Klopp finally admitted this week that the current squad, Liverpool in 2021-22, is the best team he has ever coached. He said: "Don't ask me again, my point is clear: Liverpool are the best team, the best team I have ever had! "He won several Bundesliga titles at Borussia Dortmund and reached the Champions League final. He then led Liverpool to the Champions League final, not only winning the club's first Premier League title, but also scoring a staggering 99 points in 38 games, the second highest score in Premier League history.
They have already won the Carabao Cup thanks to Sunday's victory over Chelsea, they are still in the FA Cup, the midweek fifth round home to Norwich, they are making steady progress, steadily advancing in the Champions League, beating Inter 2-0 in the quarter-finals, they control their own destiny in the Premier League, just three points behind Manchester City. Regardless of what happens in the remaining third-tier battlefront, Klopp knows this team better than anyone, so let's take a look at why this is the best Liverpool of modern times.
In 26 games in the 2019-20 season, Liverpool won 25 games and drew 1 to score a total of 76 points. Last year, City won the league with 86 points, with Manchester United in second place with 74 points. This year's Liverpool scored just 60 points in 26 games, ranking 19th in league history, less than the 65 points in the 2018-19 season. In 26 games, Liverpool scored 70 goals and conceded 20 goals. But their 50+ goal difference is the third highest in league history, behind the 2017-18 Manchester City 55+ and the 2018-19 Manchester City 52+.
In fact, when Liverpool won the league title, their goal difference for the entire season was +52, just slightly better than Klopp's side currently have 12 games left. Another difference from the title-winning year is that Liverpool's goal difference this time is the best in the league. In the 2019-20 season, City scored 67+, compared to 47+ this year, although they have played one more game than Liverpool. Liverpool lost 0 games in the starting line-up at the same time as Thiago and Fabinho. In those 19 games, they won 1 of the 18 draws, in which they scored 50 goals and conceded 6.
In the two seasons when Liverpool won the title, they deliberately did so with an obscure midfielder – Henderson, Wijnaldum and Fabinho – who contributed greatly in stepping up their attack or putting the ball into the box. Klopp has asked fabinho more this year, with Fabinho's interceptions soaring this season, while Fabinho has been even better with the support of other top centre-forwards.
The biggest difference between Liverpool and Manchester City is that apart from one of the best coaches of the 21st century, a world-class one-on-one goalkeeper, impeccable centre-backs, an unbeaten midfield combination, and the best full-back combination in the world, Liverpool finally have what they've lacked in the last five years – good strikelines. Over the past few seasons, without it, they would not have been able to keep pace with Manchester City, could not avoid a devastating injury crisis and, perhaps more importantly, Liverpool now finally have offensive depth.