Liverpool is not only first in the Premier League, but also first in other rankings.
They lead the way in bench scoring and have caused the most bench renewals and made more changes to their starting XI than any other team in the league.
These players contributed to 30 goals, 136 substitutions and 185 XI changes per match. Of the many weapons at Liverpool’s disposal in a four-front battle, the use of Jurgen Klopp’s deep and versatile squad is one of the most lethal.
Of course, many of these numbers are skewed by Liverpool’s four-in-a-row run, which has seen them play just 31 games this season, and a significant number of forced substitutions due to a long injury list. But Klopp and Liverpool, whose striker David Fairclough was the first super-sub in the 1970s and 80s, are now the undisputed kings of the substitutes. They beat Fulham 2-1 in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night with two assists from Darwin Nunes and one from Cody Gakpo.
Klopp’s changes for Sunday’s FA Cup clash against Arsenal may not add up to those stats. Some were location changes rather than personnel changes. But the move of Nunes to the left, Luis Diaz to the right and the introduction of Diogo Lotta as a number 9 helped Liverpool. To be in control. And win the lottery.
In the Premier League, Liverpool have conceded the first goal nine times at home. They lost just one of those games, courtesy of Tottenham’s VAR caller. This speaks more than anything to the unique mindset and beliefs of not only the starting eleven, but everyone in the squad.