AllAboutLiverpool

They have conquered all of Europe and they don’t look like they are going to stop. Jurgen Klopp and his group of red men from the Merseyside is probably one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the world. Spear headed by a heavy metal attack, a work horse midfield and rock solid defense, Liverpool will go into the new season as a favorite win the one trophy that always seems to elude them. In the 2018/19 season Liverpool amassed a total of 97 points falling just 1 short of probably the greatest Manchester City team to grace this league. In the span of 38 games Liverpool scored a whooping 89 goals falling short to Manchester City again, but the really impressive part is they only conceded 22 goals with 21 clean sheets, second only to the great Petr Cech’s 2004/05 season. Such a team will have a gold mine in terms of FPL prospects, so let’s get to know ALL ABOUT LIVERPOOL.

STYLE OF PLAY:

Liverpool until two seasons back was a team who’s main philosophy was to score one goal more than the opponent. This lead to a perception about Liverpool having the worst defense among the big 6. But a lot of that changed over the course of the past 2 years. Incredible planning and some smart piece of business Liverpool managed to revamp their defense with the addition of the Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson and Alisson.

Liverpool goes into a match with a 4-3-3 Formation as you can see in the picture.

THE ATTACK

Liverpool are a team that heavily relies on their front three for the goals. Mohammad Salah scored 22 goals and providing 11 assists to help Liverpool fight for the title. He ended up sharing the golden boot for last season with his Liverpool teammate, Sadio Mane. Sadio is the ultimate clutch player for Liverpool. He has a knack of being at the right place and at the right time. He also score 22 goals and managed to providing just 2 assists in that process. As any Liverpool fan will testify, none of this is possible without the presence of their star Brazilian, Roberto Firmino. Firmino, is an ultimate managers dream. Not only does he score goals and provide assists, he has a work rate that can make a difference in the match. He does drop deeper than the other 2, almost like a false 9, but his statistics in the league is as good as any striker. With 12 goals and 7 assists in 34 games last season, it is important to understand that his presence on field is crucial to Liverpool winning a match.

During the attacking phase of the game, the wingers ( Mane and Salah) move more centrally and the wide spaces is occupied by the fullbacks, most likely to be Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold. Klopp loves to give his fullbacks the freedom to move forward and cross the ball into the box to create a goal scoring opportunity. This makes the duo a must have in your team. More about other forwards and midfielders.

The Defense

Liverpool have one of, if not the most solid defense in the world right now. Last season with the introduction of players like Alisson and a rejuvenated Virgil Van Djik, Liverpool defended their way to 97 points and a CL title. Liverpool just conceded 22 goals in 38 games last season picking up 21 clean sheets in the process. Let me throw a number off the top of my head. 0. That is the number of times someone dribbled past Virgil Van Djik in over 64 appearances throughout all competitions for Liverpool. Shows you how hard it is to breakdown the defensive discipline of Liverpool. Here is another number, 30. That is the combined number of assists provided by Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold! As a defensive unit Liverpool is as solid as it gets. Players like Fabinho and Henderson occupy the vacant fullback position, when Robertson and TAA move forward, and provide the team a defensive cover and avoids the threat of being counter attacked which was a big problem for Liverpool until the last season. Speaking purely from an FPL perspective, it is a no-brainer to invest on this defense.

PRE SEASON FORM

12 July Tranmere Rovers vs Liverpool 0-6 (W)

14 July Bradford City vs Liverpool 1-3(W)

20 July Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund 2-3 (L)

22 July Liverpool vs Sevilla 1-2 (L)

25 July Liverpool vs Sporting CP 2-2(D)

28 July Liverpool vs Napoli 0-3(L)

31 July Liverpool vs Lyon 3-1( W)

4 August Community Shield match vs Manchester City 1-1(4-5 loss on penaltiess)

Liverpool have been underwhelming during the course of the pre season. But positives can be taken from the community shield game against Manchester City where for a large part of the match they were dominant.

TRANSFERS IN AND OUT SO FAR

Liverpool have had a very quite summer transfer window and it is set to remain the same. Jurgen Klopp has openly stated he feels happy with the current squad. To be quite fair, Liverpool did not have Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain for a large part of the previous season and still managed to win the CL, their returns will boost the squad as if they are new signings.

