WHY LIVERPOOL ARE THE BEST TEAM ON THE PLANET

WHY 

LIVERPOOL 

ARE 

THE BEST TEAM ON THE PLANET

LIVERPOOL 2019/2020
Undefeated in EPL / Group Winners in UCL
87 GOALS SCORED
Completed 9 straight clean sheets (only Marseille's streak of 4 comes close)
2.4 goals scored per 90
0.6 goals allowed per 90
26 game winning streak (all comps) 


          How can anyone beat them?
          Last time we made a Top 10 list, Liverpool reigned supreme then as they do now, and in early February 2020, who's going to make a push to finally usurp Klopp's powerhouse squad?
           Who will finally beat them in the EPL?  
            Their domination knows no bounds and their potential for defeat is borderline impossible: 
            In early fall, they weren't at their best, appearing sloppy as they made uncharacteristic errors, though they still went unpunished. Clutching at a pathetic 3 clean sheets in 20 matches, going nearly 2 months straight without a clean sheet (10/5-12/4), you had the feeling that if Liverpool weren't punished at the time, they surely would be come the tough outings. Still, they only lost to Napoli in the UCL during this ramshackle first period of the campaign.
             After #1 keeper Alisson and VVD's CB partner Joel Matip went down, this was how it would have to be for the first months of the 2019/2020 campaign: outscoring all-comers without a thought defensively... 'cause why not?
            Jurgen Klopp's men were sick of style points and they'd grown weary of watching Manchester City call themselves "the best club in English futbol" as they continuously failed to adequately represent the country in the UCL (which Liverpool, Chelsea and even Tottenham were able to do)....
            ....something had to be done.
            Following rousing comebacks and dominant displays over Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Tottenham (while outplaying Real Madrid in last year's final) and capturing the 2019 UCL title, Klopp's Liverpool could easily call themselves the "best club in Europe" as the EPL season drew near...but Liverpool fans wanted something specifically local this season.
          Beggars can't be choosers, but following 4 years of Klopp-led ascendancy, Liverpool weren't in the position of begging or scrapping anymore: they were in the business of taking.
           This team weren't going to eek out 1-0 wins in an attempt for surface perfection, they were looking for true dominance...matches played with zero fear, ultimate impetus and divine artisanal servitude....so they put their best offensive foot forward and outscored everyone in their path, and they're finally on the mathematical cusp of ending the 30+ year wait for a Scouse EPL title.
               When Leroy Sane, Aymeric Laporte, and Fernandinho fell prey to early season injuries, Jurgen Klopp's ever-expansive squad took control of the Premier League and haven't looked back, blowing the doors off everyone in sight (Mane, Salah & Firmino scoring 39 goals, dishing 26 assists, the fullback tandem of Alexander-Arnold and Robertson combine for 17 assists, while 12 different squad members have scored multiple goals & 6 different Liverpool players have posted 4+ assists).
          Refusing to worry about style points, this Reds' squad still plays the most scintillating football in Europe and have become the toughest to beat, rallying from a goal down on four occasions and winning with a late winner in four more.                
           In the process of this goalscoring-uber alles mentality, Liverpool also kept defender VVD fresh and rampaged their way through the English footballing world in the same buccaneering 5-4, 4-3 manner in which Klopp first announced his arrival in October 2015.
                Regardless of the continuing brilliance and importance of Mohamed Salah, the omnipresent genius of Roberto Firmino (who's hat trick of assists showcase last Saturday was unreal to witness), and the extremely key Sadio Mane, the most important Liverpool player in 2020 has to be Jordan Henderson.
            Henderson has always fought through the whiny cynicism of his critics and hearkened back to the all-or-nothing midfield lessons he learned under Steven Gerrard in 2013/14: 
            While Hendo isn't the most athletic midfielder, and he's not without his faults as a technician, there's never been a match where the Reds captain didn't give everything he had, there wasn't a critical match where he failed to make an impact...and much like his pal James Milner, his overall footballing ability gets overshadowed by the lulls of his absolute consistency.
              Henderson has been one of the best midfielders in Europe throughout 2019/2020, and yet the British media find themselves bankrupt when faced with the task of commending their own World Cup hero. 
              Let's all be completely honest for a moment: 
             Reds fans have been more critical of Jordan Henderson than anyone, but once they all saw him lifting the UCL trophy in 2019, there was such a newfound respect and discovery of his graft and guile. No matter what anyone may think of Hendo, he'll always be a Merseyside legend...and his insistence on delivering titles to LFC has manifested itself once again as he helps Jurgen Klopp's men seize complete and utter control over the EPL.
                     How important is Jordan Henderson to Klopp's Liverpool project?
                     Without Henderson's shot, Origi doesn't score the crucial 1st goal in the 2nd leg vs Barcelona, Liverpool don't comeback...they didn't have Firmino, Salah or Robertson to help them, Liverpool would've missed out on a UCL title if their captain didn't wrestle the match away from the disturbed visage of Ernesto Valverde's impotent Barca. Hendo's expert, brutish tackling and nonstop work ethic in dragging the Reds to the final became just as critical as any goal the front three had scored.
                   And now Hendo, flying high as he creates and scores goals with renewed frequency (3 goals, 4 assists), the English midfielder compliments the intense finesse of the front three and the dual high-pressing fullbacks to a devastating degree.
            This project under Klopp has been building for some time up to this culmination in 2020:
            If you were to tell any Reds fan in 2017 that their club would overcome a 3-0 1st leg deficit to Barcelona without Firmino or Salah, if you were to tell them Jurgen Klopp would turn £7.7 million left back Andy Robertson into one of the best in the world in only a few months time, or that Divock Origi, rather than Coutinho, would be the man to score the clutch goals, if you would tell those fans now, in 2020, their dearly beloved Reds would have a 20+ point lead in the EPL...they'd probably Mike Tyson your nose off.
            Liverpool's rampaging form in 2019/2020 is the result of years of relentless work: the betrayal of the Coutinho transfer, the weeding out of an entire roster of players, the transfer failures of the Americans running the club...all of it led to this very moment where every player in every role is fulfilling their potential, delivering their best performances and giving more than their opponents...
                 In every contest, regardless of how well or how bad Klopp's men perform, they're serially winning because they work harder than any other XI in Europe:
            Led by the in-your-face examples of 
James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Virgil Van Dijk, and Jordan Henderson, Klopp's men out-run everyone in their way, out-gun anyone in their view, and then for kicks, while they score a few more goals in the last 10 minutes, they have more fun than any other club in Europe.
                And that is why 2020 Liverpool may just be unstoppable...

by 
LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
twitter.com/LonnPhillips
uninterruptedsportsodyssey.blogspot.com