Liverpool’s Best Teams

With yet more silverware coming through the door this season, and despite a narrow defeat in the Premier league title race, it’s easy to see why Liverpool are always one of the favourites when it comes to next seasons Premier league betting. With players like Diaz, Salah, Firmino, Mane and Jota, goals are inevitable in this side. Match that with the character and guts they showed to complete two cup victories over Chelsea on penalties, and it’s easy to see why everybody starts talking about the greatest ever Liverpool team.

The greatest teams can’t always be measured in trophies alone, quality of football, goals scored and entertainment play a part too. Which is why second place to a world class Manchester City team managed by Pep Guardiola is nothing to be ashamed of, and is arguably an amazing achievement in itself. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the greatest Liverpool teams of the past.

Season: 1983/84

Titles: Division One, European Cup, League Cup

Manager: Joe Fagan

Arguably the greatest Liverpool side, its success is even more impressive coming in new manager Joe Fagan’s first season after Bob Paisley stepped down.

Bruce Grobbelaar in goal and a back four of Kennedy, Hansen, Neal and Lawrenson is possibly the greatest back line to have pulled on the shirt.

Graeme Souness, Sammy Lee, Ronnie Whelan and Craig Johnston provided grit, guts and goals.

Up front was the greatest pairing to have ever graced Anfield – Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. Incredibly, Welshman Rush netted 32 league goals, with 47 in all competitions.

A victorious penalty shootout over Roma proved this team’s character, and crowned them European Champions on the Italians home turf.

Season: 1976/77

Titles: Division One, European Cup

Manager: Bob Paisley

Ray Clemence, Emlyn Hughes, Jones, Smith and Phil Neal at the back, a midfield of McDermott, Case, Kennedy and Callaghan and a front two of Steve Heighway and Kevin Keegan.

A disappointing 2-1 FA Cup loss to Man United at Wembley took the shine of an incredible title triumph, beating runners up Manchester City by a single point. However, the team bounced back with a 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in the European Cup Final.

Sadly, the game marked Kevin Keegan’s last appearance for the reds as he moved to Hamburg for a then British record £500,000.

Season: 2019

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Titles: Champions League

A bitter sweet season with Liverpool narrowly missing out on the title to rivals Manchester City despite amassing an incredible 97 points. Consolation came in the form of another European trophy, with a Champions League victory over Spurs in Madrid thanks to goals from Salah and Origi. A victory that was all the more impressive after tasting defeat in the final the year before against Real Madrid.

With Becker in nets providing the stability at the back that Liverpool had been so desperately missing, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip and Robertson in front of him, this team could shut up shop. And with Salah, Mane and Firmino providing the high energy cutting edge up front, this is a team that provides the back bone of today’s successful line up. Despite that lack of a league title, this is definitely a team that’s up there with the greats.

Season: 1972/1973

Titles: Division One, UEFA Cup

Manager: Bill Shankly

No list of great Liverpool teams is complete without a Shankly team. With no silverware since a league title back in 1966, Shankly guided his youthful side to an incredible double of League One champions and UEFA Cup winners.

This is a team that had Ray Clemence in nets, Smith and Lloyd at the back, Callaghan, McCormack and Hughes in midfield, and Toshack, Keegan and Heighway proving lethal up front.

The UEFA Cup Final produced a tight 3-2 win over long time European rivals Borussia Monchengladbach.

Season: 1987/88

Manager: Dalglish

Titles: Division One

Kenny Dalglish is arguably Liverpool’s greatest ever player, so to take over management of the club he loves and guide them to the Division One title – while still playing – is all the sweeter.

Despite losing the prolific Ian Rush to Juventus, in came Peter Beardsley and John Barnes and the league title was secured with games to spare. Grobbelaar, Hansen, Gillespie, Ablett and Nichol made up the back five while McMahon, Molby, Barnes and Houghton provided the silk and steel in midfield. Aldridge and Beardsley were an irrepressible duo up front.

A loss to Wimbledon in the FA Cup Final was a bitter pill to swallow and denied the reds a league and cup double, but nothing can take the shine of this exciting team. Sadly a European ban on all English clubs meant this team was never able to test itself against the best in Europe, but they deserve their place as one of the greatest teams to ever pull on the shirt.