With the curtain closed on another emotional season for Liverpool, we take a look at their five best players for 2023/24 and the stats that prove it.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
5. Alisson
Were it not for missing a large chunk of the season through injury, which meant he made the fewest appearances in a single campaign since joining Liverpool (32), Alisson would likely have ranked higher.
But despite his frustrating absence – made up for by the excellent performances of Caoimhin Kelleher as stand-in – the Brazilian remained at his world-leading standards when he was available.
Liverpool’s No. 1 ended the season with the highest save percentage in the Premier League, at 73.5 percent, having been left to take his helpless frustration out on a leaky defence on a number of occasions.
His stunning stop to deny Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron was nominated for the Save of the Season award – a fitting example of Alisson’s superhuman ability.
4. Mohamed Salah
Consider the final months of the season, rocked by the longest injury of his career and the mounting pressure of signing off on Jürgen Klopp’s reign on an impossible high, and few would consider Salah to have stood out.
The impact of a hamstring tear picked up at the Africa Cup of Nations was concerning, but measure the season as a whole and Salah remained one of Liverpool’s best performers.
He ended the season as the club’s top goalscorer (25) and assist-maker (14), as well as creating the most big chances of any player in the Premier League (22) despite the struggle he endured after injury.
Salah averaged a rate of 1.02 xG and xA per 90 minutes in the Premier League, which is behind only Erling Haaland (1.11), though his rate of big chances missed – 17, second to Darwin Núñez’s 27 for Liverpool players in the league – shows room for improvement in 2024/25.
3. Harvey Elliott
“If I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough,” Klopp reflected before his departure as Liverpool manager.
Elliott ended the season having made the second-most appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, with 53, but only clocked the ninth-most minutes as he found himself pigeonholed as ‘Supersub’.
No Liverpool player was subbed on more frequently than Elliott (26 times), but the 21-year-old earns his place on this list for the remarkable impact he was able to make despite often limited opportunities.
In all competitions, Elliott made 15 goal contributions, the most of any player outside of the five senior forwards – Salah (39), Núñez (31), Cody Gakpo (22), Diogo Jota (19) and Luis Díaz (18) – he came third in terms of assists (11).
When it comes to the Premier League, the youngster finished the campaign with the most xA per 90 (0.31) and most times winning possession in the final third per 90 (1.3), underlining his value as a hard-working, creative midfielder who could become increasingly key under Arne Slot.
2. Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk himself admits he suffered an identity crisis in the 2022/23 campaign, unable to reach the levels he and those around him expect, with genuine doubts over whether he could regain his pre-injury form.
But inheriting the captain’s armband from Jordan Henderson, the Dutchman responded with an emphatic return to elite levels, as one of the best centre-backs in European football once again.
Van Dijk restored himself as Liverpool’s rock at the back, producing the most accurate passes (74.4), clearances (4.0) and blocks (1.0) per 90 for his side in the Premier League, as their platform to build in possession and a no-entry sign in defence.
He was dribbled past just two times in the league – at a lower rate per 90 (0.1) than any player relative to his minutes played.
The 32-year-old, who clocked more minutes than any other Liverpool player across all competitions (4,072), also chipped in with four goals, including the winner in the League Cup final.
With only 12 months left on his contract as of this summer, those in the Anfield hierarchy face a big decision over a player now into his 30s – but on this season’s evidence, Van Dijk should be a mainstay for years to come.
1. Alexis Mac Allister
Arriving from Brighton for a bargain fee of just £35 million, Mac Allister quickly became a favourite among fans – and certainly the manager, with his midfielder earning the nickname of ‘Klopp’s son’ within the Liverpool squad.
The World Cup winner deserves all the praise he gets, having stepped into a new-look engine room and helped transform Liverpool’s biggest weakness into one of their main strengths.
He often did so while operating uncomfortably out of position as a No. 6, which explains how only one player, Brentford’s Mathias Jensen (69), was dribbled past more often than Mac Allister (66) in the Premier League.
That statistic is symptomatic of the role, with the fact that the Argentine also made the most successful tackles per 90 of any Liverpool player (1.9) as well as the second-most interceptions per 90 (1.2) showing how impressively he took to duties at the base of the midfield.
It was when unleashed in his more natural position as a No. 8 that Mac Allister truly excelled, particularly in a run of five goals and five assists in 10 games between February and April, including a stunning strike against Sheffield United.
“I’m a team player and I will try to bring that to this club,” Mac Allister explained on his arrival on Merseyside – and he certainly proved that throughout an MVP season at Liverpool.
(Images from IMAGO)
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