UK Edition
How Liverpool's game suffers without Sadio Mane, and why that could spell trouble this weekend
Sadio Mane (accidentally) nearly decapitating Ederson last weekend and Liverpool's failed appeal against his three-match ban leave Liverpool with an early-season problem they really could have done without.
Having finally dealt with the Philippe Coutinho saga with the suddenly revitalised Brazilian back in training, seemingly fine again now that the transfer window is closed, Jurgen Klopp now has to make do domestically without Mane, who is now arguably Liverpool's best and most important player, until October.
Liverpool's next three games are two in the Premier League against Burnley and Leicester and a Carabao Cup tie against the latter and, worryingly, it is these sorts of games that have troubled them in recent times.
The defeat to City aside, Klopp's team has a great record against the Premier League's other top sides, but have come unstuck in matches they would usually expect to win.
Since the start of last season they have only lost once against other teams that finished in last season's top six, gaining almost as many points per game as they do against the rest of the Premier League, despite those teams presenting more challenging opposition. In general, Liverpool have tended to struggle against defensive teams who set up with a deep block and attack on the break.
Burnley beat Liverpool 2-0 at Turf Moor last season with a possession share of just 19 per cent, and then gave them a scare at Anfield in the return game. Leicester have beaten Liverpool in their last two meetings at the King Power Stadium.
And with Mane now absent, Liverpool could have cause for concern in their upcoming games.
Here's a look at how their play changes when their outstanding player is missing.
Liverpool win less without Mane
Possibly the least surprising revelation you will see today: Liverpool win far less when Mane isn't playing.
Since he signed in the summer of 2016, Liverpool's win rate in Premier League games plummets from 63 per cent when Mane starts to just 42 per cent when he is absent.
They see more of the ball
Liverpool have less possession with Mane in the team, with their average share of the ball 59.2 per cent in Premier League games he plays, compared to 66 per cent when he is absent.
Whether or not Mane was available for their upcoming games, they would be likely to have lots of possession against Burnley or Leicester, but his absence could mean Liverpool see even more of the ball
Slower, less incisive attacks
More possession here is not a positive, with Mane bringing more pace to attacks, making Liverpool more incisive in the final third.
When he is missing, they are more ponderous in possession and lightning quick counter-attacks that make this side so effective are a rarer occurrence.
Liverpool may have less of the ball with Mane playing, but their shot count stays roughly the same: there is a marginal increase here from 16.5 shots per game with him to 17.2 per game without him.
Interestingly, they attempt far more crosses when Mane is absent, too, suggesting routes to goal from the wings are harder to find. Both Burnley's and Leicester's deep-set defences will lap up crosses into the box: Burnley have made 37 more clearances than any other team so far this season, with 163, and they made the most last season, while Leicester's centre-back Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire would be more confident of dealing with crosses than any other form of attack Liverpool throw at them.
Liverpool will need to ensure they don't get impatient and loft too many balls into the box against their upcoming opponents.
Fewer goals
Indeed, Liverpool score more goals when Mane plays, averaging 2.3 goals per game compared to 1.5 without him - a difference of 0.8 goals.
xG drops, too
xG, or expected goals, is a system that allows us to ascertain the quality of any chance.
Each shot is assigned a value between 0 and 1 that shows how often it should be scored. A value of 0.2, for example, means that shot would be expected to be scored 20 per cent of the time. (If you want more of an explanation on xG, see here.)
Liverpool's expected goals in matches Mane starts is up at 1.79, suggesting they should be scoring 1.79 goals, on average, in those games. When he is absent, their xG drops to 1.43.
Simply put, this suggests that while Liverpool have roughly the same number of shots whether Mane is playing or not (see above), the quality of those chances increases when he plays. They create chances worthy of 1.79 goals when he plays, compared to 1.43 goals without him - a difference of 0.36.
Actual goals versus expected goals is telling
The difference in Liverpool's 'actual' goals versus the difference in their 'expected' goals is telling: the fact they score so many more goals when Mane plays than we should 'expect' them to suggests he also increases the quality of their finishing.
His lethal finishing certainly helps, while Liverpool build up more momentum when he is in the side. Rampant victories are commonplace with Mane around.
Conclusion
Of course, Liverpool are a whole lot more than a one man team, and they will still be favourites to beat both Burnley and Leicester regardless of Mane's absence. Coutinho's return, for example, would help out, while Daniel Sturridge is a more than capable, if slightly different deputy. Then there is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, too, and he will be keen to take his chance if he is given one.
But Liverpool are significantly worse off without Mane, and his suspension makes the next two games potentially very tricky indeed.