Picking a Combined Liverpool XI from the 2013/14 and Current Squads
Liverpool's last league title came in 1990, back before the Premier League even existed.
That championship-winning squad included John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Alan Hansen and Ian Rush. They looked on for the double at one point, only to lose to Crystal Palace in a thrilling FA Cup semi-final.
They have come close to being crowned champions since then, most recently in the 2013/14 season under Brendan Rodgers.
Thanks to the goals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, the Reds looked on course to end the title drought. However, a late blip allowed Manchester City to nip in down the stretch and take the crown.
Still, it was hoped to be the start of a new era of challenging for trophies. Instead, it proved to be the high point before a painful fall back into the chasing pack.
This season, however, there is that feeling of hope developing again on Merseyside. Could this finally be the year the Reds are crowned champions of England's top tier for a 19th time?
Chelsea's astonishing run of form at the end of 2016—the Blues won 13 games on the spin—has left Liverpool with work to do, but the race is a marathon, not a sprint.
Jurgen Klopp's squad shares some similarities with Rodgers' class of 13/14. Both have shown the capability to score plenty of goals—and both concede a few, too.
So, who from three years ago would break into the current XI? Bleacher Report attempted to come up with a superteam that combines the best of both squads.
Note: Players who appeared in both seasons are only considered for one or the other. For example, Lucas Leiva of 2013/14 would be ahead of the 2016/17 version. Spoiler alert: Lucas didn't make the cut.
Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet (2013/14)
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Simon Mignolet was the only choice between the sticks—but which version?
Considering he's been far from a certainty to start this season, Mignolet Mk I (from 2013/14) starts in goal.
The Belgium international moved to Anfield in June 2013—he cost £9.01 million from Sunderland—and came close to winning the title in his maiden season with the Reds.
Mignolet played all 38 Premier League games during the campaign, including marking his debut with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Like the life of a lift operator, things have been a little up and down since then. The 28-year-old has the ability to produce stunning saves but has looked about as comfortable dealing with crosses as Dracula.
Mignolet—who has overtaken Loris Karius to become Klopp's No. 1 choice again—believes this current crop of players can succeed in ending Liverpool's long wait for a league crown.
"Then we were a bit reliant on the individual ability of Luis Suarez to make the difference and score goals," he said, per Press Association Sport (h/t ESPN FC). "Now it is more about the whole team, the way we create chances and defend as a unit. We need everybody."
Right-Back: Nathaniel Clyne
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There were two candidates fighting it out for this position in the combined team.
In the red corner is Nathaniel Clyne, the current first-choice right-back and an England international.
In the (other) red corner is Glen Johnson, who made just shy of 200 appearances before leaving in the summer of 2015 and has won 54 caps for England.
Both cost large fees from clubs on the south coast (Clyne £15.05 million from Southampton, Johnson £17.43 million from Portsmouth).
Both are willing to raid down the wing and provide an attacking outlet, although their service—at times—can be a little disappointing.
In the end, though, Clyne gets the nod.
He has cleaned up his act this season too, as Ralph Ellis pointed out for MailOnline: "The 25-year-old hasn't been booked once in this campaign despite playing every minute of Liverpool's 20 Premier League games so far."
Centre-Back: Martin Skrtel
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Yes, Martin Skrtel makes it into the combined XI. Before you rage in the comments section, read on.
While the Slovakian was part of a defence that conceded 50 times in the league in 2013/14, the options to play in the heart of our defence were hardly overwhelming.
From Rodgers' squad, both Daniel Agger (17 appearances) and Kolo Toure (15 appearances) would be stronger contenders if they were still in the prime of their careers.
Mamadou Sakho had an injury-hit first season at Anfield, although that's better than his current role of naughty boy standing in the corner.
And doesn't current first-choice stopper Dejan Lovren feel a little like a newer model of Skrtel? Both men are fully committed to the cause, but you feel a mistake isn't too far away.
