Liverpool have a storied history in the context of world football, but even the most successful and well-supported clubs have a dark period. From the 2009/10 to 2015/16 season, the Reds were in the top four of the Premier League just once, finishing second in 2013/14 behind Luis Suárez’s 31-goal season.
It wasn’t until Jürgen Klopp’s arrival in that 2015/16 season that Liverpool began turning things around. Klopp helped bring consistent winning back to Liverpool, assembling a juggernaut of a front three in Sadio Mané, Roberto Frimino, and Mohamed Salah. History will remember that attack as one of the best trios to ever grace the Premier League. Even if others will have better statistics, nobody will match the cohesion those three do.
But it’s not all about the attacking players, nor should only the stars of the latter, more successful half of the decade get all the recognition. So let’s look back at the best of the 2010s, ranking the top 10 Liverpool players of what has proven to be a very pivotal decade in the history of this wonderful football club.
10. Joël Matip, CB
Joël Matip has to be regarded as one of the best signings in recent Premier League history. For no fee, Liverpool acquired a center back who would go on to be one of the most talented and stable central defenders in the English top flight. Jürgen Klopp knew Matip well from his days at Schalke, who were the chief rivals of the club Klopp coached at the time, Borussia Dortmund. Matip was one of the best young defenders in the Bundesliga while playing for the Royal Blues, but at that time, scouting of center backs in other leagues was so poor that Matip was essentially a secret.
That changed rather quickly. After recording a staggering 1.6 tackles and 3.0 interceptions per game in his final season in the German top flight, Matip moved to Liverpool and was a wall in defense. Virgil van Dijk unsurprisingly soaked up more praise as a hyped transfer from Southampton who exceeded the initial 87 million euros invested in him, but Matip was also a decisive part of the best center back partnership in the Premiership.
And again, Matip was free for Liverpool. A masterstroke of a signing who is still paying off, Matip is 32 in the 2023/24 season and remains an asset to the Reds’ defensive efforts.
9. Steven Gerrard, CM
Club legend Steven Gerrard began his career in 1998/99, starting four games in the Premier League for the Reds as an 18-year-old. He would end up writing one of the best legacies in the league’s history and is remembered as one of the best midfielders ever in English football. Gerrard turned 30 when the 2010/11 season hit, but he was still a top player for the handful of seasons he played for Liverpool in the 2010s.
In fact, Gerrard had 9 goals and 9 assists in the 2012/13 season before posting a jaw-dropping 13 goals and 13 assists in the 2013/14 season as a 33-year-old when Liverpool finished second in the league. He and Suárez were unstoppable that season. And in his farewell campaign of 2014/15, Gerrard still had 10 goal contributions before moving to the LA Galaxy.
So much can be said about Gerrard, a former Champions League and UEFA Cup winner. But his longevity must also be discussed when evaluating his legacy. That 2013/14 season may be remembered by some for one unfortunate slip, but Liverpool would have never been in that position to begin with without his world-class attacking efforts. 26 goal contributions from midfield at the age of 33 is legendary.
8. Trent Alexander-Arnold, RB
The best right back in the world when he is at his best, Trent Alexander-Arnold has proven to be one of the hallmark signings of the Jürgen Klopp era at Liverpool. “TAA” and Andrew Robertson have formed a fullback partnership that is the envy of the vast majority of clubs around world football, particularly from an attacking perspective. In the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons when Liverpool won the Champions League and the Premier League, respectively, Alexander-Arnold was one of the most decisive players.
Beyond the “corner taken quickly” moment in the Reds’ epic comeback over Lionel Messi’s Barcelona at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold forged a historically magnificent season at the right back position in 2019/20. An attacking monster, TAA registered 13 assists with 2.3 key passes per game, proving to be a matchwinner in a special league season for the Reds.
Two seasons later, TAA would notch 12 assists for the third time in his career, and while Liverpool fell short of the Premier League and Champions League titles in the end, nobody can take away how brilliant the Reds were throughout the season. And while Alexander-Arnold received criticism for his defensive errors, much of that was exaggerated and failed to contextualize the difference he made by taking those attacking risks.
