Liverpool are sending records tumbling en route to their first Premier League title.
The Reds, of course, thrive as a collective, demonstrating an unrivalled team spirit.
But who has shone brightest in their remarkable campaign?
Here, David Comerford and Callum Ferguson make the case for four of the best.
Callum Ferguson: Van Dijk has led a world-class defence
Since his £75million move from Southampton to Liverpool in 2018, it has been a meteoric rise for Virgil Van Dijk.
Much like last season, Van Dijk has been at the heart of Liverpool’s defence and become one of the most important players in the team.
The Dutch captain is considered as the best defender in the world and one of the best players in the world. He finished second in the 2019 Ballon d’Or, losing out to Lionel Messi.
Van Dijk also picked up other individual awards including UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award and PFA Player’s Player of the Year.
Whilst Liverpool as a team have been sensational, breaking records that have stood for decades, being on course to finish the season unbeaten and hit a new record for highest amount of points in the Premier League, Van Dijk has stood out.
Scoring four goals in the league so far this season and keeping 11 clean sheets, Van Dijk has been at the heart of Liverpool’s world-class defence.
The Reds have only conceded 15 goals all season and this is much down to Van Dijk’s defensive capabilities and leadership qualities.
Many believe Liverpool would not be where they are now without Van Dijk.
David Comerford: Mo Salah needs appreciation
Mohamed Salah’s club-best 14-goal haul leaves him behind only Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero in the Premier League rankings. And after bagging four in his last four games, the momentum is with the Egyptian. He is well-placed to land a third consecutive Golden Boot, a feat only achieved by the iconic pairing of Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in the Premier League era.
Salah’s output may have picked up amidst a rare Sadio Mane absence, but it should be stressed that, for a large chunk of the autumn, he himself was playing through the pain of an ankle problem from which he has only recently fully recovered.
On top of this, he’s remained Liverpool’s ultimate big-game player, scoring against Arsenal (two), Spurs, Manchester City and, most memorably of all, Manchester United. It’s surely no coincidence that his brief injury coincided with the Reds’ only dropped points of the campaign.
To many, Salah might be a somewhat surprising inclusion in this discussion, and that underlines a lack of appreciation. Perhaps this is because he has failed to his meet his own meteoric initial standards, but that certainly shouldn’t keep him out of contention, as it regrettably did in the running for the top individual honour last season.
Callum Ferguson: Henderson ticking every box
Since lifting the Champions League in June, Jordan Henderson has become a vital player for Liverpool.
For a player who many people believed would struggle to get into Liverpool’s team now and no longer deserved to be club captain, he has once again shown has quality and outstanding leadership.
The skipper has been asked to cover for other players in the Reds' midfield and had to adapt his game to play different roles. But he hasn’t put a foot wrong, showing how versatile he is.
He is often the first player to initiate a team press and maintains a high intensity throughout the game.
Now playing a more attacking role in the midfield three, Henderson has started to add goals to his game as well. In his last five Premier League games, he has four assists and two goals.
Henderson has also played every Premier League game this season as well, again showing his importance to the side.
It is now not just pundits surrounding Liverpool that are seeing Henderson in a new light. With Harry Kane potentially injured for the upcoming Euros, many think that Henderson should captain England.
David Comerford: Mane more complete than ever
It is no exaggeration to say that Mane, Messi’s vote for the Ballon D’Or, has proven himself to be one of the best players in the world in recent times. He seamlessly carried his magnificent form from the latter part of the 2018/19 campaign into this season despite very little pre-season down-time.
He is a more complete footballer than he has ever been. In front of goal, he is Liverpool’s most accomplished finisher. His 11 goals this term have come from 53 attempts – a conversion rate of 21%, relative to Salah’s 16% and Roberto Firmino’s 10%.
More impressively, he has found another level in terms of creativity. He needs just one more assist to match his best output in a single season since he arrived in England (nine in 2015/16) and has already carved out as many ‘big chances’ for his team-mates as he did in the whole of 2018/19. Only Trent Alexander-Arnold has laid on more goals for red shirts this term.
These are the numbers, then, underlying the elevation of Mane’s game. It was his addition which kick-started the Jurgen Klopp Revolution, and you could argue that, four and a half years down the line, only Virgil van Dijk can rival his importance to the European, world and soon-to-be Premier League champions.
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