Why health has been the key for Liverpool’s front three

With Liverpool just six points away from securing their first-ever top-flight title in the Premier League era, a lot of the praise has been deservedly directed towards their prolific front three.

The trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane has formed one of - if not the - most productive attack forces in world football.

Their success can be largely attributed to their chemistry with one another, allowing them to perform better as a tandem than as the sum of their individual parts. Even more special, however, is the ability of all three superstars to consistently stay healthy.

Just half a decade ago, Liverpool were struggling to find an offensive spark, scoring just 52 goals in the 2014/15 Premier League season. This tally barely amounted to half of the 101 goals that the side netted the prior season with Luis Suarez and a healthy Daniel Sturridge.

That summer, the team began the rebuild of their frontline through the ₤29 million purchase of Firmino from Hoffenheim. Klopp was appointed in October of 2015 and purchased Sadio Mane for ₤34 million in his first summer transfer window, followed by Mohamed Salah in July 2017.

The Statistics

Ever since, the threesome has taken the world by storm, scoring a total of 418 goals combined in the 150 Premier League and Champions League games that Liverpool have played in the past three seasons.

These numbers are comparable to the output of some of the world’s best-attacking forces, including those of PSG (Di Maria, Mbappe, Neymar), Barcelona (Messi & Suarez), Man City (Aguero, Sane, Sterling), and Tottenham (Alli, Kane, Son).

However, the one metric where Liverpool’s triad unquestionably outclass the competition is in the fitness category. In the past three seasons, Liverpool’s front three have featured in 93.4% of the aforementioned 150 games. Except for Mane in 2017/18, all three have featured in at least 90% of these games in each of the three seasons.

PSG’s trio of Di Maria, Mbappe, and Neymar has only featured in 72.5% of Ligue 1 and Champions League matches. Aguero, Sane, and Sterling fare slightly better, playing in 74.5% of Premier League and Champions League matches, while Tottenham’s front three have featured in 80.2% of matches.

Barcelona’s duo of Messi & Suarez come closest to Liverpool’s record, playing in 85.2% of La Liga and Champions League matches (keeping in mind, however, the likelihood of injury is less with two players in comparison to three).

Players of the calibre of Neymar, Sane, and Kane are only effective when they’re actually on the field. Too often, teams have shelled out large sums of money for exciting attacking players who have spent far too much time in the rehabilitation room.

The enthralling performances of players such as the aforementioned Neymar at PSG, Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona, and Paul Pogba at Manchester United have been overshadowed by injuries that have stalled their production.

For Liverpool especially, the health of their front three has been absolutely vital. When the injury bug hits Neymar, PSG can look to Edinson Cavani or Mauro Icardi. Man City can deploy Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez in attacking positions, while Spurs have leaned towards the recently sold Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura.

What's Next?

Although he has delivered the goods in critical moments throughout the years, few Liverpool fans would feel comfortable relying on Divock Origi for a long spell of time if one of their front three were to succumb to injury.

Takumi Minamino is still acclimatising to life in England, while Harvey Elliott and Rhian Brewster are still too young to be consistently relied on. The signing of Timo Werner would have unquestionably eased this uncertainty for Liverpool fans, but financial circumstances prevented that move from happening.

Even the purchase of Timo Werner wouldn’t come with the understanding of Mane’s defence-stretching runs or Salah’s back-to-goal hold-up play. This is all a by-product of the trio’s ability to consistently play alongside one another for several years.

The availability of Liverpool’s front three has also allowed them to invest in other areas. If Mane, for instance, had struggled to stay healthy during the 2018-2019 season, would Liverpool have felt comfortable spending ₤66 million on Alisson, or would they have held back with the idea that this money would be needed to buy another attacker?

Klopp deserves credit. Liverpool’s other top players all have admirable health records as well, demonstrating that Klopp and the Liverpool recruitment team take this into account when evaluating transfers.

Furthermore, Liverpool’s front three tend to their bodies religiously, taking every measure to minimize injury risk.

However, regardless of how much a player looks after themselves, injuries carry a large element of luck. Just one awkward step, unconventional landing, or overaggressive lunge can sideline a player for months. Liverpool have been lucky that none of these potential incidents has forced any of their front three into long spells on the sidelines, but can they continue to rely on this fortune?

Common sense and history would say no. As pessimistic and ill-fated as it sounds, the injury bug probably won’t be as kind to the Reds in upcoming seasons. And that’s why Klopp must consider his options and determine whether or not they are adequate enough to deputize for an extended period.

For now, we’ll gladly continue to appreciate the magic that these three produce. As Liverpool raise the Premier League trophy in the coming days, let’s also celebrate the consistency with which we see these three on the field.