverpool are on track to win the title with 107 points, which would break the City’s record of 100 points. Liverpool’s true greatness is due to the spread of responsibility. They are anything but a one-man team.
Even when penalties are eliminated, Mane jumps to 23rd in goal contributions without a penalty for 90 minutes, while Salah drops to 37th. Four city players are still ahead of Mane. In terms of expected goals of 90 and assists expected of 90, neither is in the top 20.
All this is to overlook the contributions of Roberto Firmino, the third point on Liverpool’s terrifying front three. The Brazilian does not provide the same dent in the statistics sheet as his partners, but his overall impact on matches is undeniable.
His liaison play, clever moves, and subtle dribbling skills are essential to Liverpool’s combinations in the final third. Mane and Salah would not be as prolific as they are without Firmino’s presence adrift.
This more balanced approach by the team and the attack should affect the way Liverpool views possible transfer targets, especially Timo Werner and Jadon Sancho.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool will have a chance to sign Werner’s long-term goal in a £ 44 million deal if RB Leipzig fails to win the title once the Bundesliga resumes. Bayern Munich are currently five points behind Leipzig, which is third.
Meanwhile, Sancho has also been a reported Liverpool target in the past, although Football Insider reported that while Klopp likes the player, the club is not interested in being involved in a bidding war. Neither should they.
In many ways, the pair represents the type of attacker who loves Klopp: a skillful, direct and skillful striker who can play broadly or centrally, attack and defend defenders, is lethal on the counterattack, can create opportunities and, what is crucial is prolific. But, crucially, they also dominate your team’s production.
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Of course, to suggest that Liverpool shouldn’t sign Werner or Sancho because they score too many goals would be ridiculous and somewhat funny. But the point of prioritizing team balance and ensuring that they fit into the system before their individual ability is important.
Many teams have signed great individual players in the past, but they never fit the team’s style. The results were awkward, to say the least. Klopp and Liverpool must ensure that every player they sign complements the system they have assembled so brilliantly in recent years.
Whether it’s Werner or Sancho, that player is up for debate. Given their numbers, it would be difficult to suggest that they don’t fit well. But as evidenced by the development of Salah, Mane and Liverpool’s more balanced attack, the team is better when the goal load is not loaded on a man’s shoulders.
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