Analysis: Is Liverpool really a one man team?

Liverpool

A resounding victory against Spurs has put Liverpool back on the top of the table. A commanding performance against a team that was supposed to rival Liverpool for the fourth place this season, speaks volumes of how the team has progressed this season.

It has been very entertaining to watch the team playing free flowing football, which had the DNA of the team under our greatest managers Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish. Without any exception, all these former managers had great strikers in their era like Ian St. John, John Toshack, Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish, who were prolific during those golden years and were instrumental in Liverpool winning English titles, European Championships and FA cups.

The similarity between Brendan Rodgers’ current team and all these yesteryear teams is the system of focusing on capable strikers.

So, when Gus Poyet, Tim Sherwood and a lot of people label Liverpool a one man or a 2 man team, is it justified?

SAS partnership:

Suarez and Sturridge form the current breed of the lethal strike partnership which Liverpool have not had for years. They have amassed 49 goals (and counting) between them, smashing long standing records. Liverpool have scored 84 goals this season of which the SAS partnership has contributed 58%. This indicates the mighty role they have played in Liverpool’s victories. A look at the top 4 teams in terms of overall goals scored and the contribution of the strikers clearly show how dominant the SAS partnership has been.

Teams	Total Goals scored as of 30.3.2014	Goals scored by Forwards	Contribution Percentage
Liverpool	84	49	58%
Manchester City	76	35	46%
Arsenal	56	19	33%
Chelsea	60	15	25%

(Note: not taking into account the own goals that have been scored for the teams)

However, the most fascinating fact is that SAS combination has never been played an as out and out striker pair (apart from the matches which involved 3-5-2). They have always been played in a system which involves either one of them dropping to the wide areas or playing in a deeper role to support the other partner.

Great sides have been built around strikers and most of the title winning teams rely on the goals from their strikers. The goal scoring pattern of Liverpool’s current forwards is following the same trend.

A look at the title winning teams since 2005 gives a fair reflection on this observation:

Teams	Title Won	Total Goals Scored	Goals scored by forwards	Contribution Percentage
Chelsea	2005-2006	72	24	33%
Manchester United	2006-2007	80	39	48%
Manchester United	2007-2008	78	62	79%
Manchester United	2008-2009	68	45	66%
Chelsea	2009-2010	99	41	41%
Manchester United	2010-2011	76	46	60%
Manchester City	2011-2012	91	54	59%
Manchester United	2012-2013	80	49	61%

(Stat courtesy - http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2012-2013/stats/)

Apart from the 2005-2006 season, the rest of the seasons clearly reflect that more than 55% of the total goals scored are contributed by the forwards/strikers. This statistic shows the importance of goals scored by forwards in title winning teams.

However, to answer the question posed above, it is important to have a look at the contribution from the rest of the team as well, towards the total goals scored.

Teams	Total Goals scored as of 30.3.2014	Goals scored by Midfielders and Defenders	Contribution Percentage
Liverpool	84	35	42%
Manchester City	76	41	54%
Arsenal	56	37	67%
Chelsea	60	45	75%

Liverpool definitely does not top this table. Chelsea and Arsenal are way ahead when it comes to others contributing goals apart from the forwards. It is this over reliance on the midfield and defence for goals that has hampered these teams when it comes to breaking down the stubborn opponents (as seen with Chelsea against teams like West Ham United, Aston Villa and most recently Crystal Palace).

This re-emphasizes the fact that strikers are an important part of the part of the team and they are meant to score goals. If strikers do not end up scoring goals then it leads to problems of over dependence on the midfield or the defence to neutralize it. When such teams collectively have an off day it gets reflected in their performances against ordinary sides. Liverpool has managed to outplay the other teams this season by strengthening their strikers.

However, the contribution from the midfield and defence of Liverpool is significant and cannot be ignored. The likes of Gerrard, Henderson, Coutnho, Sterling all have contributed important goals some time or the other. Liverpool has the highest scoring defender amongst their ranks in Skrtel and no one makes a mention of him even though he has outscored Torres, Ba, Soldado and Jovetic, to name a few, all of whom are strikers and whose roles are to score goals.

It is true that both Suarez and Sturridge have carried the team on their shoulders during the season but they are not the only ones instrumental in Liverpool being at the top of the table. The entire team has shared the burden of collectively working together to ensure that winning the title is just 6 victories away.

As his predecessors, Brendan Rodgers has managed to create a system and formation that is built around the strikers, which ensures that the deadly combination of SAS is yielding goals almost every game. Optimum utilization of resources is a key parameter in winning a game. Liverpool has managed to achieve this by forming a team that supports the world class strike partnership.

So is Liverpool a one man team? No! It is a team with strikers taking on the load of scoring goals with the appropriate support from the midfield as well as the defence.

If Liverpool does win the title, major plaudits will go the SAS partnership. However, football being a team game one can’t ignore the contribution of the team as whole.

May this continue for seasons to come as this team has the potential to create a new dynasty!