"We also played bad games with Sadio" - Jurgen Klopp hits back at claims that Liverpool's poor form is due to Mane's departure
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed claims that the Reds' poor form this season is due to the departure of Sadio Mane.
The Senegal international put an end to his six-year association with the Merseyside giants this summer, making the switch to Bayern Munich.
His former club, meanwhile, have endured a difficult start to their campaign which has led to suggestions that the Reds are struggling following Mane's exit.
Klopp has made it clear that it is only natural for the Reds to miss a player of Mane's caliber, but that is not the reason behind their poor form.
The German manager has insisted that even when the AFCON winner was at the club, the Merseyside giants had poor spells. He told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 ahead of their 2-1 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday (September 13), as quoted by the Mirror:
“Sadio is a world class player. It was always clear that we were going to miss him.
Liverpool haven't been the same without Sadio Mane 😟 https://t.co/N8QFAn3dTM
“But this is not our problem now. Unfortunately, we also played bad games with Sadio. Not ‘so’ bad, but bad."
Klopp has also assured Liverpool fans that he has addressed the loss of Mane and that the team will bounce back. He added:
“I especially understand that the Liverpool fans want to discuss it, want solutions and things like that.
"But trust me, we have worked on solutions, and now we have the opportunity to show that we have understood it, and that we will react.”
Mane made a bright start to life at Bayern Munich, scoring four goals in his first four games for the Bavarian giants. However, his form has dipped since and as he has failed to find the back of the net in each of his last four matches.
The former Liverpool winger was substituted by Julian Nagelsmann before the 70th minute in a 2-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Liverpool have responded quite well following their 4-1 hammering by Napoli
Liverpool were completely torn apart by Napoli last week in their first group stage game of the Champions League. The Reds lost 4-1 to the Serie A giants but the scoreline could have been a lot worse.
However, Klopp's side looked a lot improved as they defeated Ajax 2-1 at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Diogo Jota vs Ajax:
100% tackles won
100% dribbles completed
100% crosses completed
6/6 ground duels won
3 fouls won
2 chances created
1 assist
He may not have scored, but what an underrated shift he's put in. Kudos. https://t.co/kAAsY4ngRD
Mohamed Salah scored his fourth goal of the season with Mohammed Kudus scoring the equalizer for the Dutch giants.
Joel Matip scored a late winner for his side as the Merseysiders secured a much-needed three points.
With Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota back from injuries, the Reds look on course for a recovery after their poor start to the campaign.