Alexander-Arnold is a special player who has his own legacy in world football history. His technical quality, vision for the pass, and early deliveries make him something of an extra playmaker from deeper positions on the right flank. He can destabilize an entire defense with just one splitting, ingenious pass.
7. Alisson Becker, GK
A crucial part of the fairytale Roma side that went deep into the Champions League knockout stages of the 2017/18 campaign, Alisson then earned a 72.5 million euro transfer to Liverpool that made him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. As with so many transfers of elite players at the right time, Alisson has actually proven to be a bargain to Kopites.
Since joining the Reds, Alisson has unequivocally been one of the top three goalkeepers in the world, and, at times, he has been the absolute best. With a knack for coming through in the clutch, Alisson has saved Liverpool in many games – and not just as a shot-stopper. In the 2020/21 season, his headed goal from a corner helped ensure Liverpool would not miss out on Champions League football in the 2021/22 season. They would go on to reach the Final that year.
Alisson has two seasons with fewer than 0.70 goals allowed per 90 minutes, two seasons with a clean sheet percentage greater than 50, and is currently working on his fourth season with a save percentage above 75. For his consistency, leadership, and even eye for the spectacular save, Alisson is in the argument for being one of the best goalkeepers in Liverpool history.
6. Philippe Coutinho, AM
Since this list is about performances in the 2010s, Philippe Coutinho has to be ranked highly, even if players like Alisson Becker, Andrew Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold will end up having more of an impact on Liverpool’s history of success. Because technically, you can’t write that story without discussing Coutinho’s individual brilliance in helping the Reds’ initial rise. And his eventual (bloated) sale of nearly 150 million pounds was also crucial in Liverpool building a dominant squad.
Coutinho is one of those elite playmakers you need to unearth when you are trying to build a juggernaut, because, as we saw, the money Liverpool recouped from his sale was put to very good use by Klopp and Co. Even though things did not work out for Coutinho at Barcelona, he truly was that good in the Premier League, conjuring up goals from beyond the blue and No. 10 moments of magic that made him look like one of the greats.
The Brazilian playmaker put together his best season in 2016/17, which was the first time the Reds finished in the top four under Klopp. He scored 13 goals with 7 assists, averaging more than two key passes and two dribbles completed per game. One of the best players in the world at that time, Coutinho parlayed that season and an equally brilliant 2017/18 (fewer goal contributions but nearly three key passes and three dribbles completed per match) into that massive move to Barcelona.
5. Sadio Mané, LW
Although Sadio Mané wasn’t as statistically dominant as some of the other forwards on this list, the industrious left winger was incredibly consistent. He also had an eye for invention, producing chances and goals from simply out of nothing, showing the kind of creative genius as a winger that you’d normally get from a 10.
All the while, Mané was a consummate professional. The man was the most likable player in the Premier League, never making excuses and always giving his 100 percent to Liverpool. Mané would progress the ball, star attacks, defend, score goals, unselfishly produce chances for others, and genuinely do whatever it took to win.
In the 2018/19 season, Mané was different gravy, scoring 22 goals for Liverpool and proving indispensable in their march to the Champions League title. Mané was a machine on the ball in that UCL campaign, frequently frustrating opponents and drawing fouls. It seems like Mané could always save his very best for the biggest occasions.
4. Roberto Firmino, CF
Sadio Mané may have had some more memorable peaks at Liverpool, but if this list were about the most clutch players at the club through the 2010s, then Roberto Firmino would unequivocally be first. It seems like whenever Liverpool had their backs against the wall and needed a winning goal or even just a moment to lift their spirits, Firmino would be there to turn into a titan of the game.
Firmino is yet another highly successful Jürgen Klopp signing from the Bundesliga. The Brazilian forward was vital in Hoffenheim rising up the table in the Bundesliga. They went from 16th to 9th and then 8th in his final three seasons with the club. Before joining Liverpool, Firmino had 23 goals and 21 assists in his final two Bundesliga seasons as one of the most lethal playmakers in the German top flight.
Although highly skilled (as evidenced by the backheels and trademark no-look finishes), you could see, even then, that Firmino’s best trait was his mind. He could pick apart a defense with just one pass and always seemed to put his teammates first, thinking of the best way to move off the ball to become an open option or how to deliver the right ball for another forward. You could tell that Firmino would be able to explode as a superstar at a club like Liverpool with more resources.
