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Why will this defender’s Anfield future be crucial for Liverpool?
Last month, Liverpool’s French centre-back Mamadou Sakho was suspended by both his club and UEFA after allegedly taking an illegal substance; thought to be a fat burner, in the aftermath Liverpool’s victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League.
Now however, it has emerged that the substance the 26-year-old took was not illegal after all, meaning Sakho no longer has to endure time on the side-lines.
It isn’t just the player that has suffered though from the suspension, as Liverpool have too. The centre-half was enjoying one of his strongest veins of form for the Reds since his transfer from Paris Saint Germain.
Scoring the equaliser in Liverpool’s emphatic win over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarter-finals and also hitting the back of the net in the following Merseyside derby, Sakho was becoming one of Liverpool’s most important players on and off the pitch. In this manner, the Frenchman joined fellow centre-back Dejan Lovren in finding some consistently good form as the pair forged a formidable partnership.
When the charismatic number 17 first played for Liverpool in 2013, he showed odd flashes of solidarity and good defensive play, but couldn’t string a run of consistent performances together. Under Jurgen Klopp he looked fresh and recharged, displacing previous fan favourite Martin Skrtel from the team, with the Slovakian now looking set to exit the club after a long spell on Merseyside.
However, it is off the pitch too where Mamadou Sakho is starting to make a difference.
Leadership is something that Liverpool have lacked the past year after long time skipper and club legend Steven Gerrard jetted off to Los Angeles to play his football in the MLS.
Replacing Gerrard as captain was Jordan Henderson, but as talented as the midfielder is, he doesn’t possess the same leadership skills or inspire his peers like Stevie did.
However, Sakho is one of the few personalities in Liverpool’s dressing room capable of leading the team, along with Henderson, James Milner and of course Jurgen Klopp. If The Reds are to become title challengers next season and beyond they need strong mental resilience and leaders on the pitch, making Sakho crucial for the club’s short and long term future.
In the Europa League final against Sevilla; which Sakho was unavailable for due to the ultimately incorrect drug-related suspension, what was notable from Liverpool’s performance is how they simply collapsed after the Spaniards cancelled out Daniel Sturridge’s first-half opener just seconds into the second period.
Of course, every team is going to feel slightly dejected and lose a little bit of confidence after conceding so early on, but Liverpool seemed to lack any fight and desire to launch themselves back on top of proceedings like they did against Borussia Dortmund in the previous stages of the competition.
The Anfield crowd certainly played its part in that comebacks for Liverpool, but the lack of leadership in Basel was evident compared to when the Reds had Sakho on the pitch.
Thankfully for the Anfield outfit though, they can now rely on his services again, which also relieves some pressure in this summer’s transfer window.
With Martin Skrtel looking increasingly destined to depart, the centre-back position was looking like a serious priority for Jurgen Klopp to bolster this summer, even with the arrival of Joel Matip on a pre-contract deal from Schalke.
Sakho’s return means even with Skrtel’s exit, Liverpool would have at least four centre-backs of first-team quality providing Kolo Toure stays on, and possibly even a fifth if Klopp decides to deploy returning youngster Joe Gomez in the middle of the back-line. There will even be healthy competition for positions with Lovren, Sakho and Matip all enjoying strong seasons in 2015/16.
Klopp may still look to bring in further additions to his defence over the next couple of months, but he can breathe a sigh of relief as one of his most crucial players is back to look to forge a new chapter in the rich history of the football
club.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Steve Mcmetha