Sadio Mane seems to be suffering from the ruthless season of Liverpool , his status in Bayern Munich is now questioned.
In recent weeks, it has been suggested that as Red Army strives to keep it smooth on the court, the impact of Mane has been greater than expected.
Granted, his replacement Darwin Nunes has been fighting for form for the first few months of Merseyside , and Jurgen Klopp clearly doesn't believe at this stage that the £85m signing is ready to start in the big match.
However, although Senegal internationals performed well in six seasons at Anfield, whether Mane's defeat is the main reason for Liverpool's discomfort remains to be discussed.
The 30-year-old started his life in Munich : five goals in his first five games, including against Leipzig in his DFL Super Cup debut.
However, he now has five games without goals, and questions are raised about his overall form, with head coach Julian Negsmann hinting at Liverpool's physical exhaustion.
"He has paid a lot for Liverpool," he told reporters after a 2-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.
"He is a new signing. He just needs to adapt. He is working hard. I'm sure he will succeed for us."
Meanwhile, athlete Rafael Honigstein claimed that Mane "has gone back so much lately that he has almost become a negative factor in the offense."
"With Barcelona, he looks lacking in strength and motivation," the German journalist added.
"He tried to attack the defender and cut into the inside from the starting position on the left, which also made him feel half-hearted."
Honigstein criticized Mane's performance in the 70-minute game against Barcelona as "strangely still" and explained that "of all the problems Nagsman faces this season, Mane's performance was the most unexpected."
