Statistics That Defined Liverpool's 2016-17 Season
Liverpool threatened a title challenge at the turn of the year, but finishing in the Premier League's top four was a fine achievement at the end of Jurgen Klopp's first full season in charge.
At times, the Reds were wonderful to watch. Mirroring their manager on the touchline, they played with energy and enthusiasm, pressing their opponents and producing football that had even neutrals purring.
At others, their unpredictability and seeming desire to shoot themselves in the foot had fans struggling to comprehend what they were witnessing.
Like working as a lift operator, the campaign was full of ups and downs.
The Scottish poet Andrew Lang once said: "Politicians use statistics in the same way that a drunk uses lamp-posts—for support rather than illumination."
Well, Bleacher Report likes to lean on the numbers. As we prepare for a summer full of transfer stories, we've taken a look at some of the key statistics that shaped Liverpool's progress in 2016/17.
Top of the Top 6
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Liverpool boasted an unbeaten record against the rest of the Premier League's top six.
They recorded five wins and five draws to pick up 20 points in the 10 fixtures with their fellow heavyweights, meaning they finished on top of the mini league.
They did the double over Arsenal, won away at champions Chelsea (admittedly before the Blues switched to playing 3-4-3) and impressively saw off both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
Manchester United were the only other member of the top six the Reds failed to beat over the course of the campaign; they were only denied victory at Old Trafford when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a late equaliser.
Still, Klopp's record against Liverpool's major rivals is mightily impressive. If only they'd had the same level of success against those in the bottom six...
Number of League Goals Conceded
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Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Liverpool need to get better at the back.
The 42 goals they conceded were the most by any of the top four. Leaky defences won't necessarily sink lofty ambitions, but if Klopp wants to do more than just challenge for the top four, the Reds must tighten up.
For example, champions Chelsea conceded 33 this season, four of which went in after they'd already wrapped up the league with two games to spare.
No title-winning team has given up on average more than a goal a game since Manchester United (43) were crowned at the end of the 2012/13 campaign. They're the only first-placed side to do so in the last decade.
Klopp likes to play aggressive football. However, that doesn't mean you can leave the door open for your opponents. Careless defending costs points, and they all add up in the final reckoning.
Set-Piece Struggles
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Besides Dejan Lovren doing things he shouldn't, Liverpool's major defensive issue was giving up goals from set-piece situations.
Opposition teams scored 12 times from set pieces. That was the 10th most in the league—their top-six rivals all ranked at the bottom of the table, with Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion sandwiched in with them.
Klopp tends to use a zonal system when it comes to marking. However, as he told Sky Sports' Monday Night Football (h/t Adam Bate of SkySports.com), that's more due to personnel than personal preference.
"We have to be more creative," the German said on the show. "At Dortmund we had a lot of man marking because we had a lot of tall players. Here, we had to find a different solution."
That search for a solution continues, and perhaps explains why Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, per the Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly.
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Number of Assists from the Full-Back Positions
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Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner occupied the two full-back positions for the vast majority of Premier League games.
The pair were steady performers throughout, with Milner deserving special praise for his efforts. Usually a central midfielder, he made a smooth transition to playing on the left-hand side of Liverpool's back four.
But, combined, Clyne and Milner contributed five assists. Considering the amount of possession the Reds tended to have in games, particularly at home, they could have hoped for a higher output from out wide.
It wasn't for a lack of effort on Milner's part. Per the Premier League's official website, he sent in 259 crosses and made 2,168 passes. None of his team-mates managed more in either category.
Clyne, in contrast, managed just 97 crosses. A dependable defender who can cope when left one-on-one against opposing wingers, the 26-year-old needs to offer a greater threat from his flank.
A Nasty Case of the January Blues
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Liverpool rounded out 2016 with a 1-0 home victory over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at Anfield.
The positive result—secured by Georginio Wijnaldum's early header—pushed Klopp's side clear of City in second place, albeit they still sat six points behind leaders Chelsea heading into 2017.
January, though, was a disastrous month on all fronts. As if exiting both domestic cup competitions wasn't bad enough, the Reds managed to pick up a mere three points from four league outings.
In isolation, 1-1 draws away at Manchester United and home to Chelsea were acceptable results. The problem, however, was the failure to record victories against Sunderland and Swansea City, while the Reds also lost to Hull City on February 4.
Facing three teams fighting to remain in the top flight, Liverpool picked up a solitary point (in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland). Beaten 3-2 by Swansea at home, they failed to turn up when losing 2-0 at Hull.
By the start of February, the Reds were in fourth place and trailed Chelsea by 10 points. Ambitious talk of a title challenge had ended—suddenly even a top-four finish looked in doubt.
The Sadio Mane Factor
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When Sadio Mane—who contributed 13 Premier League goals and six assists—was missing from their XI, Liverpool just weren't the same.
Players who cost £35.02 million—the fee the Reds forked out to Southampton, according to TransferMarkt—tend to be tough to replace, particularly when they possess something that gives you an extra dimension.
In Mane's case, it is pace. His speed meant opposition teams could not press the ball too eagerly in fear of leaving space in behind.
"The influence that this guy has had on the Liverpool team, even when he doesn’t score, is ridiculous. They don’t have any drive or pace without him," Rio Ferdinand said on his own YouTube channel (h/t Jeorge Bird of Squawka).
It took Liverpool until the fifth attempt to record a league win without Mane, who was badly missed during the month of January while away representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.
A knee injury suffered in the Merseyside derby at the start of April cut short his season, leaving Klopp's squad without their main Mane for the final eight games. They survived...but only just.
Number of Players Who Managed 10 or More Goals
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Unlike leading rivals in the Premier League, Liverpool did not have one specific forward who provided the majority of their goals.
Instead, Klopp's squad shared around the burden of finding the net. Sadio Mane managed 13 in 27 games, but his absence during the run-in allowed Philippe Coutinho to draw level in the scoring charts.
Roberto Firmino (11) also reached double figures in a season that saw the Brazilian often deployed as the central forward in the front three.
A tireless worker who triggered Liverpool's pressing game, Firmino grabbed crucial winners away at Stoke City (after he'd been summoned from the bench at half-time) and West Bromwich Albion.
Add in Adam Lallana's eight goals, plus seven penalties from James Milner and six strikes at home from Wijnaldum, and the Reds demonstrated how you don't necessarily need a superstar striker to have success.
Final Position in the Table
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The most important statistic? 76 points.
That is how many Liverpool ended up with, enough to finish in the top four for just the second time in the last eight Premier League campaigns.
A 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on the final weekend secured the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League next season. Despite wobbling at times down the stretch, they finished one point ahead of Arsenal.
After all the positive moments, missing out on the top four would have been a major disappointment. Instead, Klopp can now dangle the Champions League carrot in front of transfer targets this summer.
"It makes a difference financially of course, but it is the sports side of things that is more interesting," the German said after the last league game, per Andy Hunter of the Guardian.
"It is the best tournament in Europe. They might say differently in South America but in my opinion there is maybe nothing better in the world. You want to be there. Liverpool needs to be there consistently."
Statistics can be used to highlight positives and point out areas that need improvement. However, in the final reckoning, the only number that matters is your position in the table.
All statistics are from WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated.
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