Bleacher Report's Alternative Liverpool Awards for 2016/17 Season
Now Liverpool's season is finally over, the time has come to celebrate/cry/laugh at some of the most memorable moments from the past 10 months.
The flying (in every sense of the word) visit to Australia to play Sydney FC was the final outing of a campaign that saw Jurgen Klopp's Reds clinch a top-four finish in the Premier League.
There were some outstanding performances along the way, plus a month to forget and a missed opportunity to reach a cup final. No fan can complain that it was ever dull, though.
Sadio Mane—who missed the pivotal run-in due to injury—did the double in the club's official awards, picking up both the Player and Players' Player of the Year trophies.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was named Young Player of the Year while Ben Woodburn—Liverpool's youngest scorer after his goal against Leeds United in the EFL Cup—was selected as the pick from the academy.
However, here at Bleacher Report, we've decided to hand out a few new accolades. We couldn't afford a red carpet, but at least you don't have to hire a tuxedo to attend.
SPOILER ALERT: Some of these awards aren't actually awards.
Performance of the Season: 6-1 vs. Watford at Anfield
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Considering Liverpool were so great to watch at times, particularly in games against their top-six rivals, this was a tough category to choose a winner.
They started with a bang by beating Arsenal 4-3 at the Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend then followed up in September by beating reigning and future champions Leicester City (4-1) and Chelsea (2-1), respectively.
Manchester City were seen off at Anfield to round out 2016 thanks to a solitary goal from Georginio Wijnaldum, although the less said about the opening month of 2017 the better.
North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were torn apart on Merseyside, Everton were dismissed with ease at the start of April and a 4-0 thrashing of West Ham United moved the top four within touching distance.
However, our pick for the best performance came against Watford last November.
Liverpool ran out 6-1 winners on a super Sunday. Such was the one-sided nature of the contest, the referee could quite easily have stepped in to halt proceedings early.
The rampant Reds scored three in each half but could easily have hit double figures. The result sent them top of the table, and briefly, everyone got a little giddy about the possibility of competing for the title.
Best Performance in Supporting Roles: Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz
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While a frontman takes centre stage in a music band, it doesn't matter how well they sing if the rest of their mates don't do their jobs in the background.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a wonderful footballing frontman, patrolling his technical area with such energy he makes Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones look lethargic.
But the German cannot do all the work alone. That's why he has Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz on lead and bass guitar, making sure the team hits all the right notes.
Klopp and assistant manager Buvac have known each other since they played in the same Mainz team. The latter was pivotal in putting down the foundations of the pressing style that helped Borussia Dortmund become successful at home and abroad.
Second assistant coach Krawietz is the analyst who spots the finer points of the game. Klopp has dubbed him "The Eye" having worked with him at both Mainz and Dortmund.
The tight-knit trio have an excellent relationship, and while the charismatic Klopp hogs the headlines, he would be the first to acknowledge the efforts of his two fellow band members.
Best Performance in a Bench Role: Alberto Moreno
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You cannot blame Alberto Moreno for getting bored. The Spaniard spent so long sat on the bench this season that it's no wonder the club didn't charge him for a season ticket.
Despite being selected in the 18-man squad for every Premier League fixture, the former Sevilla left-back saw just 295 minutes of action, according to Transfermarkt.
However, Moreno found an interesting way of killing time during Liverpool's tedious 0-0 draw with Southampton at Anfield on May 7.
With little happening on the pitch, he decided to entertain himself by taking on the bottle-flip challenge. Sadly for him, the television cameras happened to catch his game within a game.
Gardeners' World Award: Anfield's Dry Pitch
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As football fans, you get used to hearing the same old excuses for disappointing results.
Injuries, officiating errors, tiredness or just plain bad luck. All of them are trotted out by disappointed managers and players at the end of a game that didn't go their way.
Klopp, however, had a different reason for Liverpool's lacklustre display in the home draw with Southampton. Forget key absences or a missed penalty by James Milner, the problem was the state of the Anfield surface.
"I know nobody wants to hear it but I'm brave enough to say it—the pitch was really dry," he said in his post-match press conference, per Dom Farrell of Goal.com.
"We gave all the water we had but then after 15 minutes, with the wind, it was really dry."
Such is Klopp's standing on Merseyside, he got away rather lightly. Just imagine, however, the reaction if former manager Brendan Rodgers had said the same thing during his time in charge.
Worst Pass of the Season: Loris Karius
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Liverpool's pressing game is aimed at turning defence into attack in a heartbeat. Loris Karius, though, provided an example of just how easy it is to work things the other way around.
The goalkeeper somehow making a mess of passing a goal kick square to a team-mate in the home game against Sunderland summed up his difficult debut season with Liverpool.