Firmino was the ultimate unselfish 9. He could have scored 20 goals per season with his technical quality and vision if that were his main focus, but he knew that by playing in a way that maximized Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah on the wings, he could help Liverpool achieve more as a team. You cannot write the story of Liverpool without giving all the credit in the world to Firmino, the ultimate team-first forward.
3. Luis Suárez, ST
Although Luis Suárez spent only four seasons with Liverpool between being an absolute sensation at Ajax (35 goals and 16 assist in his final season) and a Champions League winner as a legitimate Barcelona all-time great, the Uruguayan superstar more than made his mark at Anfield in those four years.
Suárez became one of the best players in the world in that time span, standing with the likes of Gareth Bale and Arjen Robben in that crop of elite forwards behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He took a little bit of time to get going but eventually exploded, scoring 31 goals with 12 assists in the 2013/14 season.
Liverpool were one of the most mediocre giants in European football, but in that one season in the early 2010s, Suárez put them back on the map as Premier League title contenders. The way he carried the Reds that season was at a historically great level, and nobody can forget the quality he showed that season. There are Liverpool players with more impressive statistics across the. full decade than Suárez, but that one season counts as five for how impactful it was. The highlights of the goals he scored will forever be legendary – and it wasn’t just about goals with Suárez either. He could do everything you could dream of a striker doing.
2. Virgil van Dijk, CB
Liverpool invested nearly 90 million euros in Virgil van Dijk, who joined the Reds midway through the 2017/18 season, just a couple of seasons after Sadio Mané’s own big move from Southampton to Liverpool. At the time, most football fans knew that VVD had what it takes to be one of the best center backs in the world, but since central defenders generally didn’t go for that kind of a fee, some pundits derided the transfer as overpay on the Reds’ part.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Van Dijk has been worth that money and so much more. Even when he has been doubted, such as after the 2022/23 season, he has quickly bounced back to maintain his status as a world-class center back. But his best seasons were definitely during the Reds’ best seasons as a team. In the late 2010s, van Dijk could stand toe-to-toe with Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva, or any other center back in world football. He was the benchmark at the position.
Decisive on the ball and capable of scoring goals, van Dijk has a knack for making everything effortless. All you have to do is listen to him explain the positioning involved in defending top forwards and all the microdecisions he makes in predicting their movements. Then, you understand what he knows about the game and why he’s able to cut out danger without so much as breaking a sweat. Sometimes that works against him when he isn’t involved enough, but, make no mistake, the vast majority of the rival fanbases criticizing van Dijk don’t have a center back who measures up to the Dutchman.
1. Mohamed Salah, RW
Like Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah did not join Liverpool until later in the decade, but as is the case with the star center back and striker Luis Suárez, sometimes it’s more about making an unmistakable impact in a few years. To this day, Salah remains the very best right winger in world football, bringing a level of explosive attacking threat and technical quality in front of goal that is so rare on the wings, especially with the scarcity of left-footed inverted options on the right-hand side.
Salah was money from the moment he stepped foot in the Premier League. After finally fulfilling his potential at Roma as a continental star, Salah became a superstar at Anfield. He scored a mind-blowing 32 goals in the 2017/18 season, adding 10 assists in what went down in history as one of the greatest Premier League seasons by a winger. Then, he had 30 more goal contributions in 2018/19, playing a key role in Liverpool’s conquest of the Champions League.
Every year, Salah is a sure bet for double-digit goals and assists. Like so many other top-class inverted wingers, Salah plays like a striker, sniffing out goals first and ruthlessly moving off the ball for those scoring opportunities. But Salah also has the dribbling skills and wherewithal as a playmaker to impact the game as a dribbler and passer. Salah is the complete package for Liverpool. When combining his season-to-season consistency and ability to produce elite single-season totals, Salah is the king. Nobody meant more to the club or performed at a higher level in the 2010s than he did. He was the biggest piece in transforming Liverpool from returning to being a “good” team to returning to the level of a true European juggernaut.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.