Player Review
96 - TOTS
Yes, I have scored Sadio Mane 10 for Defending. When I packed his card in an untradeable reward pack, I thought he would take on the role of ultimate goalscorer, cutting inside from the left to hopefully bang one in. Instead, he took on the role of ultimate left-sided CDM. It's so bizarre. No matter what instruction I give Mane, he spends every second I'm not on the ball in CDM alongside Rodri TOTS. In his first 8 games, he scored 6 goals. In his next 39 games - 1 goal. 1. He refused to attack. By luck, I discovered the issue was Wissam Ben Yedder. Positioned at LCAM beside Mane, his H/H workrates appear to have been stopping the Senegalese from advancing past the halfway line. My LCAM now has M/M workrates (Rui Costa), and Mane is revitalised. He has scored 21 goals in his last 46 games, which is much more like it. He still drifts into LCDM every game, where he is exceptional, but he now fulfils his LM role, and often pops up in ST to stick home cut-backs. It's his defensive capabilites that amaze me though. He wins aerial duels, his interceptions are better than any defender I've used with the exception of Prime Hierro, his tackles are accurate and clean, his tracking into the box is game-saving. I don't know why he plays as he does, but I hope he never changes.
Interceptions!
4* Weakfoot
Shotpower
Dribbling
Finessed finishes
Close range finishes
Heading ability
Went 41 games without scoring
Physicality can cause him to give away penalties unintentionally