Everything’s the Best: Numbers, Magic, and Mo
Liverpool’s talisman is on incredible form. Here’s a look at some of the stunning numbers.
Liverpool FC’s season is feeling a bit like a dream. Not exactly the heights of the nearly there year of the potential quadruple, but with Liverpool only two weeks from the Carabao Cup Final, on the verge of their the knockout round tie in the Champions League against Paris Saint Germain, and firmly in the driver’s seat atop the Premier League table, it is all good feelings around Anfield.
In the midst of all of this, Liverpool fans are currently paying witness to what might end up being the single greatest season performance from a Premier League player ever. Mohamed Salah has been, quite simply, transcendent this season.
It is quite hard to capture just how special Mo’s season has been, but here are a few numbers that might help provide a frame.
59.167
That’s the number of minutes per goal involvement that Mo is averaging in the league per my crunching of the stats available on Opta. That is a wild return in a league that regards itself as one of the most difficult to play in; where defensive effort is among the fundamental expectations in any match.
42
This is the total number of goal involvements that Mohamed Salah currently has. This total places him joint 4th in terms of the all-time list for great season-long performances. Currently, that means Mo is only 5 goal involvements from Alan Shearer and Andy Cole - both on 47 - from reaching the top of the entire list. An important caveat is that Shearer and Cole set that mark in a 42-match season. Salah, meanwhile, is sitting at this total after only 28 matches. Lastly, the player Mo is currently tied with at 42 goal involvements is...himself. Which brings us to...
2
Mo holds two spots in the top 5 for all-time best Premier League seasons. So, not only is he currently on pace to absolutely shatter the record (which was set with an extra 4 matches), he also appears on the list twice. A mark that is held...well...
1
In what is perhaps the most “Only Mo Salah...” situation ever, Mo is the only player to appear in the Top 5 more than once (Thierry Henry makes an appearance at tenth and joint second). Which really is the main point we’re getting at: the Egyptian King is 1-of-1 and this season will likely go down as the absolute best performance that any of us will ever see in our lifetime.
That it comes a mere 7 seasons after what we thought may have been the greatest Salah season ever - at the age of 32 and without the the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to help draw defenders away and open space up for him - truly just makes what we’re seeing that much more impressive. It would be incredibly difficult to believe all of this while chewing on that context - even without adding the additional stuff that this is happening in the midst of a monumental transition in the club’s history. And I think I might not believe it if I hadn’t born witness to it week-in and week-out all season-long.
But that’s the magic and allure of the sport: that, sometimes, we’re treated to moments so unbelievable that we can’t help but delight in being so awed. That’s what this season has been for me. And even though I know the glories that may await us in late May, it’s a major part of why I’m in no rush to get to the end.
I want to savor every moment of each match; etch every single moment that mattered into my brain. I want the bank of stories that the old timers have - the ones of King Kenny and a young Stevie, of special players doing the unthinkable and of this club on Merseyside bringing the whole of Europe to a standstill. I want that bank of stories because I know I’m gonna love thumbing through those moments for many, many years.
It is the why of fandom. And what a moment to be a fan in this one. Up the Reds.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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