Liverpool's Best All-British Premier League XI vs. Best Overseas XI
Liverpool's wait for a league title in the Premier League era continues, having twice come close to lifting the trophy they have won 18 times prior to 1992.
Rafael Benitez's class of 2008/09 and Brendan Rodgers' group of 2012/13 both finished second after looking favourites to end the wait for a first title since 1990.
During the Premier League era, the Reds have gone from Roy Evans' English core, to Gerard Houllier's French revolution, Rafa Benitez's Spanish armada, then back to British with Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers.
They now look set for a German revolution under Jurgen Klopp. According to BBC Sport, the former Borussia Dortmund manager is expected to join the club by Friday.
With each era of management, players have been idolised at Anfield, with the best of British mixing with some of the top talents from around the world.
Iconic names have been written into Anfield history.
Here, we select a best-of-British XI and a best-of-overseas XI during the Premier League era.
We've opted for a 4-3-3 formation and excluded any current Liverpool players. Players are matched like-for-like where possible—but this isn't always possible with such theoretical XIs and when looking to get the best players, rather than the best team all-around.
As ever, these lists are subjective, so if you feel we've missed somebody out who should have been included, let us know in the comments!
Goalkeepers
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David James vs. Pepe Reina
David James and Pepe Reina are Liverpool's two longest-serving goalkeepers in the Premier League era.
James arrived from Watford in 1992, going on to make 277 appearances, keeping 102 clean sheets. The Englishman collected a League Cup winners' medal in 1995 but was part of a Liverpool side that came up short in the league—with James dubbed as one of the "Spice Boys."
James was a solid goalkeeper but always prone to an erratic moment, earning the nickname "Calamity James" after he blamed computer games for his poor performances.
Reina, meanwhile, arrived at Anfield in 2005, immediately after Jerzy Dudek's exploits had helped Liverpool win the European Cup.
The Spaniard was a revelation, winning the Premier League Golden Glove in three of his first four seasons in England.
He won the FA Cup in his first season at the club, saving three penalties in the shootout victory over West Ham United, and went on to keep an impressive 177 clean sheets—bettered only by Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar.
Reina wins this head-to-head.
Defenders
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Right-back: Rob Jones vs. Steve Finnan
Liverpool have had some solid right-backs in the Premier League era.
Republic of Ireland international Steve Finnan was one of the most reliable full-backs in the country; he was known as Mr. Consistent at Anfield.
Finnan made 217 appearances in five seasons at the club, contributing to the Champions League win of 2005 and the FA Cup victory in 2006.
Prior to Finnnan, Markus Babbel had been similarly impressive under Gerard Houllier's reign at the club. The German moved from centre-back to right-back and dominated in the 2000/01 season, making an incredible 60 appearances as Liverpool won three trophies.
The German was sadly struck down with Guillan-Barre Syndrome the following year but will always be remembered for his incredible contributions in that unforgettable season. He misses out to Finnan, who is technically foreign, not British.
The British representative is Rob Jones, a superb right-back who, without injuries besetting his career, would have been an England regular throughout the 90s. Jones still made 243 appearances for the club and is fondly remembered now.
Left-back: Steve Nicol vs. John Arne Riise
Left-back has been a problem area for Liverpool throughout the Premier League era, but John Arne Riise stands out as the best of the lot.
The Norwegian made 348 appearances for the club, scoring some blockbuster goals along the way.
It's difficult to find a British representative to go up against Riise, with names such as Steve Harkness and Paul Konchesky not quite making the pedigree required.
We've gone right back to the start of the Premier League era to stick Steve Nicol, the versatile Reds defender, in here.
Nicol made 468 appearances for the club, 67 of them in the Premier League. A European Cup winner in 1984, Nicol won the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award in 1989. He also scored an impressive 46 goals for the club—although just one arrived in the Premier League era.
Centre-back: Jamie Carragher vs. Sami Hyypia
Without a doubt Liverpool's two greatest centre-backs of the Premier League era are Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia.
The pair cost a combined £2.5 million, with Carragher progressing from the academy and Hyypia arriving from Willem II in 1999.
Hyypia was a revelation for a Liverpool defence that had suffered in the 90s, clocking up 464 appearances in 10 years at the club—winning every trophy possible bar the title. The Finn is a Liverpool legend.
Carragher had a similar career, winning the lot bar the title, making an incredible 737 appearances in total.
It's difficult to split the pair, but Hyypia was the better actual defender, while Carragher made up for anything he lacked in sheer determination, work and passion.
