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19-time English league champions Liverpool did not win anything big at the end of the 2020-21 season. They have started brightly this season and are looking on course for a successful campaign.
The Reds became the first English team in history to win all six Champions League group stage games. They are in the semi-final of the FA Cup. They are currently second in the Premier League and are firmly in contention for the league title.
Below we will check out the five players who helped make the aforementioned feats a reality. Here are Liverpool’s five best performers of 2021:
#5 Diogo Jota
Hoping to make his team play a bit more directly, Jurgen Klopp decided to sign Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, the Portugal international was sidelined for a big chunk of the season after bruising his knee and failing to make the impact many expected.
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He has managed to keep injury concerns at bay this season and has become Klopp’s go-to man in attack. Jota may not always be as involved in Liverpool’s build-up as his contemporary Roberto Firmino, but his directness more than makes up for it.
The former Wolves man is an excellent striker of the ball and he has the stats to show for it this season.
Since the start of the campaign, Jota has scored 10 goals in the English Premier League alone. He has also scored once each in the League Cup and the Champions League.
If he keeps this up, Jota will surely end the season as one of Liverpool’s standout performers.
#4 Alisson Becker
Back in the day, Simon Mignolet made some impressive saves for Liverpool. He was a very decent keeper at his best, but he rarely gave the Reds the stability they needed to go for the big trophies.
Alisson Becker’s arrival in the summer of 2018 changed it for the better. Liverpool now have a steady pair of hands guarding their goal, rarely showing nerves even against the most daunting attackers.
Alisson is decent with the ball at his feet, rarely hesitates to come off his line, and is not afraid to contribute offensively when needed.
This year, the Brazil international stunningly became the first Liverpool goalkeeper in history to hit the back of the next. In May 2021, Alisson headed home in injury time to seal a 2-1 win for the Reds.
The goal not only won Liverpool the match, but also kept them in the top-four race. Fans unsurprisingly chose his historic strike as Liverpool’s best goal of the 2020-21 season.
#3 Fabinho
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has always had a soft spot for players who work hard. Fabinho, who has worked tirelessly over the course of the year, has been his absolute favorite.
Until March 2021, Klopp had used Fabinho as a centre-back. Despite not playing in his natural position, the Brazilian delivered, leaving his coach smiling ear to ear. However, he really emerged as one of the best when Klopp moved him to the center of the pitch.
From reading the game and dictating tempo, to intercepting passes and providing pinpoint long balls, Fabinho has done it all in 2021, and with grace. Having missed the last couple of matches due to COVID-19, Fabinho is set to return for Liverpool’s final game of the year against Leicester City.
#2 Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is by far the most impactful full-back on the planet right now. Not only is he an ingenious attacking asset, but he is also capable of producing match-winning tackles.
The England international is quick off his mark, is a gifted dribbler and has a knack for delivering accurate set pieces. Alexander-Arnold scored twice in the second half of the 2020-21 season and provided five assists in the Premier League. Surprisingly, he failed to get even a single goal or assist in the Champions League.
He has started strongly this term and has been one of Liverpool’s best players. The Englishman has three goals and 11 assists to his name this season in all competitions and is the league’s second-leading assist provider.
#1 Mohamed Salah
Sitting pretty at the top of our list is Mohamed Salah and deservedly so. The Liverpool number 11 has not only Liverpool’s best player in 2021, but he has also emerged as one of the best in the world.
Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has constantly upped his game. In 2021, we have seen him evolve into a complete forward, capable of scoring as well as assisting.
Salah, freakishly quick, is an excellent dribbler and possesses the quality to influence play even without getting on the scoresheet. In the first half of the year, we saw Salah score 15 goals in all competitions. He also had two assists to his name.
Salah has netted 15 goals in the Premier League alone this season and has scored seven more in the Champions League. The Egyptian international has also bagged nine Premier League assists, emerging as the division’s highest assist-provider this season.
