Jurgen's Liverpool sides

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Been thinking about this, dunno why, but what was his best side - not players, years? 

Obviously 2018 was the touchpaper, 2019 was epic, 97 points & a European Cup. 2020 99 points, 37 wins from 38 games across 19/20 seasons, but for an injury to Ali who knows in Europe...

But then 2022 - goin hard for the quad, 92 points, City 0-2 at home to Villa on 75 mins (admittedly we weren't top at that point in time - thank god) and then Gerrard f***ed it by taking off Coutinho, ECF we battered Madrid but Courtois played the dick leaving us with 'only' a LC & FAC. Really wouldn't take a great swing of luck to go from those 2 trophies to all four.

That was a f***ing great side, maybe those previous seasons 2018-20 made it seem a little less breathtaking

[honourablegeorge]

Harsh to blame Stevie

[PaulMcC186]

I don't think Coutinho would've stopped City winning that game

 

[YugoB]

From 2018 to 2020 imo. That run was the peak. 

2022 was our last dance with all those players together.A marvelous and unlucky one

[Chewie]

The whole wonderful time in life blurs into one, so had to do some digging to try and make a decent comparison 

2018 Madrid final team

Starting XI: Loris Karius, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Dominic Solanke.

2019 Spurs Final Team

Starting XI: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joël Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Simon Mignolet, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Joe Gomez, Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xherdan Shaqiri, Rhian Brewster, Divock Origi, Caoimhín Kelleher.

2020 season

Starting XI (mainly) : Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Adrián, Dejan Lovren, Joël Matip, Neco Williams, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keïta, Adam Lallana, Curtis Jones, Xherdan Shaqiri, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi.

2021-2022

Starting XI: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcântara, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Luis Díaz.

Substitutes: Caoimhín Kelleher, James Milner, Naby Keïta, Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Takumi Minamino, Diogo Jota, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joël Matip, Harvey Elliott. 

 

I think from best to least best I'd go 

2020 - peak Bobby, Mo, mane - first league in 30 years

2022 - those 3 but also Jota, Diaz, Thiago 

2019 - champions league winners

2018 - pointed the way to all that was to come

[goodrobotusses]

Would have loved to have seen Diaz and a fit Thiago in the squad alongside peak Mane and Firmino, who were both creaking by that season we went for four trophies (albeit with a fantastic spell at No9 for Sadio before the end).

Thiago, Fabinho and Henderson were excellent that season. 

Edited August 4 by goodrobotusses

[chrisbonnie]

I genuinely believe our title winning team of 19/20 is the best ever, single season team, the league has ever seen. 

We had it won by Christmas ffs... And battered everybody.... I've neve seen dominance like it 

[Murphman]

2 hours ago, PaulMcC186 said:

I don't think Coutinho would've stopped City winning that game

 

They were 2-0 up with Coutinho playing for 70 minutes. Not saying taking him off was the reason they folded but it certainly could have been. I don't see your confidence saying that had he stayed on they would have still lost?

[YugoB]

21 minutes ago, Murphman said:

They were 2-0 up with Coutinho playing for 70 minutes. Not saying taking him off was the reason they folded but it certainly could have been. I don't see your confidence saying that had he stayed on they would have still lost?

I believe it wouldnt have mattered, Villa were s*** defensively once they went up two goals

[pipnasty]

2 hours ago, Chewie said:

The whole wonderful time in life blurs into one, so had to do some digging to try and make a decent comparison 

2018 Madrid final team

Starting XI: Loris Karius, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Dominic Solanke.

2019 Spurs Final Team

Starting XI: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joël Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Simon Mignolet, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Joe Gomez, Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xherdan Shaqiri, Rhian Brewster, Divock Origi, Caoimhín Kelleher.

2020 season

Starting XI (mainly) : Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané.

Substitutes: Adrián, Dejan Lovren, Joël Matip, Neco Williams, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keïta, Adam Lallana, Curtis Jones, Xherdan Shaqiri, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi.

2021-2022

Starting XI: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcântara, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Luis Díaz.

Substitutes: Caoimhín Kelleher, James Milner, Naby Keïta, Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Takumi Minamino, Diogo Jota, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joël Matip, Harvey Elliott. 

 

I think from best to least best I'd go 

2020 - peak Bobby, Mo, mane - first league in 30 years

2022 - those 3 but also Jota, Diaz, Thiago 

2019 - champions league winners

2018 - pointed the way to all that was to come

From 2019, the quality on the subs bench is so good

54 minutes ago, chrisbonnie said:

I genuinely believe our title winning team of 19/20 is the best ever, single season team, the league has ever seen. 

We had it won by Christmas ffs... And battered everybody.... I've neve seen dominance like it 

Yep - I agree with this.

2018 was so much fun though - snowing every week aswell

[Murphman]

8 hours ago, YugoB said:

I believe it wouldnt have mattered, Villa were s*** defensively once they went up two goals

They didn't let a goal in until Coutinho was removed, 70 minutes. Think of England against Argentina, the second they took a striker off and sat sat back in their own box they got mullered, it is just possible the attacking threat and ball retention Coutinho offered impacted City's tactics.

