“They lost Mane”- Liverpool told they will not finish in the top four this season

Bacary Sagna believes that Liverpool will not finish in the top four of the Premier League

Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna, while speaking to Lord Ping (h/t Liverpool Echo) believes that Liverpool will miss out on a top-four finish come the end of the season.

It has been a disappointing season for everyone involved with Liverpool and 2022 really represented a year of two halves.

In the first half of the year, we were competing for an unprecedented quadruple while the second half has seen us give up the title race by October while now are in danger of missing out on the top four.

Liverpool are currently sixth in the league and Sagna, who has made 267 Premier League appearances believe that the loss of Sadio Mane was too much for the club to handle.

“They lost Mane, a major player for them, and the way they started the season was terrible. This decline always happens to teams that have been at the top for such a long time, at some points you need to rebuild the team.

“When some players leave, you need a restart. It seems like they are trying to find their way again. They are doing a bit better but they are too far away from the top four.”

It is rather befitting that the absence of Mane is felt more than ever and the Senegal International was crucial in our impressive season last term.

His departure to FC Bayern Munich was to allow Luis Diaz to cement the position but with injuries taking their toll on the Colombian and adding Diogo Jota to the realm, it has certainly been not easy to replicate the impact left by Mane.

The fact that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been operating in the past few games from the left channel indicates the lack of proper personnel in the position if key players are sidelined due to injury.

Hopefully, the recent signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven was done to bring a level of stability and cohesiveness to push for a good season-ending come May.

Talisman Mohamed Salah needs help from other attackers to share the goal output and it is imperative that Klopp gets the forwards, especially Darwin Nunez, to get firing on all cylinders.

Nunez’s lovely goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup 3rd Round would certainly give him a much-needed boost and it would only be better for the player and team if he continues to thrive for chances and goals.

Next up is the league game against Brighton & Hove Albion, who are currently in eighth position with just one point behind Liverpool and a win for them pushes them above us in the table.

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Hence, it is crucial that we secure maximum points from the fixture and bolster our chance of finishing in the top four.