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Liverpool are on the top at the moment, both in terms of the league table as well as their displays. Currently sitting 2 points clear at the helm of the Premier League, the club has won all 7 of their opening matches, which is a club record.
Much has been said about the team's deadly strike force in the last year or so. With Mohammad Salah having a tremendous opening season for the club, it was expected that he will be the team's talisman again this season. However, to no one's disappointment, another Liverpool star has stepped up to the plate to be the central figure at Anfield- his fellow African winger on the opposite flank, Sadio Mane.
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While you might have always considered Mane to be a quality player in his own regard, his contribution to the team was at times overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the Egyptian. While Salah completely blew everyone away with his goal tally of 32 last season, Mane matched his numbers in the Champions League by scoring 10 himself.
So, who has been the better player in the opening part of this season?
Attacking Threat
Both players opened the season with goals. While Salah got 1, Mane scored a brace. In the next game, Mane grabbed another, while Salah failed. In a league such as this where fan perception changes every passing week, Mane was seemingly taking over Salah's role.
The Egyptian however has closed the gap scoring three goals, and in the meantime, Mane got 4 to his name. Delving deeper into the statistics, Mane and Salah both have had 10 shots on target so far (Mane has 1 more if you count the Champions League). What is interesting to note is that Salah has had way more efforts (27 when compared to 19 from Mane).
The majority of these have been from outside the box. He has been blocked way more often as well. This shows that given his calibre, defenders pay way more attention to Salah as compared to the other Liverpool attackers. This might have even helped Mane to find space in attacking areas, and hence his efforts have mostly been from inside the box.
Salah and Mane have also had nearly equal aerial wins of the ball (7 and 5 respectively), something that is not a part of their game. Their strength though, is their mazy dribbling runs. Salah excels here with 30% more successful dribbles than his counterpart. Though he loses the ball far more often as well, having been dispossessed 18 times in the Premier League, as compared to Mane's 9.
There is obviously not much to choose here between the two players. The only takeaway is that Salah is a bigger risk-taker than Mane. With all his ability, it is all just a matter of his efforts paying off like they did last season.
Creativity
Salah trumps Mane in this department. The Egyptian has had 18 key passes in total so far when compared to 10 from Mane. These key passes directly/indirectly lead to a goal or a scoring opportunity. Also, Salah has grabbed 2 assists in the league, while Mane has none.
Even though Mane has a bigger number of accurate passes, they have been mostly non-incisive possession based passes. Salah, on the other hand, is always looking to find a way through the opposition defense.
Fantasy Premier League
For statistical purposes, we will take this game game into account since it directly takes into account the player's on-pitch performances.
Salah started at the highest priced player in the game at £13, while Mane was considerably lower at £9.5. The Senegalese winger gave some heavy point returns as he trumped Salah's scoring on more than 1 occasion. His current points total is 44 as compared to Salah's 37.
What is interesting to note that Mane has 8 bonus points in the game and Salah has none. This indicates that the game panel considers Mane to have had better in-game performances so far.
As a result, Mane has grown in considerably ownership as well as in price- currently at £10. Salah has in turn dropped to £12.9 and no longer is the most selected player in the game.
It might be unfair to judge on the two based on a game, but given the considerable player base, it shows the current perception of the footballing world in favour of the Senegalese. In defense of Salah however, he has still given a decent return on a regular basis and is only lacking a major game week to turn the tide in his favour.
Perception
Mohammad Salah set such high standards for himself last season that it was always going to be a herculean task to live up to them again this season. Even going three matches without a goal is considered a goal drought for the player. Also, if he ends up performing anything less than terrific in a game, he would be criticised.
Firmino probably saved him a lot of criticism by winning the game against PSG, because the Egyptian had looked underwhelming in that match.
Mane, on the other hand carries no such pressure. He is free to express himself on the opposite flank. He too now carries a three game goal drought, but not many are calling him out for it. His work on the left wing is often overlooked, but so are his mistakes. He has started the season brilliantly, but it remains to be seen if he can continue this run.
Verdict
At this point of the season, it is hard to choose between Mane and Salah. While the Egyptian is clearly a bit bogged down from all the expectations surrounding him, Mane is reveling as the underrated player in the squad.
Salah no longer has the element of surprise that he did last year. Opposition teams are now set up to stop him from playing, which makes it difficult for him to find the net as often he did last time. It then gives an opportunity to other players in the team to find more space and that is where Mane has blossomed.
Mane has set himself up as a 'fox in the box' sort of player, applying the finishing on most of the Liverpool attacks. Salah meanwhile has shown a lot more creativity to his game.
Comparing the stats, it is evident that Salah carries considerably more footballing quality. His first season does not seem to be a fluke given his constant attacking presence. It might be only a matter of time till he overtakes Mane in terms of goals again.
The Senegalese winger would need to continue his dazzling run till the very end of the season if he wishes to keep this debate alive- something that would not prove to be easy.
