After collecting maximum points from their first four games, Liverpool were in for their first real test of the season when they travelled to London to face a very strong Tottenham side that had collected nine points from the same number of games. The same fixture last season ended 4-1 to Tottenham with Mohamed Salah scoring the only goal for Liverpool that day. However, Jurgen Klopp and his men seemed determined to make amends and played a terrific game on Saturday as they won 2-1 thanks to goals from Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino. The score flattered the hosts to be honest as Klopp's men should have scored at least five or six goals over and above their two and before they conceded a last minute consolation goal from Erik Lamela. However, the main talking point after the game wasn't the vital win for Liverpool. The club's fans and pundits agreed that something was wrong between Salah and Sadio Mane. Although the two African stars are known to be very close friends off the pitch especially last season when Mane played a huge role in helping Salah settle quickly into Liverpool, this year it seems they're not that close on the pitch. In the first few games, some fans seemed a little worried that both stars were not passing the ball a lot to each other. But the idea that something was off was quickly squashed given that Salah set up Mane against Palace in addition to giving him three key passes in the first four games while the Senegalese attacker also provided Salah with two cutting passes also in the first four games. However, against Tottenham the Liverpool duo seemed to be playing against, not with, each other to the extent that almost every prominent British Website highlighted that both players were extremely selfish and didn't pass the ball to each other at all. This was especially true of Mane who in one specific counterattack chose to pass the ball to Naby Keita on his left foot instead of giving it to Salah on his favourite left foot and who was completely unmarked inside the box. After the game everyone was talking and asking if there was something wrong between the two superstars. Firmino, on the other hand, has seemed at ease up front, and so far has put the team first even if it means he can go games without scoring, while Salah and Mane seem interested in scoring week in week out at all cost even if it means hurting the team in many cases as we saw against Tottenham and Leicester the week before. Klopp will surely have a word with his two stars to make sure there is nothing more than natural selfishness that comes with all great attackers these days. Last year, Liverpool's front three played for each other. None of them appeared to care who scored, as long as somebody did. That unselfishness was one of the biggest reasons that put Liverpool in the final of the Champions League. We surely hope there is nothing wrong between the two as Salah benefits big time from Mane. We surely don't want to see Salah in a situation where he has issues with any of his teammates. Liverpool's next game is against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday 18 September at home. Let's see if Salah can get another one over Neymar after edging him in FIFA's Best Player award this year. Just as important, the game will also test how well the dynamic duo of Salah and Mane will perform. 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The writer is a freelance journalist.
