Premier League title race: The four players who have made Liverpool favourites

By Owen Lewis for FIRST.COM

Nobody expected Arne Slot to settle into his role as Liverpool head coach as quickly as he has, but after the shock defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup earlier this month, the Dutchman is perhaps beginning to feel the same pressures that his predecessor Jurgen Klopp encountered when it comes to squad selections.

Even with the surprise early cup exit, Liverpool are flying this season. The Reds are favourites to win the Premier League (1/4 on SpreadEx) and Champions League (4/1 on BetMGM), and they face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final (4/7 with Betway). You can find the best bookmakers and latest sports betting tips on FIRST.com

Which players have been the most important for Slot this season? We take a look at four men who have made the biggest impact on the Reds’ season so far.

Virgil van Dijk

Calm as you like, he’s Virgil van Dijk. This is the Dutchman’s second season donning the captain’s armband, and what a campaign he is having.

The 33-year-old has helped Liverpool to the joint-most Premier League clean sheets (10), featuring in all of those games. He’s also been almost unstoppable in the air, with a 72.9% aerial duel success rate, one of the highest among starting centre-backs in the league this term.

Although the skipper is known for his defensive prowess, he’s also been influential in terms of setting up attacks and getting his name on the scoresheet in the Premier League, Champions League and most recently the Carabao Cup, where he helped the Reds to secure a 4-1 win on aggregate over Tottenham in the semi-finals.

He might be locked in discussions over an extension to his contract at Anfield, but he’s still showing that he’s the best defender in the English top flight and possibly the world.

Mo Salah

Mo Salah will go down in history as not only a Liverpool legend, but as one of the greatest players ever to grace the Premier League. Even at 32 and with less than six months remaining on his contract, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The Egyptian King is having what is possibly his most efficient season to date in a Liverpool shirt, averaging 0.94 goals per match and leading the Premier League for most goals (24) and most assists (15) this term. With the division’s Golden Boot race heating up, he’s the favourite to win this season’s award at 1/3 on SpreadEx.

He’s also breaking records – lots of them. This season alone, Salah has surpassed the Premier League goalscoring records of Frank Lampard and Thierry Henry and entered the top 10 for all-time assists in the division, and he’s set to overtake his own record of most goals and assists in a Premier League campaign.

It’s looking like an all-timer of a season for the 32-year-old, so it’s impossible not to include him in this list.

Ryan Gravenberch

After a less than stellar first season for the Dutch midfielder at Liverpool and lots of drama over a failed summer bid for Martín Zubimendi, there were lingering questions at the start of the season about who will fill in alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Those questions have been answered by a resurgent season from Ryan Gravenberch. The 22-year-old hasn’t just been playing well; he also makes football look so easy. Other than Everton occasionally being able to single him out during the dramatic 2-2 draw at Goodison Park, we’ve yet to see a team truly nullify him and stop him from playing the box-to-box football at which he excels.

Taking a look at his defensive work, he has been unbelievable, winning 106 ground duels and constantly pressing the opposition. It’s safe to say that the Dutchman has been a revelation in midfield, removing all doubt from the previous campaign and solidifying his status as Slot’s most trusted enforcer.

Alisson Becker

There’s been a lot of speculation about Liverpool’s goalkeeper situation this term, with Alisson sidelined for a prolonged period during the first half of the season, and Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join Liverpool from Valencia in the summer.

One thing’s for certain, though, and that’s Alisson’s impact on Liverpool’s title charge in 2024/25, with the Brazilian stopper racking up nine clean sheets across 23 appearances in all competitions for the Reds in the current campaign.

A special shoutout goes to his deputy Caoimhín Kelleher for filling in once again when Alisson has been injured and being very solid at the back, barring the occasional mistake.

Will Liverpool win big this season?

Most pundits predicted that Liverpool would go through a transitional season and face a battle to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, but the Reds have outperformed all expectations.

Slot’s men look likely to claim some silverware this season. The bookies’ odds of 1/33 to win at least one trophy shows just what a great job the Dutchman has done across the first few months of his debut campaign at Anfield.

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