In that case, we might as well plump for the original version of the error-prone centre-half.
It should not be overlooked that Skrtel scored 11 league goals in the 2013/14 campaign, albeit four of those were in the wrong net. The centre-back was always a danger in a penalty area, including his own.
Centre-Back: Joel Matip
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Joel Matip made a bright start to his Liverpool career, but lately the defender's been stuck in the frustrating role of spectator.
Signed from Bundesliga club Schalke on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2016, Matip missed the start of the current Premier League season while recovering from ankle surgery.
When finally fit for action, Liverpool conceded only nine goals in the 25-year-old's first 11 league appearances.
However, another ankle problem cut short his blossoming partnership with Lovren. Matip has played just once since the start of December, although that's not entirely his fault.
While now ready for action again, the centre-back is caught up in a club-versus-country row.
He was selected in Cameroon's preliminary squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, despite declaring he would not be travelling to the tournament in Gabon.
The player wasn't included in his nation's final 23-man party, yet FIFA have the power to block him from appearing for his club while the tournament is going on, per BBC Sport.
Left-Back: Jon Flanagan
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The real Cafu made his name at right-back, but the Scouse Cafu starred at left-back in the second half of Liverpool's title challenge three years ago.
Having struggled just to make the first-team squad at the start of the 2013/14 season, Jon Flanagan capitalised on injury issues in the back line to become a regular in the XI.
He featured on both the right and left sides of the back four in making 23 appearances in total.
There was also one goal, one memorable goal, with Flanagan firing in the third in the 5-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in December 2013.
Charging into the penalty area, he sweetly met Luis Suarez's cross on the half-volley, with his effort thundering into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
"It’s every local lad’s dream to pull on the red shirt. Now I’ve managed to score my first goal I just want to keep progressing," he told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.
He kept progressing to make his England debut in the summer of 2014, but the local lad has barely played for Liverpool since due to knee injuries.
Although out on loan at Burnley this season, Flanagan is only 24. Time is still on his side.
Still, whatever happens in his future, he will always have that goal at White Hart Lane.
Midfield: Steven Gerrard
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Of course Steven Gerrard makes it into the XI. He gets the armband, too, plus he can take all the set pieces.
The captain in 2013/14, Gerrard was deployed by manager Rodgers as his on-field quarterback. Positioned at the base of the midfield, he could dictate proceedings in front of him.
"There's not many players who can do what he can do—be one of the best attacking midfield players in Europe and then switch to be arguably the best controlling player," Rodgers said, per Chris Davie of Goal.
Yet despite being in a deeper role, he was still a huge factor in attack.
Gerrard finished the season with 13 goals and 15 assists. His numbers are even more impressive when you factor in a four-game absence through injury.
He also had that one slip in the crucial defeat to Chelsea, but Liverpool fans don't need that old wound reopening again.
The man himself admitted in his autobiography, as serialised in the Daily Mail, that his moment of misfortune reduced him to tears on the journey home from Anfield.
Midfield: Jordan Henderson (2013/14)
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It is not uncommon for players to move back towards their own goal as their career progresses/legs go. Jordan Henderson, however, has retreated while still in his prime.
He's been outstanding as the deep-lying midfielder this season.
While Liverpool were not at their fluent, fast-paced best against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Sunday, they looked much better for having their skipper back from injury.
Rewind three years, however, and Henderson was positioned in front of ex-captain Gerrard. He was an all-action runner who hustled opponents and kept things simple when in possession.
The former Sunderland player was pivotal in Rodgers' team, as shown by results during his absence.
Sent off during injury time in the 3-2 home win over Manchester City in April 2014, Henderson had to watch on as Liverpool's title tilt crumbled down the stretch.
His three-game suspension included the 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Anfield, plus the 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace that finally burst the bubble of hope.
Midfield: Adam Lallana
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How great would it be to watch the 2016/17 version of Adam Lallana playing in the 2013/14 Liverpool team?
