To continue with the ratings so far. I've got a few contenders that I would name and a few categories they fall into. And note for some categories of the seasons, I will have 2 or 3 entries for each one.
GOAL OF THE SEASON:
There are quite a few contenders for the goal of the season which I have 3 entries for it which the last one was my favorite.
- Salah's long range volley in our home win against Chelsea.
That was a thing of beauty where we played Chelsea off the park and ensured our hunt for the title race.
- Sturridge's long range volley in our away game against Chelsea.
Against his old team, Sturridge did just that.
- Origi's Linkup from Trent with the Smart Corner against Barcelona.
That was actually important as this goal essentially sealed the deal in our push for the Grand Final. The way that Trent just switched back on and read the napping Barcelona backline was genius that paved the way for a totally open Origi to rout Barcelona and complete the comeback.
GAME OF THE SEASON:
I've got a couple which were quite a bit of a big deal.
- Liverpool vs Man Utd (3-1) Win
This was one where Shaqiri came off the bench and punished the Devils so silly. But there was a bigger importance for that game, as it led to Mourinho getting the boot. It may have resulted in making it worse for us initially, but in reality it wasn't much. After a resurgence that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanently appointed at the wheel, shit again hit the Man U fan pretty badly. But this moment has to get a mention because it was so fucking hilarious.
- Liverpool 4-0 (4-3 Aggregate) vs Barcelona
This one was an obvious choice because of how we were trailing in aggregate where we didn't deserve it. And to overturn a 3-0 deficit without Firmino and Salah and without conceding a goal was thought to be a near impossible job. It came from 2 unlikeliest of the Champions League Heroes; Origi and Gini Wijnaldum and it paved the way to our Grand Final in June 1st.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
Quite a few players fit into this category that I singled out with an A* Rating. Trent Alexander Arnold, Joel Matip and Divock Origi. However Origi didn't really make the largest impact come to think about it. Most people it would be Virgil Van Dijk but I'm gonna give props to Trent Alexander Arnold. Age 20, 2 Grand Finals, Assist King of Defenders and 3rd best amount of assists in the BPL. 15 in all competitions, considering he was out for a while, and he's a right back! That should be a stat from an attacking midfielder or winger. Let it sink in for all you youngsters out there. Nuff' said.
MOST IMPROVED / UNDERRATED PLAYER OF THE SEASON: JOEL MATIP
Hardly anyone talks about Joel Matip. He's so underrated! To think that we bought him for free in 2016, wasn't good then and now he's the best of the trio to partner Virgil Van Dijk. Refer to the stats in the link below. Win ratio aside that favoured Gomez and Lovren, his pure defensive contributions was the reason why he's superior to Gomez and Lovren in every way.
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-joel-matips-2018-19-pl-stats-to-his-competition-at-liverpool/
Really, the stats speak for themselves. I'm just gonna leave it there.
SIGNING OF THE SEASON: ALISSON BECKER
This was close. Face it, the Brazilian boys that were signed this season were nothing short of awesome and all worth their penny. Fabinho and Alisson. Fabinho took a while to adapt but he later became the essential to the shield of the backline. Whereas Alisson Becker wasted no time and got stuck in straightaway in the action. Either way, the 2 of them with Van Dijk made Liverpool essentially like Fort Knox. But Al held that fort for us in all 38 Premier League and all 12 Champions League Matches (not counting the final coming up) for an exact total of 50 appearances. He amassed 21 BPL clean sheets surpassing the record of clean sheets in a debut season held by Pepe Reina of 20. He also had 5 more in the Champions League for a grand total of 26. As a result, he was largely responsible for having us go a 20 game unbeaten streak at the start and the first goal only coming in after almost 10 games which was pretty insane. He currently is ranked 2nd of most BPL clean sheets held sharing the spot with Edwin Van Der Sar, only bested by Petr Cech of 24. Rightly deserved his Golden Glove.
MOMENT (OR TWO) OF THE SEASON:
- Alisson's huge save vs Napoli at the last minute.
Truth be told. That was critical because had he let the ball in, we would have been out of the Champions league and wouldn't even get past the group stages.
- Anfield Buzz in the Barcelona Win.
There's no doubt for many of us, the Barcelona Win was one of the greatest moments in this season. Just YouTube the videos for the various reactions and the Anfield Atmosphere. What more can I say? What would be better is the moment we lift the Champions League and Klopp's Maiden trophy.
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