This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more... 

Liverpool's Sadio Mane recently finished in fourth place in the Ballon d'Or rankings, and it is attacking play that has caught the eye in particular so far this campaign. However, it is his defensive improvement that has been overlooked as a result.

On the chalkboard

The Senegal international has been an integral part of the Reds' surge to the top of the Premier League table this season. In his first 16 matches, he has nine goals and six assists, and he also has two goals and one assist in six matches in the Champions League as well.

Clearly, he has proven himself to be a menace for opposition defences. But it is actually going the other way where we have seen the biggest improvement in his game.

Better than Firmino

Last season, the 27-year-old was already a threat in front of goal. He scored 26 goals in all competitions, for example, and the 22 he picked up in the Premier League alone was enough to see him win the division's Golden Boot along with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Whilst there has certainly be an improvement going forward - he already has half as many strikes and were are not even halfway through the season, and he has already beaten last term's assist tally - it is defensively that he has seen arguably his biggest rise in performance.

In every aspect without the ball, he has actually got better. He has 1.6 tackles this term in the Premier League compared to one last term, whilst he has 0.7 interceptions this time around compared to 0.4. Although the clearances have only gone from 0.2 to 0.3, there has been an increase all the same.

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Roberto Firmino is often the man who receives the most credit for his work-rate, but perhaps Sadio Mane deserves more praise for that side of his game. The Brazil international has 0.8 tackles this term and 0.1 interceptions as well - both of which are less than what they were last season.

Mane has not only been able to increase his goal contribution output but also his defensive ability too, and whilst we were always aware he was no slouch, it is clearly a part of his game that is overlooked. If Liverpool are to achieve their goals this term, they will need him to keep this standard of performance up.

In other news, Liverpool fans react to Mohamed Salah matching one former star's goal tally.