Liverpool expose limitations of Villarreal
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp hailed Sadio Mane's versatility after the Senegal forward scored to help his side secure a 2-0 win over Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Mane, again playing in a more central role like he did in Premier League wins over Manchester United and Everton, scored in the 55th minute, shortly after an own goal had given Liverpool a second-half lead. Read full story
The 30-year-old has scored 20 goals in 44 appearances for Liverpool this season, including six in his last seven, as the club seek to secure an unprecedented quadruple.
"He can play left, he can play central, both positions world class," said Klopp. He also added that Mane could be in line to win the Ballon d'Or if Liverpool win the Champions League.
"If you are not (Lionel) Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo you have to win probably the Champions League, which we didn't do yet so give us a few more weeks and then we will see where we end up," he said.
There is no dispute that Villarreal deserve their place in the semi-final of the Champions League but Wednesday's defeat exposed their limitations and limited options when faced with key injuries.
Spanish coach Unai Emery has rightly won plaudits for the way he has turned a collection of relatively modest and low-cost players into a last-four team in Europe's top club competition.
By knocking out Juventus and Bayern Munich in the previous rounds, Emery showed that his side's smart defending and effective counter-attacking could cause problems for clubs with far more illustrious histories.
The Villarreal coach was described by Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp before this tie as the 'King of the Cups' and he does indeed have a remarkable record in knockout competition.
Emery won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and triumphed in the same competition with Villarreal last season, beating Manchester United in the final. He won four domestic cups with Paris St Germain.
While the Spaniard's time in charge at Arsenal was a disappointment, he still managed to take the London club to the Europa League final in 2019.
Plenty of teams in Spain and Europe can attest to how frustrating it can be to play against a defence so expertly marshalled by Pau Torres with a deep three-man midfield providing a line of protection to the back four.
For the opening 45 minutes at Anfield, there were indications that the approach might work but what was missing was the counter-attacking threat that is such a vital part of the gameplan.
Without key striker Gerard Moreno to partner him, Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma was less of a danger than he has shown with his six goals in the competition this season.
Moreno's influence is such that Villarreal are unbeaten in this year's Champions League when he is on the field. He was missing for both defeats against Manchester United in the group stage.
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