ARNE SLOT could not have wished for a better start to life as Liverpool head coach.
With Christmas fast approaching, the Reds have a nine-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table; they’re also the only team to have won all their Champions League fixtures this season.
Dream Team managers should back Liverpool to the hilt[/caption]Naturally, this emphatic start to the campaign has translated to Dream Team success.
Here are seven stats that underline Liverpool’s domination so far.
1. Mohamed Salah, Double Centurion
The Egyptian superstar has taken on a new lease of life under Slot and is arguably playing his best football since his debut season at Anfield.
After a 13-point haul against Man City on Sunday, Salah has become the first player to reach the 200-point mark in 2024/25.
The 32-year-old has scored 13 goals and registered 11 assists across the first 12 and a half Gameweeks of the campaign.
He also ranks in the top three for shots on target and big chances created.
Salah’s double century of points is put into perspective by the fact just two other players, Erling Haaland (£8.6m) and Bukayo Saka (£6.6m), have passed 150.
Dream Team’s leading man[/caption]2. First The Worst, Second The Best?
It’s easy to forget that Caoimhin Kelleher (£2.8m) is only Liverpool’s second-choice goalkeeper.
The Irishman has deputised for the injured Alisson (£5.1m) with aplomb of late, evidenced best by his penalty saves against Southampton and Real Madrid in Gameweek 12.
In fact, Kelleher is currently the most in-form asset in his position.
He’s up to fifth in the keeper rankings, a remarkable achievement given he’s played just 11 of 20 available games.
With the Brazilian No1 reportedly close to a return, Kelleher’s run of returns may be at an end but his backers couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome in recent weeks.
Kelleher has excelled in recent weeks[/caption]3. Christmas Bonus
The reinvention of Ryan Gravenberch (£3.8m) has been a defining feature of Slot’s reign to date.
Previously a bit-part player without a speciality, the Netherlands international has bossed the middle of the park third this term.
As a consequence of his magnificent all-round performances, the former Bayern Munich midfielder has amassed 29 bonus points, three more than his closest rival in the metric, James Maddison (£4.7m).
Gravenberch has made more interceptions than any other player this season.
4. Go Dutch
Virgil van Dijk (£5.5m) has been a man mountain at centre-back and that’s reflected in the fact he’s contributed to 11 clean sheets – no other player has reached double figures.
Add in two goals plus an assist and the imperious Dutchman has 120 points in total, putting him top of the defensive rankings.
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5. You Shall Not Pass
Van Dijk’s supremacy only tells part of the story about Liverpool’s back line.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) is joint-second among players in his position on 110 points while Ibrahima Konate (£4.8m) is joint-fifth with 100.
The latter will slip down the rankings while sidelined with injury but the point is that there are ample points to be had backing the defenders.
Joe Gomez (£3.1m) banked seven points from his meeting with Haaland and surely has to be considered a hugely tempting bargain option for upcoming Gameweeks while Konate recovers.
Clean sheet collector[/caption]6. The 100 Club
Six Liverpool players have accumulated 100+ points at this stage, meaning they have more representatives in the exclusive 100 Club than any other team.
The aforementioned Salah, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Konate are joined by Luis Diaz (£4.2m) and Cody Gakpo (£4.5m).
For comparison, only one Man City player (Haaland) is into triple figures.
Liverpool have at least one player among the top five performers in every position.
Luis Diaz has raced to nine goals this season[/caption]7. Goals From Everywhere
So many of the headlines focus on Salah, understandably so, but it would be a mistake to view him as the be-all-and-end-all of Liverpool’s attack.
Diaz has scored nine goals in all competitions at an average of one every 129 minutes while Gakpo has bagged eight at a rate of one every 123.6 minutes.
In fact, Haaland, Salah and Brennan Johnson (£3.9m) are the only players who have scored more goals than the Colombia winger this season.
It’s telling that Liverpool haven’t missed Diogo Jota (£4.5m), who started the season in fine form before his injury.
Dream Team bosses can expect more points to flow in Gameweek 14 when Liverpool face Everton and Girona.
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