Premier League 2018/19 review: Liverpool fall short despite points haul of 97
Liverpool’s haul of 97 points this season would have been enough to win 25 of the previous 26 Premier League campaigns prior to this one. Liverpool finished the season with the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 22 goals and keeping 21 clean sheets, only losing one game. Virgil van Dijk, their dominant centre-back, was named the PFA Player of the Year but it wasn’t enough to claim their first ever Premier League title.
Despite finishing one point behind Manchester City, this season has been an overwhelming success for Liverpool and could yet culminate in silverware if they beat Tottenham in next month’s Champions League final. Liverpool pushed City to such extremes that Pep Guardiola’s side required a 14-game winning streak to close out the season to win the league.
Statistically speaking, these two sides are the best ever first and second place finishers in top-flight history, combining for a mind-bending 195 points over the course of the campaign. Liverpool spent 163 days at the top of the table, a club record since 1990-91, where they also finished second. It’s been an astonishing year for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp despite falling short.
Top rated player – Mohamed Salah (7.57 rating)
Any doubts that Mohamed Salah would be a one-season are no more. Despite failing to reach the heights of his debut Liverpool campaign, Salah was still immense for the Reds. After winning the Golden Boot last season, Salah was forced to share the honour this time around, finishing on 22 goals with team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Salah was one of just two players to be directly involved in at least 30 Premier League goals this season, having also registered eight assists to go with his 22 goals. The 26-year-old won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on eight occasions in the league this season, at least two more than any other player at the club.
There have been so many standout performers for Liverpool this season that it is a testament to his form that he ranks above the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane. Salah has a knack of scoring important goals, illustrated by the fact only Alexandre Lacazette scored as many match-winning goals as Salah (both nine) in the Premier League this season.
Biggest Disappointment – Naby Keita
Given Naby Keita was hyped as a potential signing of the season when he joined Liverpool last summer, it’s even more impressive the Reds ran Manchester City so close in the title race without the 24-year-old coming anywhere close to his best.
Keita combined for 26 league goals across two seasons at RB Leipzig and an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.43 in that time. He quickly emerged as one of the most exciting all-action midfielders in Europe but Liverpool fans are yet to see the best of him.
There were flashes of Keita’s potential at the start of the season in matches against Crystal Palace but he never really got going, with injuries playing their part in what proved a disjointed campaign for the midfielder. Keita was limited to just 16 league starts and a further nine substitute appearances before a thigh problem at the start of May ended his season.
Surprise Package – Trent Alexander-Arnold
It was clear last season that Liverpool had a player for the next decade in Trent Alexander-Arnold but his development this term has been extraordinary. It’s not outrageous to think the 20-year-old is already the best right-back in the world, though Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich may object to that.
Alexander-Arnold finished the season as the eighth highest WhoScored rated player in the Premier League (7.36) and set a new record for the most assists in a Premier League season by a defender (12) after finishing the campaign in remarkable form.
The England international closed the league campaign with six assists in as many appearances. Jordan Henderson’s form, after being handed greater license to go forward, in the last few months was also a surprise but it’s difficult to look beyond Alexander-Arnold’s remarkable season.
Where to Improve – A new striker
After finishing the season with one defeat in the league and 97 points, it’s difficult to find any room for improvement but that is what Jurgen Klopp will demand of his players over the summer.
Liverpool are well stacked in most departments and it will be hard to improve his squad in the transfer window. The Reds are reportedly keen on RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, who will only have 12 months left to run on his current deal this summer. The Germany international would be a huge upgrade on Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge, who are both understudies to Roberto Firmino.
Klopp flirted with a 4-2-3-1 formation in the midway point of the season, dropping Roberto Firmino behind Mohamed Salah but the latter didn’t quite have the same impact up front. Neither Origi or Sturridge were considered good enough to start at the time but someone of Werner’s ilk certainly would be, allowing Salah to remain on the right hand side where he is so effective.
League Position: 2nd
Grade: A