With his abilities on the ball and eye for a pass, the presence of the former Southampton midfielder might have seen the Reds manage even more than their final tally of 101 league goals.
Lallana, of course, didn't arrive at Anfield until the summer of 2014.
Instead of playing alongside Luis Suarez (who'd left for Barcelona) and Daniel Sturridge (who missed a vast amount of the 2014/15 season through injury), the midfielder had to try to work his magic with Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert.
Sometimes with lemons, you can't even make lemonade.
This season, though, the ever-willing Lallana has really excelled under current boss Klopp.
The England international has scored seven goals and also provided seven assists, with his best displays coming as the most advanced of Liverpool's central midfielders.
Right-Wing: Sadio Mane
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There were two outstanding options to play right-wing: Sadio Mane from the current team and Raheem Sterling from the 2013/14 squad.
Both are blessed with electric pace. Both provide a goal threat cutting in off the wing. Only one of them, however, is liked by Liverpool fans these days.
Forget about the manner of his departure, though; Sterling was superb in the side that finished second three seasons ago, contributing nine goals and seven assists.
Rodgers used him on both the right and left flanks, as well as the focal point in a midfield diamond. Wherever he lined up, the talented teenager was a threat to opposing defences.
Mane isn't quite as flexible—but that doesn't mean he's any less effective.
Before heading off to represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, the 24-year-old registered nine goals in 19 Premier League appearances in his debut season at Anfield.
Considering he will get the chance to add to his tally once back from international duty, Mane (just) gets the nod.
Left-Wing: Philippe Coutinho (2016/17)
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Back in the 2013/14 season, Philippe Coutinho was a fresh-faced, attack-minded player who chipped in with five goals and seven assists, despite missing five games through injury.
The Brazilian's most important strike that year came against Manchester City at Anfield, as his 78th-minute effort sealed a 3-2 victory over the future champions in April 2014.
At the time, it felt like Coutinho's goal had put Liverpool on course to win the title.
His strike beyond City goalkeeper Joe Hart secured a 10th straight league win and led to an emotional Gerrard's famous "we go again" quote in the post-match huddle.
Nowadays, Coutinho is a fresh-faced, attack-minded player who's weighed in with five goals and five assists this season, despite missing seven games through injury.
However, what has changed is his standing within the squad. Perhaps once looked upon as a member of a strong supporting cast, the 24-year-old is now one of the headline acts.
Just as was the case three years ago, Coutinho lines up for the majority of his club appearances on the left wing. He can cut in and cause problems, all the while leaving space for an overlapping full-back to exploit.
Who are we to go against both Rodgers and Klopp by picking him to play anywhere else?
Striker: Luis Suarez
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Liverpool weren't a one-man band in the 2013/14 season by any stretch, but there was no doubting the identity of their star turn.
Luis Suarez scored 31 Premier League goals in 33 games. He was crowned the PFA Player of the Year and also the Football Writers' Player of the Year but ended up in tears at the Reds' failure to win the title.
Yet had the club not stood their ground in the summer of 2013, his stunning campaign may never have happened. Well, at least not for the Reds anyway.
Certain to miss the opening five league games as he served out a suspension for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, Suarez at one stage appeared to be heading for the Anfield exit.
Arsenal tried to buy him on the cheap, bidding £40 million and one pound in the hope of triggering a release clause, but Liverpool held firm amid all the speculation and reaped the benefits.
Suarez hit four in a 5-1 demolition of Norwich City, sparking a run of 10 goals in four games. There were also hat-tricks against West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City, while he captained the team in Gerrard's absence.
By the end of the season, he was the pivotal member of Rodgers' squad. By the start of the next one, though, he was a Barcelona player.
A hat-tip to Daniel Sturridge, too. The Englishman finished with 21 league goals from just 26 appearances but would accept he played the part of Robin to Suarez's Batman.
All statistics and transfer fees used in the slideshow are from TransferMarkt unless otherwise stated.
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