Player Focus: Mané Proving to be Saints' Best Buy Before Inevitable Sale
It's always easy to overlook the underdog in the aftermath of a shock result - though just how much of a shock Southampton's win over this current Chelsea side was is up for debate - and that has perhaps been the case following Saints' victory at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho's 7-minute post-match rant has filled the column inches since, and while a number of poor individual showings from the hosts have been highlighted, Southampton's attack deserved great credit. A goal and 2 assists from Graziano Pellè earned the Italian a WhoScored rating of 9.06, though it was Sadio Mané - with whom the forward has developed a strong understanding - that pipped the 30-year old to the man of the match award (9.08 rating).
The Senegalese forward has been a revelation on the south coast since securing a move from Salzburg last summer, with his displays last season enough to draw strong interest from Manchester United. An apparent £30m price tag was ridiculed by many at the time, but after the 23-year old's start to the current campaign it would hard to argue that Mané wouldn’t earn a place earn a place in any Premier League side right now - arguably even ahead of £49m-man Raheem Sterling at City.
Going forwards Mané has it all and while his decision-making was arguably and understandably a little erratic as he adjusted to the rigours of the Premier League last season, the Saints winger has improved his composure in the final third. His aforementioned partnership with Pellè, whose form was patchy in his own debut campaign in England, will certainly be key to Koeman's side's aspirations this season, though just what they may be right now is unclear.
The pairing laid on one another's strikes in the capital at the weekend, with no assist to scorer combination leading to more goals in Europe’s top 5 leagues thus far than Mané to Pellè (3 times). The rapid winger has already bettered his tally of 3 assists from last season, with only David Silva and Wes Hoolahan registering more in the current campaign, and his pass selection has certainly improved.
A case in point saw Mané tee up Dusan Tadic for an effort that so nearly stretched Saints' lead to three at Stamford Bridge, and the episode summed up the very best of the flyer in full flow. Harrying opposition defenders - only six players have won possession more times in the attacking third this season (8) – Mané outmuscled Gary Cahill – despite the defender’s apparent physical advantage - and sped away from his opponent before cutting back for the Serbian, whose effort was eventually blocked by John Terry.
Mané's ability not only to breeze past players - only four have completed more dribbles this season (21) - but also compete physically with the league's strongest defenders is akin to that of Sergio Aguero, who also never shirks a battle. His willingness to do the dirty work is key to how this Southampton side are set up - at least when at their best - and has seen Mané draw 22 fouls this season, with only Andre Ayew felled more. He may fall theatrically at times, which is always frustrating, but Mané is far from soft.
Such an impressive start has led to a rating of 7.50 from WhoScored.com thus far, ranking 14th in the Premier League and representing a significant jump from the commendable score of 7.07 he attained in his first season at St. Mary's. His next goal contribution would take his tally to 20 for Southampton (12 goals, 7 assists), having started just 31 of his 38 league appearances for the club to date.
With no disrespect to the south coast club - who have become accustomed to being stripped of their prized assets in recent seasons - it seems abundantly clear that Mané is among those capable of playing at a higher level. It's easy to forget that he is just 23 given the relative ease with which he has adapted to England's top-flight from the modest surroundings of Austrian football. In turn his potential is remarkable given his physical and ever-improving technical attributes.
Southampton have seen a number of star players come and go beyond their return to England's top tier. However, since they were promoted to the top-flight in the 2012/13 season, Sadio Mané could yet prove to be the best of the lot. He certainly only seems likely to go from strength-to-strength after a superb start to the 2015/16 campaign.
Improving all the time, you can trade Mané's value with Buabook, the first player trading exchange based on detailed statistics
