Liverpool attacker Sadio Mané has described the close bond inside the team that will help them fight for the Premier League title.
The Reds are neck and neck with Manchester City in the hunt for the ultimate prize in English football, something they have not achieved in 29 years.
While many focus on the goalscoring exploits of Mo Salah or the defensive power of Virgil Van Dijk when it comes to the impressive form of Liverpool this season, the Senegalese international believes it is the squad’s closeness that helps them to reach new heights on the field of play.
“You can see it. It is important for the team, not only on the pitch but also off the pitch is important because it can make a big difference, as it is doing now,’’ Mané told liverpoolfc.com.
“It is the first club I have been at where off the pitch, all of the time the players are so close. I think that’s very, very, very good for us and for the club as well.
“We’ve started well, everything is going well. We’re training harder and it’s important we’re here to prepare for the next few weeks because they’re going to be so decisive. We know that, but we are focused, training very well and as hard as we can.”
Following a confidence-boosting 3-0 win over Bournemouth, the squad are training hard in Marbella this week with the FA Cup taking place this weekend ahead of a massive Champions League tie with Bayern Munich next Tuesday.
“We are here, training harder and getting a little bit more rest so we’re back as fresh as we can,” he said.
“We drew two games in the last few weeks, but our reaction was positive because we won 3-0 at home to Bournemouth.
“The confidence is back, everybody was happy with the result. I would love to keep going with this. Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll do everything to keep going with our rhythm.
“We know our target this year, so we’re going to fight for it.”
Manchester City sit joint top of the Premier League table on 65 points, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, while Spurs are in third place on 60 points.