[Hassony]

13 hours ago, honourablegeorge said:

Harsh to blame Stevie

 

12 hours ago, PaulMcC186 said:

I don't think Coutinho would've stopped City winning that game

 

I blame Martínez,  he sat out that game to save himself for Argentina and Villa played a bloody hologram in goal 

[kop205]

16 minutes ago, Hassony said:

 

I blame Martínez,  he sat out that game to save himself for Argentina and Villa played a bloody hologram in goal 

Yeah, f***ing hate the prick 

[PaulMcC186]

39 minutes ago, Hassony said:

 

I blame Martínez,  he sat out that game to save himself for Argentina and Villa played a bloody hologram in goal 

I can't remember the goals, only seen them at the time but I think Olsen is crap for at least one of them.

[JRC]

Wasn't there a suspiciously 'corrupt' refereeing shout we can all get behind blaming? Disallowed Villa goal?

[Leo No.8]

2018-2020 was the golden period, the best football I’ve ever seen a Liverpool team play. Was a joy to watch.

The defining factor for me is I don’t think Bobby or Sadio were quite as good after that period, it was their peak.

Mo kept churning out the numbers but I think it was his peak as well, apart from his glorious throwback in 24/25.

Edited August 5 by Leo No.8

[stressederic]

1 hour ago, Leo No.8 said:

2018-2020 was the golden period, the best football I’ve ever seen a Liverpool team play. Was a joy to watch.

The defining factor for me is I don’t think Bobby or Sadio were quite as good after that period, it was their peak.

Mo kept churning out the numbers but I think it was his peak as well, apart from his glorious throwback in 24/25.

Both Firmino and Mane are really interesting case studies of the wider system.

Bobby got his highest goal return in that mad 17-18 season and then started fully transitioning into the facilitator role that made the whole thing work. His numbers never really got up particularly high again and in 20-21 he kept getting benched for Jota who was a more reliable source of goals but didn't make Mo and Mane shine quite as well.

Mane had some surprisingly big dips in form with us too. His first season wheere he played on the right you could see he was terrific, and the wheels nearly came off for us when he went to AFCON and then was injured towards the end of the season. We basically fell over the line into the Champions League in the end as we were running on empty.

The next season when Mo arrived, Mane got shifted out to the left and he struggled for the first half of the season, he was getting a fair bit of stick on here at times. He was often the player left out in favour of Coutinho. But once Coutinho left and Van Dijk arrived the whole team suddenly stepped up in class and he was brilliant for the rest of that season and for the next two as well. In 18-19 when Salah had a sort of goalscoring drought, Mane was still getting the goals.

In the absolute mess of 20-21, whilst Salah kept scoring, Mane's goals really dried up for long periods. It was only towards the end of the season that he started getting them again. The following season his legs had started to go. The arrival of Diaz shifted him more centrally where he was back among the goals again. But I think it's probably fair to say he'd peaked with us by the end of the title season.

[Earl Hafler]

46 minutes ago, stressederic said:

Both Firmino and Mane are really interesting case studies of the wider system.

Bobby got his highest goal return in that mad 17-18 season and then started fully transitioning into the facilitator role that made the whole thing work. His numbers never really got up particularly high again and in 20-21 he kept getting benched for Jota who was a more reliable source of goals but didn't make Mo and Mane shine quite as well.

Mane had some surprisingly big dips in form with us too. His first season wheere he played on the right you could see he was terrific, and the wheels nearly came off for us when he went to AFCON and then was injured towards the end of the season. We basically fell over the line into the Champions League in the end as we were running on empty.

The next season when Mo arrived, Mane got shifted out to the left and he struggled for the first half of the season, he was getting a fair bit of stick on here at times. He was often the player left out in favour of Coutinho. But once Coutinho left and Van Dijk arrived the whole team suddenly stepped up in class and he was brilliant for the rest of that season and for the next two as well. In 18-19 when Salah had a sort of goalscoring drought, Mane was still getting the goals.

In the absolute mess of 20-21, whilst Salah kept scoring, Mane's goals really dried up for long periods. It was only towards the end of the season that he started getting them again. The following season his legs had started to go. The arrival of Diaz shifted him more centrally where he was back among the goals again. But I think it's probably fair to say he'd peaked with us by the end of the title season.

The Bobby role changed as our fullbacks became more influential during the 17-18 season.

Mané and Coutinho started eight games together and we won three.

Coutinho behind a front three didn't really work and Mané was the better wide player

 

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

19-20 best team

21-22 best squad 

[Ombudsam]

I think if you are European Champions and then win 27 of your first 28, drawing the other then it’s hard to make a case against you

[Conrad]

3 hours ago, Ombudsam said:

I think if you are European Champions and then win 27 of your first 28, drawing the other then it’s hard to make a case against you

it actually doesnt get any better than that. not when you consider the football we were playing as well, the connection we had with the players, and the bloke on the touchline.

[kop205]

3 hours ago, Ombudsam said:

I think if you are European Champions and then win 27 of your first 28, drawing the other then it’s hard to make a case against you

And winning the World Club thing along the way too 

[Chewie]

59 minutes ago, Conrad said:

it actually doesnt get any better than that. not when you consider the football we were playing as well, the connection we had with the players, and the bloke on the touchline.

It probably never will. Or if it does, it will be some sort of alchemy that comes along once in a generation, 77-84 was a heck of a time... 87-88 was an almost mythical but magical season. So the proof is there that it can happen again.... But the odds are heavily stacked against it being that good. 

Klopp created something so beautiful, powerful, seductive, and thrilling that I just want to be thankful for even whilst realising he made something so good it's unlikely to ever be repeated... And we can celebrate the good as we go (last years title win was immense)