With the Reds facing Arsenal this weekend, I look back at a Liverpool side that shoved four goals past the Gunners in the opening 20 to see where they are now.
Simon Mignolet
The Belgian ‘keeper is one of just three players in the starting eleven presently contracted to the club in 2018. In his first season at the club, Mignolet showed on several occasions why manager Brendan Rodgers was right to splash out £9m to acquire his services. Now in his sixth-year on Merseyside, the former Sunderland man finds himself as back-up to Alisson and the chances of him regaining his place in the starting lineup look slim. Forgetting his moments of calamity, Mignolet has featured over 200 times for the Reds and will go down as a good servant to the club.
Jon Flanagan
At the time of this fixture, Flanagan was very much a fan favourite in the minds of Kopites. He was a local lad who looked as though he would give his life to help the Reds win the title. However, most could see that his technical ability was severely lacking. that Four years on, the now 25-year-old is playing under ex-Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard up at Rangers. An ineffective loan spell at Burnley in 2016, and then more recently at Bolton Wanderers saw him released from his Liverpool contract this June.
Martin Skrtel
Scorer of two of the five goals in the 5-1 demolition, the Slovakian spent eight years on Merseyside before moving to Turkey in the summer of 2016. That period saw him make over 300 appearances in a Red, scoring 18 times for the club – 7 of which came in the 2013/14 campaign. He also scored 4 own goals during that same season. Skrtel has consistently been linked with a return to England, including a reunion with former boss Rafa Benitez at Newcastle United, however a move has so far failed to come to fruition.
Kolo Toure
Lining up against the club he used to captain, Toure came close to scoring an absolute thunderbolt when his sweet volley crashed against Wojciech Szczęsny’s right-hand post. The Ivorian made 71 appearances for the Reds, with his only goal coming in a 6-0 romp away at Aston Villa. Toure was undoubtedly a cult hero during his three years at Anfield and apart from the odd comedy error, he was very much reliably solid at the back. His contract came to an end in 2016 and he signed for Celtic where he would reunite with Brendan Rodgers. He played there for one season before joining the coaching staff as a techincal assistant where he still remains today.
Aly Cissokho
The Reds signed the French left-back in the hope that he would fix what was a constant problem area of the pitch for a number of years. However if truth be told, the Valencia loanee probably weakened it even further. Cissokho made just fifteen appearances for the Reds and it was no surprise that Rodgers decided not to pursue a permanent deal for the now 31-year-old. The following summer saw him complete a transfer to Aston Villa where he made 58 appearances, 12 of which came following the clubs relegation to the Championship in 2016. A year later, Cissokho completed a move to recently promoted Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor where he has so far made 28 appearances.
Steven Gerrard
Playing in his penultimate season for Liverpool, the Reds hero made over 700 appearances scoring 186 goals in the process. A move to America would follow, where he would go onto play 38 times for LA Galaxy before retiring from professional football at the age of 36. In January 2017, Gerrard returned to Liverpool as a youth coach after previously turning down a managerial offer at Milton Keynes Dons. However just over a year later, the Champions League winner was appointed manager of Scottish giants Rangers. A strong start at the Gers has seen many suggest that Gerrard could be the man to replace Jurgen Klopp when his time at the club comes to a close…
Jordan Henderson
The second of the three players still at the club, Jordan Henderson has since taken over from Gerrard as Liverpool captain. Rather than playing as a box-to-box midfielder which he did back then, the Sunderland-born player now occupies the holding role for the Reds. This is largely due to injuries which has limited his ability to get up and down the field, however he’s still very much considered a big part of Jurgen Klopp’s future plans. Henderson has so far made 291 appearances for Liverpool scoring 24 goals in the process, but is still waiting for his first piece of silverware as Reds skipper.
Philippe Coutinho
Here comes the third most expensive player in the world. After signing from Inter Milan in 2013, Coutinho made over 200 appearances scoring 54 goals in the process. The 2013/14 season saw him establish himself as one of the division’s top players, and many thought his winner against Manchester City would go on to see Liverpool win the league. The Brazilian magician forced his way out of Anfield this January when he completed a move to Barcelona after the two clubs agreed a fee of £105m, which could rise to £142m if numerous clauses are reached. He has so far made 36 appearances for the Catalan giants, averaging a goal nearly every other game.
Raheem Sterling
Scorer of the fifth and final goal, Sterling was unbelievably good for the Reds that season, scoring nine goals in 33 league appearances. One more season at Anfield followed before he completed a £50m transfer to Manchester City and the move came with a lot of controversy. The then 20-year-old reportedly asked to be left out of the Reds’ pre-season tour, a request criticised by both Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. Sterling has gone on to make 151 appearances for the Citizens and has scored 48 goals, 23 of which came last season as he helped Pep Guardiola’s side claim the Premier League title.
Daniel Sturridge
If only Liverpool could have the Daniel Sturridge from this period back. The ex-Chelsea man netted 24 times for the Reds in 33 games across the 2013/14 campaign, as he formed a deadly partnership with Luis Suarez. A number of injuries have followed though and he’s struggled to ever regain a run in the first-team. He has however made a strong start to the current season, in which he has so far scored four times in nine games and he also claimed Liverpool’s Standard Chartered Player of the Month for September. The 29-year-old’s contract runs up in the summer though and it’s yet to be seen whether he will be offered a new one.
Luis Suarez
This man will arguably go down as a Premier League great, and it was the 2013/14 season that most football fans will remember. The Uruguayan scored 31 goals in 33 league games which saw him awarded the PFA Player’s Player of the Year award. El Pistolero finished his time at Anfield on 82 goals in 133 games, and will go down as one of the best to play in front of the Kop. A £64m move to Barcelona followed where he has so far made 212 appearances scoring 159 goals, helping the club win a hat-trick of La Liga and a Champions League title in 2015.
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