Football fans like few things better than to argue about which players are the best. While we can usually get an idea of this by simply checking who wins the league every year, the same objective test doesn’t really apply to individual players – or groups of them.
Recently, we’ve seen teams in the Premier League switch to formations which include a ‘front three’ of two attacking wide forwards on either side of a central striker. A few different combinations have caught the eye – but there’s a strong argument that puts the recent Liverpool frontline of Mane, Firmino and Salah right at the top of the list. Without the input of these three players, none of whom were superstars before arriving at the club, it seems unlikely that Klopp’s Liverpool would have achieved all that they did.
The numbers
These three have made a combined 731 appearances. Between 2017 and 2022, there were just fifty occasions where Mane and Salah didn’t both feature. And it’s probably this stellar injury record that has helped to make the Liverpool team so consistent during this period.
Since 2017, the three players scored 338 goals between them. That’s 156 for Salah, 107 for Mane, and 75 for Firmino. The trio have collectively notched up 139 assists during this period, around two-thirds of which were for one another. Mohammed Salah in particular became a club talisman, not only on the pitch but off, with a significant number of shirt sales and great popularity among the fans.
What made the combination so effective?
Part of what made the three so successful is that they were each entirely committed to Klopp’s high-pressing style. While the two wider players attracted the most plaudits from football fans more broadly, Liverpool fans watching the team on a weekly basis understood the role that Firmino played in creating chances and recycling possession.
Were they the best of all time?
You might make the argument that this front three was superior to the front three of rivals Manchester City, which was a great deal more fluid and adaptable. Sergio Aguero might have been an incredible player, but his injury record was not quite as strong as Mane or Salah.
In a recent BBC podcast, the Match of the Day presenters came up with a top three that included: Bergkamp, Henry and Pires; and Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez; as well as the three Liverpool players. Who was really the best is a question that fans will argue for years to come.