Transfer IN:

1. Sepp Van Den Berg: PEC Zwolle for 1.9 million
2. Adrian: West Ham United for free

Transfer OUT:

1. Danny Ings: Southampton for 22 million
2. Simon Mignolet: Club Brugge for 7 million
3. Harry Wilson: FC Bournemouth for a season long loan
4. Marko Grujic: Hertha Berlin for a season long loan
5. Alberto Moreno: Villereal FC for a free transfer
6. Daniel Sturridge: Free Agent

FPL Must Owns

1. Alisson Becker- Goalkeeper

The Brazillian goalkeeper took the league by a storm last season. He in a way changed the overall perception premier league fans had about a goalkeeper and bought a new and a more entertaining dimension to goalkeeping. He is brave, he takes a lot of risks but he is also a rock solid asset with a killer reflex which makes him one of the best goal keeper in the world. He won the golden glove last season by keeping 21 clean sheets and conceding just 22. He scored a total of 176 FPL points last season.Liverpool broke the bank and bought a goalkeeper who helped win the Champion league, are you ready to do the same for Alisson at 6 million?

Price: 6 million

Last season points: 176

2. Virgil Van Djik- Defender

What more can be said about this beast of a defender? There were question marks all around when Liverpool broke the then transfer record for a defender and bought Van Djik from Southampton in 2018. But over this year and a half we can boldly say he is the best defender in the world right now. Liverpool’s defense went from exploitable to unbreakable last season and it is not a mere case of co-incidence that Van Djik arrived around this time. Last season he had 38 successful tackles and 40 successful interceptions along with the 4 goals and 2 assists in the competition. He was also the premier league player of the season.

Price: 6.5 Million

Last Season Points : 208

3.Andrew Robertson– Defender

This Scottish left back was the highest scoring defender in the fantasy premier league last season. He not only offers a calming presence in the back line but his pace and stamina make him a major threat to the opponent’s defense. He has a phenomenal range of crossing and a fantastic wing play. Often guarding the left side of Liverpool’s team, he also allows Sadio Mane to play in a more central position. Last season Robertson racked up 11 Assists. On a defensive side he has managed to complete 80 tackles with a success percentage of 61%. This makes him prone to a lot of bonus points and will be a valuable asset in your team. Still confused between Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold? Check this out!

Price: 7.0 Million

Last Season FPL Points: 213

4. Sadio Mane-Midfielder

Sadio Mane has always been a clutch player with a knack of getting the goals when it matters for his club or country. In fact, when the going really gets tough it is more often than not Mane who steps up. Last season however, he became a lot more consistent often outscoring his team mates. He was last year’s joint golden boot winner with 21 goals and 4 assists. There has been a 2 million price increase for the Senegalese international from last season, but it is a fair asking price for a golden boot winner.

Price: 11.5 Million

Last Season FPL points: 231

Disclaimer: Since Mane joined the Liverpool team late after international duty, it is likely he will be rested for Gameweek 1

6. Mohammad Salah

The Egyptian King! Ever since Mohammad Salah appeared on the scene for Liverpool, he has been a fan favorite. Mohammad Salah is the one and only player to break the 300 point barrier in a single season of FPL. He is arguably the best forward in the league at the moment. A back to back golden boot winner, Salah is owned by 38.8% of FPL manager already ahead of the new season. With James Milner set to play a more subdued role, it is Salah who is believed to be the first choice penalty taker.

Price-12.0 Million

Last season FPL points: 258

7. Joe Gomez- Defender

Alright! For a team like Liverpool filled with superstars, it can be hard to find a cheap pick. Liverpool evidently have the best defense in the league and FPL managers want to invest in them in order to get maximum points. Presenting Joe Gomez! He was Klopp’s first choice center back partner for Van Djik until an unfortunate injury ended his season abruptly. He appeared 16 times last season keeping 7 clean sheets and conceding only 4 goals. He can also play a make shift right back and cover for Trent Alexander Arnold in case he gets injured.

Price- 5.5 Million

Last season FPL points: 55

AllAboutFPL Verdict

Liverpool are a team of expensive superstars. But in order to own players from the best defense and the best attack, one has to invest big on certain players. Liverpool players are definitely worth the investment. With relatively easy first 5 fixtures, we can expect a high returns from the Liverpool’s players. So what are you waiting for?

Having trouble in selecting your team Click here to learn more about the FPL basics.