Andoni Iraola’s side host Liverpool on Saturday and look like one of the league leaders’ toughest away assignments At any time in the Premier League, there is a model club to follow. In recent years such a label has been attached to Brentford and Brighton. Before that Southampton’s managerial recruitment and scouting network was feasted on, Mauricio Pochettino moving on to manage Tottenham before Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mané and Adam Lallana also left to join Liverpool and became Champions League and Premier League winners there. This year’s model? Undoubtedly Bournemouth, Liverpool’s seventh-placed opponents on Saturday, replete with candidates for Anfield’s next rebuild. Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson phased out for Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez? Simple, ideal solutions – the young Spaniard and Hungarian have been outstanding this season – but in this era of tightened profit and sustainability, perhaps beyond the realms of financial feasibility. The £65m Tottenham were asked to pay for Dominic Solanke last summer is an indicator of how hard a bargain a club owned by Texan billionaire Bill Foley are likely to drive. Continue reading...

Former Liverpool star and current Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mane has been speaking about the future and having children with his wife, Aisha Tamba, one year on from their wedding

Mohamed Salah is enjoying a stunning season as he propels Liverpool towards the title, but he;s being ably supported in attack by two of the Reds' other stars

Sadio Mane began his career with Generation Foot in his native Senegal, and the Dakar club have been embracing technology to help spotlight talents of the future

Sadio Mane is now considered one of the best forwards in the world, but Shane Long has admitted that he thought the Senegalese international was "horrendous" after arriving at Southampton in 2014

The departure of Aliou Cisse as Senegal boss after almost a decade in charge and unprecedented success was "very sad", says top official Augustin Senghor.

Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane won trophies together at the club as part of a brilliant attack, but a new book claims their relationship was poor

Aliou Cisse leaves his role as coach of Senegal's national side after a nine-and-a-half-year spell which included winning the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Chelsea's work in the final third during their 3-0 win over West Ham caught the eye of Joe Cole, who made a bold statement by comparing them to a brilliant Liverpool trio

Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane became a big player during Jurgen Klopp's time at the helm, but he failed to impress some people during his early days at Southampton

The worst aspect of VAR is the way it has persuaded fans and pundits there can be absolutely clarity over every decisionSign up to Jonathan’s weekly newsletter here Fine margins. A little more than five years ago at the Etihad, John Stones belted a clearance into Ederson and then, as it rebounded towards the line, lunged to hook the ball away. Had it gone in? Liverpool appealed. The referee Anthony Taylor looked at his wrist monitor. No goal. The Goal Decision System ruled the whole of the ball had been 11.7mm from crossing the whole of the line. Liverpool were denied an opener, went on to lose 2-1 and their lead at the top of the table was cut to four points. Pep Guardiola went on to win his second Premier League title. In that same game, Sadio Mané had a shot that hit the inside of the post and stayed out, while Leroy Sane’s winner hit the inside of the post and went in. In either case, 11.7mm might have proved decisive, changing the angle at which the ball came off the upright, but it was the goalline technology that is remembered. Refereeing decisions have a habit of lingering in the mind (even when, despite what some claimed in the moment, using shadows and theoretical geometry and pouring scorn on ballistic experts with the conviction of Jim Garrison dismissing the magic bullet, the decision is manifestly correct). This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email [email protected], and he’ll answer the best in a future edition Continue reading...

The Uruguayan is known as Jürgen Klopp’s agent of chaos, but improved composure and finishing have transformed his game By Ben McAleer for WhoScored Liverpool fans have pleaded for patience when making a final judgment call on Darwin Núñez. “When he finds his shooting boots, it’s over for the Premier League,” is often the claim. After Sadio Mané departed for Bayern Munich, there was a huge gap in the Liverpool frontline that needed filling and the Uruguayan was under pressure following his high-profile signing from Benfica 18 months ago. A goal in the Community Shield win over Manchester City back in 2022 suggested Liverpool had struck gold with Núñez. And yet his debut campaign at Anfield didn’t quite go to plan. A red card on his home debut set the tone for a sub-par season on Merseyside as Liverpool finished outside the Champions League places. Núñez showed glimpses of his talent, and supporters were quick to defend him. Darwin’s theory of evolution suggested a stronger second season was forthcoming. Continue reading...

There’s been changing of the guard at the Africa Cup of Nations, spearheaded by Aliou Cissé – and the football is better for it A few years ago, one of the greats of African football invited me to his home for dinner. While his wife grilled fish and plantains, we watched Sunderland beat Arsenal in the FA Cup. Gradually, various former players began turning up. As they talked, it slowly dawned on me they were plotting a coup against the president of their country’s football federation. One of the biggest problems, I was told, was that the sports ministry paid the salary of the national coach but had little idea about football. The federation, like many others, had realised that if they nominated a European, the salary would be higher; the higher the salary, the more there was to be creamed off. Hence the fleets of journeymen Frenchmen in African football. Continue reading...

Senegal manager Aliou Cisse has returned from hospital after being treated for stomach pain, the country's football federation says.