Journalist James Pearce has highlighted Sadio Mane's poor performance following Liverpool's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp's side travelled to the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening to take on Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
Los Blancos managed to record a comfortable 3-1 victory over the Reds and Mane struggled to make an impact in the tie.
The Athletic's Liverpool correspondent Pearce criticised the winger's display following the defeat.
What did Pearce say?
Discussing his performance, the Reds reporter said the following on The Athletic's discussion page: "Mane struggled badly all night. A few decisions went against him and his head dropped."
He later added: "His confidence has taken a battering. Tonight not the first time decisions have gone against him and he’s gone AWOL."
How did Mane perform against Madrid?
Based upon WhoScored statistics, it was certainly a night to forget for the 28-year-old.
His performance against Zinedine Zidane's side earned him a WhoScored rating of 5.83, which is the lowest rating he's received this season.
Furthermore, the wide man completed just two dribbles on the night and failed to record a single shot on the Madrid goal.
Although, it's important to note that Mane was denied a controversial decision by referee Felix Brych.
What decision went against Mane?
In the 35th minute and with Liverpool a goal down, Mane found himself through on goal but Lucas Vazquez barged the winger to the floor. After the incident, the ex-Southampton man seemed to be in disbelief as Brych waved away the appeals.
Following the game, Liverpool boss Klopp leapt to Mane's defence and claimed that the German referee's treatment of the winger was "unfair" throughout the fixture.
He also added, as quoted by The Guardian: “The situation with Sadio – what the ref did tonight I don’t understand.
"For me, that was something personal because he dealt with the situation with Sadio, which was a clear foul, like he was a diver or whatever. From that moment on whenever Sadio went down, he didn’t get anything."
How has Mane's confidence affected him in other fixtures?
Following Liverpool's Merseyside derby defeat to Everton, Mane went four games without registering a goal or an assist.
However, it recently seemed like his attacking shackles had been removed, as he recorded three goal contributions in three consecutive outings. Mane was even named Man of the Match against Wolves.
Therefore, Mane's recent blip against Madrid may not be a true indicator of his recent form, even if it caught Pearce's attention.