Premier League never ceases to amaze its viewers. Over the years, the Premier League has given us plenty of moments to savour and this season has been no different. A mouthwatering clash between Arsenal and Liverpool on opening weekend set the tone for the season.
From the offset, the season had all the ingredients to be one of the most epic title races of all time, after all, where else but the Premier League would you see so many world class managers lock horns?
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League table after 11 games with 26 points and they have deserved to be on top with some scintillating football. The Reds have been a nightmare to play against and many of the opposition managers including the likes of Arsene Wenger, Mauricio Pochettino, Claudio Ranieri, Mike Phelan, Alan Pardew, Tony Pulis, Francesco Guidolin and Walter Mazzarri have heaped praise on Liverpool’s performance.
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These 10 mind-blowing statistics about Liverpool’s season so far will explain how dominating the Reds have been this season.
#10 Liverpool have the most goals (30), most passes (6,587), most forward passes (4,112), most chances created (170) and most shot per game (7.8) in the Premier League
Liverpool are not just top of the Premier League table, they top the league in many other tables as well. The Reds have scored 30 goals this season which is 4 more than any other team in the league.
What is incredible is that despite scoring 30 goals, none of Liverpool’s recognised strikers, that is, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings, have scored a league goal this season.
The 30 goals scored by Liverpool shouldn’t come as a surprise as they have a league-high 170 chances created. Manchester City are second in this table with 151 chances created.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have also played the most passes in the league with 6,597 passes which puts them ahead of Manchester City with 6,545 passes. Of Liverpool’s total passes, 4,112 are forward passes of which they have made 127 passes more than second-placed Arsenal.
Finally, Liverpool’s 7.8 shots on target per game is not just the best in the Premier League, but it is also the best by any team in Europe’s big five leagues.
Source: Premier League, Liverpool FC and Squawka
#9 Firmino, Mane, Coutinho and Lallana have 21 goals and 19 assists between them this season
Liverpool’s major attacking quartet of Firmino, Coutinho, Mane and Lallana have scored 21 goals and provided 19 assists across all competitions this season. This is an incredible number considering the fact that none of these players are actually strikers.
Jurgen Klopp’s preferred front three in Premier League games this season comprises of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho. The trio have 16 goals and 10 assists after 11 league games this season. To put things into perspective, Barcelona’s current front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, which is also arguably the greatest attacking trio of all time, have scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists after 11 league games this season.
| Competition → | Premier League | EFL Cup | Total | |||
| Players ↓ | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists |
| Roberto Firmino | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Philippe Coutinho | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Sadio Mane | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Adam Lallana | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Source: ESPN FC
#8 Liverpool have the most number of goals from inside the box (25), outside the box (5) and set pieces (8) in the Premier League
It comes as no surprise that Liverpool have the most goals from inside the box because they’ve scored so many goals and it also comes as no surprise that Liverpool have so many goals from outside the box because they have Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian has scored 3 of Liverpool’s 5 goals from outside the box in the league season so far.
Surprisingly, Liverpool also have the most goals from set pieces not just in the Premier League but among all the team’s in Europe’s top 5 leagues. The Reds have 8 goals from set pieces excluding penalties (12 including penalties) which is two more than the nearest Premier League team West Brom with 6. Only Monaco and Atlanta can match Liverpool’s record from all the teams in the Top 5 European leagues.
Source: WhoScored and Squawka
#7 Philippe Coutinho scores a goal or provides an assist every 84.3 minutes in the Premier League
Philippe Coutinho has been Liverpool’s best player after the departure of Luis Suarez and he won the club’s best player award in 2014/15 and 2015/16. Based on the evidence of the season so far, Coutinho could make it a hat-trick if he keeps up his form.
The little magician has played 843 minutes of league football for Liverpool and in this period, he has scored and assisted 5 goals each. This means he has been involved in 10 of Liverpool’s 30 goals this season and assists or scores a goal every 84.3 minutes. For players who have played at least 445 minutes (half of the league season so far), this is the third-best in the league behind Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku. The table below will put things into perspective.
Striker’s generally tend to have a good number when it comes to direct goal involvement and this further emphasises how brilliant Liverpool’s number 10 has been this season. Interestingly, Liverpool’s quartet of Coutinho, Mane, Firmino and Lallana all make the Top 10 which shows that Liverpool have been operating as a team so far instead of relying on individual brilliance.
| Rank | Player | Minutes per goal or assist |
| 1 | Diego Costa | 80.6 |
| 2 | Romelu Lukaku | 83.6 |
| 3 | Philippe Coutinho | 84.3 |
| 4 | Sergio Aguero | 93.1 |
| 5 | Kevin De Bruyne | 95.3 |
| 6 | Adam Lallana | 95.8 |
| 7 | Alexis Sanchez | 101 |
| 8 | Sadio Mane | 108.9 |
| 9 | Roberto Firmino | 111.3 |
| 10 | Eden Hazard | 114.8 |
Source: WhoScored and Squawka
#6 Liverpool are now undefeated in 12 games (10 wins and 2 draws)
Liverpool have played 14 games this season across all competitions and have won 11 of them while drawing 2 and losing just 1! The only defeat so far was a shock defeat against Burnley early in the season.
