After roughly 200 words of consternation, Jurgen Klopp finally admitted it a couple of weeks ago: This current team, the 2021-22 iteration of Liverpool, is the best team he has ever coached. "Let's stop asking me about it, think about it, write about it, do whatever you want, but my opinion is clear: Yes, top squad, best I ever had," he said.
That's, uh, a pretty big claim! He won multiple Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund and reached a Champions League final. Then he won a Champions League final with Liverpool and followed it up with not just the club's first Premier League title, but a whopping 99 points from 38 games, the second-highest tally in league history.
When Klopp first conceded to the question, Liverpool were nine points behind Manchester City in the Premier League. The title race was all but over, and a Champions League title seemed like the only realistic trophy that could possibly match his assessment of his squad. Two weeks later, all of a sudden, a quadruple is in play. They've got the Carabao Cup already thanks to Sunday's win over Chelsea. They're still alive in the FA Cup with a midweek fifth-round home game with Norwich (stream LIVE, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+), they're cruising toward a place in the Champions League quarters, and they "control their destiny" in the Premier League.
Whatever happens in the three remaining competitions, Klopp knows this team and his previous teams better than anyone -- and he's right. So let's take a look at eight numbers that explain why this is the best Liverpool team of the modern era.