There was nothing wrong with the idea. With a colleague free on the far side of the field, Karius was right to put the ball down quickly on the left of his six-yard box and try to get the game restarted quickly.
The problem came in the execution. Like a rusty golfer on the first tee, the German sliced his attempt and had to watch on as it squirted out of play to gift Liverpool's opponents a bonus set-piece opportunity.
The mistake didn't prove costly, as the Reds won the game 2-0 in the end.
Best Hair-and-Teeth Combination: Roberto Firmino
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While Roberto Firmino is the obvious candidate to scoop this honour, there were still other nominees who deserve a mention.
Captain Jordan Henderson and his England team-mate Adam Lallana show off their pearly whites and perfect hair in adverts for club sponsors Nivea, although the acting skills on display suggest neither were ever likely to be considered for a place at RADA.
Then there's Firmino's fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho, who flashes such a youthful grin that you wonder if he still gets asked for identification when buying a round at the bar.
Emre Can may hit the odd stray pass, but there's rarely a hair out of place on his head, while fellow German Loris Karius has time these days to make sure his barnet is in good order while sitting on the bench.
Firmino, however, is the deserved winner. His perfect teeth are so white you can properly spot them from outer space. Plus, at one stage he tied his hair up in a man bun.
Best Performance from a Departing Red: Mamadou Sakho
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Klopp cleaned house in the summer of 2016, trimming the fat from his first-team squad.
Of the more notable departures, Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith have struggled to make any impact at Premier League Bournemouth, while Martin Skrtel's hardly been missed at the back.
Joe Allen might have come in handy over the course of the season, but Klopp allowed the Welsh midfielder to leave so he could play on a more regular basis (which proved to be the case at Stoke City).
Christian Benteke has had a good season for Crystal Palace. Yet while the Belgian scored 17 goals, his style of play suggested he wasn't the type of forward Liverpool required.
However, the award instead goes to another player who did an excellent job for the Eagles. Mamadou Sakho was allowed off the Anfield naughty step to join Palace on loan—and duly helped them stave off relegation.
If he ever harboured hopes of playing again for the Reds, he rather ruined his chances of a comeback by celebrating Benteke's goal in Palace's win at Anfield...even though he wasn't on the pitch.
The French centre-back's future remains unclear. Liverpool won't let him go on the cheap, and his displays in the second-half of the season will have pricked other clubs to his availability.
The Origami Award: Bournemouth Away
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Like the Easter bunny, Liverpool had the capacity to occasionally lay an egg.
They were bafflingly bad at Burnley, horrible at Hull City and lacklustre against a Leicester City team supposedly in crisis following the controversial dismissal of title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri.
Then there were those dreadful home losses to relegation-threatened Swansea City and Crystal Palace, results that undermined the top-four push at crucial moments in the campaign.
Still, the most painful defeat of the lot was the 4-3 reverse at Bournemouth last December.
On a 15-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, the Reds looked to be cruising when Emre Can put them 3-1 ahead with just over 25 minutes remaining.
The Cherries had been picked apart on the counter, and all Klopp's side had to do was see out the clock.
However, the good ship Liverpool run aground in the closing stages. The little-known Ryan Fraser came off the bench to inspire a comeback that was completed in the 90th minute when Nathan Ake seized on a Karius error to tap home the winner.
David Copperfield Award (Best Disappearing Act): Kevin Stewart
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Kevin Stewart came off the bench in four of Liverpool's first five Premier League fixtures. Admittedly, his playing time was limited on each occasion, but Klopp still called on him to close out games.
However, the midfielder didn't manage another minute of league football after a brief appearance at the end of the 2-1 triumph away at Chelsea on September 16.
Stewart did start twice against Plymouth Argyle in the third round of the FA Cup, but he never even made it onto the bench for any of the final 12 league games.
At 23, the player needs to be, well, playing. While European football might increase opportunities, he's fallen so far down the pecking order the best thing for all parties appears to be a fresh start somewhere else.
Best Animation: Jurgen Klopp's Many Faces
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Jurgen Klopp has more faces than Big Ben. While some managers are able to keep their emotions in check in the technical area, the German isn't afraid to display how he feels.
The broad smile and black-rimmed glasses makes Klopp look a little like the zany science teacher. However, get on his bad side, and he can flash a look nasty enough to turn you into stone.
Just watching his exertions during a game can wear you out. Opposing coaches don't always care much for his antics either.
So what is the best Klopp expression? Personally, it's the gurning, grinding-teeth Jurgen who looks so caught up in a moment of joy he could spontaneously combust with happiness.
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