After the defeat against Burnley, Liverpool are now undefeated in 12 games across all competitions (9 in the league and 3 in the EFL Cup) while dropping points only against Spurs and Manchester United.
When Jurgen Klopp won the Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund in 2011/12, his team went on a similar undefeated streak in the league. His team lost three out of its opening six league fixtures but won 23 out of the remaining 28 games while drawing the other 5! One can’t help but draw comparisons between the young Borussia Dortmund squad managed by Klopp and the young Liverpool squad he manages now.
Source: Liverpool FC
#5 Liverpool have scored 40 goals in 14 games this season with an average of 2.86 goals per game
In addition to the 30 league goals Liverpool have scored this term, they have also scored 10 goals in the EFL Cup this season.
The Reds have been in rampant form and have been a treat to watch when they are on the front foot. In the 14 games they have played this season, they have failed to score in only two games and have found the back of the net four or more times in 6 of those games!
| Number of goals | Number of games | Oppositions |
| 6 | 1 | Watford |
| 5 | 2 | Hull City and Burton Albion |
| 4 | 3 | Arsenal, Leicester City and Crystal Palace |
| 3 | 1 | Derby County |
| 2 | 4 | Chelsea, Swansea City, West Brom and Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1 | 1 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 0 | 2 | Burnley and Manchester United |
Source : Liverpool FC
#4 15/21 outfield players who have played for Liverpool this season have a goal or assist
In just 14 games across all competitions this season, Liverpool have had direct goal contributions from 15 of the 21 outfield players (all players except the goalkeeper) who have represented them.
Of these 15 players who have a direct goal contribution (goals or assists), 13 players have scored at least one goal for Liverpool.
The six players who are yet to register a goal or assist include only squad players like Lucas Leiva, Marko Grujic, Ovie Ejaria, Danny Ings, Kevin Stewart and Trent Alexander-Arnold. These players have 9 starts and 13 sub appearances between them. Lucas is the only one among these players with a Premier League start and he also has 4 of the 9 starts listed above.
| Players | Goals | Assists |
| Philippe Coutinho | 6 | 6 |
| Sadio Mane | 6 | 4 |
| Roberto Firmino | 6 | 4 |
| Adam Lallana | 3 | 5 |
| Daniel Sturridge | 4 | 1 |
| James Milner | 4 | 1 |
| Georginio Wijnaldum | 1 | 3 |
| Jordan Henderson | 1 | 2 |
| Emre Can | 2 | 0 |
| Dejan Lovren | 2 | 0 |
| Divock Origi | 2 | 0 |
| Nathaniel Clyne | 0 | 2 |
| Joel Matip | 1 | 0 |
| Ragnar Klavan | 1 | 0 |
| Alberto Moreno | 0 | 1 |
Source: ESPN
#3 No Premier League player has created more chances from open play than Roberto Firmino (28)
Although Philippe Coutinho gets most of the accolades for Liverpool’s incredible performance so far, his compatriot Roberto Firmino has been equally important for the Reds. The former Hoffenheim star has kept the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi out of the starting XI this season and he has returned the faith Jurgen Klopp has shown in him in full.
Firmino has scored 5 goals and registered 3 assists in the Premier League this season and the figures would have been better for him if his teammates converted more of the chances he has created. He has created 28 chances from open play this season which is more than any other Premier League player and yet has only 3 assists to his name.
Source: Squawka
#2 No Premier League defender has created more chances than Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne (17)
It is not just Liverpool’s attackers and midfielders who are contributing to the amazing attacking system Jurgen Klopp has designed. The full backs in the team play an equally important role.
Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne has been one of the best fullbacks in the league this season and has created 17 chances for his team which is the highest in the league for any defender. When compared to his Liverpool teammates, only Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho have created more chances than the former Southampton man.
On the other side, James Milner has seamlessly slotted into the left-back position. Although he has missed two Premier League games, he has still created 16 chances for his team which automatically makes him the second best defender in terms of chances created. Milner also has four goals to his name and all four of them are from the penalty spot.
Source: Squawka
#1 Jordan Henderson has more touches (1,078), passes (904), tackles (47) and distance covered (131 km) than any other Premier League player
While the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane have been hogging the limelight this season with their goals and assists, one man has silently done his job without getting the praise he deserves.
When Jurgen Klopp moved Jordan Henderson to an unfamiliar role in midfield, many eyebrows were raised but after 11 league games, we have proof that this was indeed a masterstroke from the German.
Henderson plays the deepest role in midfield and is the fulcrum around which the Liverpool team works. After 11 league games, he has 1,078 touches of the ball which is 77 more than Fernandinho in second place. He also has made 904 passes this season which again puts him ahead of Fernandinho in second place with 834.
The Liverpool captain has been leading from the front when it comes to recovering the ball. He has a league-highest 47 tackles to his name which is also matched by his compatriot Danny Drinkwater.
Last but not least, Henderson has covered an incredible 131 km in the 11 league games he has played which is also the highest in the league for any player. This means he covers an average of 11.9 kilometres per game!
Despite playing in such a deep role, Henderson has created 16 chances, scored 1 goal and provided 2 assists.
I think that should settle any debate about who has been the best central midfielder in the league this season.
Source: Premier League, Squawka and Liverpool FC
There is only one way to describe this in the words of Jurgen Klopp:
