This is from the Echo and it's a long one but a very good read so please bear with it. BTW the poll the Echo had at the end (is he the man to lead our defence) went 70% - 30% in Sakho's favour.
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Liverpool need a lot of things this season – goals, wins, Daniel Sturridge – but top of the list is leadership in defence.
Dejan Lovren was bought for £20m and expected to provide that, but confidence and loss of form have seen the Reds need it more than ever.
Step forward Mamadou Sakho. At least, in the opinion of the Frenchman himself.
“For me it (leadership) comes naturally. There are different kinds of leaders technical leaders, dressing room leaders, psychological leaders,” said Sakho.
The 24-year-old has started just four matches for Liverpool this season. He partnered Dejan Lovren in the wins over Tottenham and Ludogorets, as well as the home defeat to Aston Villa. He also played with Kolo Toure in the Capital One Cup win over Middlesbrough.
But is he the defender for Brendan Rodgers to pin his hopes on? Or is there good reason his £17m hasn't quite had the desired success so far?
Here is the analysis of what he does well, what he doesn't do so well, and whether he can be a leader for the Reds. It isn't necessarily about whether he is a good defender, but whether he can go that extra step and become the leader the back four desperately needs.
Experience
His time at Paris St-Germain is often cited when discussing his capabilities as a leader at centre back. Named captain on his league debut against Valeciennes in October 2007, this is seen as a good example of his maturity. He became both the club's and Ligue 1's youngest-ever captain.
That is true to an extent, but what is forgotten is how PSG manager Paul Le Guen used Sakho to give a jolt to Pauleta and Sylvain Armand, who were captain and vice-captain respectively.
Not that it should disparage Sakho's achievement in being handed the armband at such an age. He handled the pressure of representing his boyhood club admirably, and has played under good managers.
Before his league debut, he had already played in Europe against AEK Athens and Benfica. And while he didn't become captain straight away following his debut, he was eventually given the role full-time by manager Antoine Koumbouare.
He also led the team under Carlo Ancelotti, although the Italian would take the captaincy from him in 2012, as well as having his commitment questioned by club director Leonardo. Despite that, he was part of the side who brought the French club their first title since 1994.
Previous at international level
Though his efforts at club level are pointed to as examples of his leadership, his finest on-the-field moment arguably came at international level.
With France 2-0 down after the first leg of the World Cup playoff with Ukraine, Sakho took the fight to the opposition in Paris, scoring two goals – including the winner – in a 3-0 win.
Sakho was brilliant and put in a commanding performance at both ends of the pitch. With his country needing somebody to drag them to Brazil, it was the defender who took charge.
He also drew the yellow card from Yevhen Khacheridi, the first of two for the Ukrainian, whose sending off also helped France become the first European side to overcome a two-goal deficit in a qualifier.
Sakho has played 24 times for his country already, making his senior debut against England at Wembley in November 2010. He also played a big role at the World Cup itself, helping his side to a quarter-final place.
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Performances for Liverpool
Opinion is split on Sakho from his time in a red shirt. His style of play and awkward nature on the ball can lead to conclusions.
Of the 23 games he's started, Liverpool have won 12, drawn four and lost seven – that's a 52% win rate, which is lower than the club's 58% win rate from the start of 2013/14. But plenty of those wins were due to the attacking power of the Reds. Now, with that aspect of their play blunted somewhat, the onus is on the defence to improve.
Sakho is criticised for his distribution, but last season he had a better pass accuracy (92%) than Martin Skrtel (91%), Daniel Agger (89%) and Dejan Lovren when at Southampton (82%). Furthermore, his passes were often incisive and decisive, frequently looking to play the ball into the feet of the midfielders.
That, however, can cause problems. His pass to Demba Ba, via Steven Gerrard's mistimed slip back in April, proved that. It wasn't the defender's fault, but it was rare for a Reds defender to play on the front foot so much, and the team still must adjust to that.
During his time at the club, the Frenchman has made just three defensive errors. In that same time, Skrtel has made seven, while Kolo Toure has made three with more limited playing time. Lovren – arguably his direct opposition for a starting place - has already made four this season, after just one through the entirety of last season at St Mary's.
Sakho has also won 73% of his headers this season – fewer than Skrtel (85%) but more than the Croatian (70%).
Language
Speaking the language is important – and that comes from the man himself.
“I am still in my learning phase. Little by little I’ll start to open up even more because when you don’t speak a language well enough, it’s difficult to show your character; it’s difficult to communicate,” he said.
“But it will come, little by little. I’ve improved my English. I understand a lot better, especially the local Scouse accent. I’m still working.”
Fluency in Scouse isn't a prerequisite of leadership – for every Jamie Carragher, there is a Sami Hyypia – but there must be that base level of understanding between defenders.
Interestingly, Sakho would possibly feel more at home communicating in French. Simon Mignolet is fluent having grown up in Belgium, while Lovren spent three years at Lyon. No idea how Jon Flanagan's GCSE French was, mind you. Yet that simply cannot happen. There is a coherency that is clearly missing.
But by his own admission, Sakho is yet to fully adapt in his new surroundings. For a defence who doesn't seem to communicate effectively enough, Sakho's struggles with English could be as harmful as anything else. For the sakes of both Sakho and the club, that will have to improve – and soon.
Injuries
Sakho has proven to be a good defender – whether worth £17m, the jury remains out – but he's struggled to gain any sort of consistency throughout his career due to injuries.
His emergence into the PSG side was cut short due to a two-month lay-off. Since then, he has had just two seasons of playing more than 30 games. After 32 and 35 league starts in 2010 and 2011 respectively, his league appearances read as follows: 22, 27, 18, 3.
A hamstring injury sustained in August 2011 is regarded as the beginning of the end for his time in Paris. He has started just 63 league games in the three years since then.
At Liverpool, his progress in his debut season was curtailed by a strain picked up in the dying seconds away to Chelsea; that was December, and he would not return until March. Likewise this season, a hopeful start was ended with a thigh strain.
Consistency is one thing lacking from the Liverpool defence at the moment. And before he can lead, he must simply be fit and play.
