Another year is drawing to a close for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have played a total of 55 matches during 2023, enduring a mixed set of results during this period. The year began in frustrating style as the Reds attempted to claw their way into Champions League contention, which ultimately ended with the team narrowly missing out on the top four.
Things have looked much brighter in recent months, Liverpool now finding themselves in the middle of a title race. It remains to be seen how this season will play out, though 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting time as the club continues to challenge on all fronts.
Looking back on the last 12 months, four Liverpool supporters have shared their views as part of a weekly ECHO fan column while selecting their Player of the Year.
It’s really no enviable task picking just one Player of the Season so far considering the sheer amount of talent in our squad at the moment. How can you compare a rising star of the backline in Jarell Quansah to our new captain Virgil van Dijk, who has maintained imperious form as he’s stepped into the leadership role with ease. Then there is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been vital in contributing some really huge performances and goals this season.
For me though, given his milestone 200th goal for the Reds, it has to be Mohamed Salah. It’s a pure joy seeing the Egyptian King play at Anfield week in, week out and I know just how lucky we all are to have such an icon at our club. He’s a touch of class both on and off the pitch and I sincerely hope he stays for as long as possible.
Salah has already sealed his status as one of our all-time goalscoring greats, but I’ll watch on with delight and greed as he climbs up the ladder further and shatters more records before our eyes. Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Running down the wing…
After securing the vice-captaincy, Trent Alexander-Arnold has continued to grow as a player and leader. While he has always been integral to the Klopp team, we have seen Trent bud and flourish as a leader during this campaign.
Sometimes I have to rub my eyes to believe the precision of Trent’s passing and the potency of his shooting. He is now shaping games with greater frequency.
With Joe Gomez in fine form, the argument for Trent finding a permanent home in the Liverpool midfield grows stronger. It seems as though Trent feels more at home in midfield than he does in defence. He possesses all the skills to become a top midfielder; by loosening his defensive shackles, we would see more goals and assists from Trent.
Klopp may continue to not be moved by the case for moving Trent permanently into the midfield, for just as Trent influences the game from midfield, so too does he influence it from defence. Regardless of where he finds himself in the New Year, we can be assured that the 25-year-old will continue to influence games and be the fan embodiment on the pitch.
This one wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be. Player of the Year 2023: Wataru Endo. Maybe not the obvious choice for most fans, but hear me out.
He was a last-minute signing, a player who was, at best, third on a long list of sixes we sought to bring in during the summer window. Despite being the only proper defensive midfielder in the squad, Endo arrived knowing that he’d likely still be second or third on the depth charts. He grafted anyway.
The Japan captain withstood withering criticism of his play. It was too slow, too laboured, too unconvincing. Supporters moaned when he was in the starting eleven. I was one of them as I feared the worst of what may come in a league noted for its blistering pace. He played on.
As we near the end of 2023, the first half of a new season ending as quickly as it began, Endo’s performances have been integral to our position at the top of the table. Most recently, starting five matches in 13 days. The former Stuttgart midfielder got stuck in, won balls, stopped attacks and provided key passes. He is my Player of the Year.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is my Liverpool Player of the Year for 2023. It’s far from an easy call; Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, for instance, have all hit immensely high levels on a familiarly consistent basis. Alexander-Arnold, though, has perhaps been most central to the Reds’ development over the last 12 months.
2023 – more specifically, April 2023 – if it isn’t already, will potentially be viewed as a key bookmark in the No.66’s career, and arguably in the Liverpool and England men’s sides’ strategic direction in years to come.
Since Liverpool’s spring switch to a box midfield, with Alexander-Arnold often inverting from right-back, the compactness, fluidity and points accumulation of Jürgen Klopp’s charges has notably improved. Having also subsequently starred in conventional midfield roles, the new vice-captain’s sphere of on-field influence and leadership qualities continue to grow, alongside the team.
Increasingly, there is scope for him to dictate and break games with those exceptional technical attributes. 2.8 key passes per 2023/24 PL game is a rate that could well rise. Now just four away from both 300 appearances and 100 goal involvements for the senior LFC side, 2024 looks like another year where he can hit exciting new heights.