Centre-back: Mark Wright vs. Daniel Agger
Mark Wright was, like Jones, a superb English defender who struggled with injuries. A standout player for England at Italia 90, Liverpool signed him from Derby County the following year, becoming Britain's most expensive defender at the time (£2.2 million).
Daniel Agger was similar to Wright in that he also struggled with injuries throughout his time at Anfield—in his nine seasons at Liverpool, only four times he made over 30 appearances.
The Dane is well remembered now as a loyal servant who produced some classy displays. Without the injuries, he'd probably still be an Anfield regular now.
Midfielders
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Central midfield: John Barnes vs. Dietmar Hamann
John Barnes' best days were behind him when the Premier League era began in 1992, but as he moved into the later stages of his career, he still oozed class deployed in a more central role.
Barnes is one of Liverpool's greatest-ever players, and his passing ability was something to be in awe of.
Dietmar "Didi" Hamann was signed in 1999 and quickly became an important figure of Liverpool's revolution under Gerard Houllier, then later Rafa Benitez.
A key figure in Liverpool's successes of 2001 and 2005, Hamann made 283 appearances for the Reds and did the simple work that allowed others ahead of him to shine.
Central midfield: Gary McAllister vs. Javier Mascherano
Gary McAllister excelled during his two seasons at Anfield and was a key part of the 2000/01 treble-winning campaign. The Scotsman provided experience in Houllier's team and scored crucial goals at the business end of the season.
Javier Mascherano provided the grit and steel to Liverpool's stellar side under Benitez in the late 00s. The Argentinian formed an impressive partnership alongside Xabi Alonso but left the club shortly after Roy Hodgson arrived in 2010. The club have never replaced him in the five years since.
Central midfield: Steven Gerrard vs. Xabi Alonso
Words cannot describe the contribution Steven Gerrard made to Liverpool in his 17 seasons at the club, and no matter how good Alonso was—particularly in his final season before leaving—Gerrard's achievements cannot be matched.
Alonso and Gerrard together in their prime during the 2008/09 season provided the best of British and foreign, with Gerrard driving the team forward and Alonso smoothly dictating play behind him.
Forwards
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Wide-forward: Steve McManaman vs. Dirk Kuyt
Steve McManaman and Dirk Kuyt were the opposite of players in many ways. Kuyt was a forward used more as a wide midfielder by Rafa Benitez, while McManaman was a winger who operated centrally under Roy Evans once he opted for a 3-5-2 formation.
Both were superb footballers, even if they offered very different qualities.
While McManaman had impressive balance and dribbling skills, scoring some memorable goals in his time, Kuyt had the work rate and hit his fair share of important goals for the club.
Centre-forward: Michael Owen vs. Fernando Torres
Two proper goalscorers who were clinical when at their best at Anfield.
Michael Owen's ability and goalscoring record is often overlooked now, but he hit over 20 goals in five out of six consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2003—the first of those being his first full season as a professional, aged just 18. Owen's blistering pace would cause nightmares for defenders.
Fernando Torres was similarly impressive, although not over such a long period. He enjoyed three impressive years on Merseyside, scoring 33 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign.
Both left the club under dark clouds: Owen left in 2004 after Benitez was appointed, departing for Real Madrid with a year left on his contract; Torres headed off to Chelsea for £50 million in 2011.
Centre-forward: Robbie Fowler vs. Luis Suarez
Two of the most iconic and revered centre-forwards not just by Liverpool supporters but in the Premier League.
Robbie Fowler was the most clinical goalscorer to grace Anfield, scoring over 30 goals in all competitions in three consecutive seasons in the mid-90s, something we're unlikely to see again now due to squad rotation.
The Toxteth Terror, as he was known, terrorised defences and could score all types of goals—inside the six-yard box, outside the area, free-kicks, headers, the lot.
Luis Suarez is the closest Liverpool have had to Fowler since. He made those around him better. He scored 30 and 31 goals respectively in his final two seasons at Anfield, leading the side back to the Champions League in 2013.
Suarez's ability left supporters gasping and laughing at his incredible skills.
Overall XIs
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British XI: James; Jones, Carragher, Wright, Nicol; Barnes, McAllister, Gerrard; McManaman, Owen, Fowler.
Overseas XI: Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Agger, Riise; Hamann, Alonso, Mascherano; Kuyt, Suarez, Torres.
Which one wins? Let us know in the comments below.
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