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Many will claim this is blasphemy. Many will throw rocks.
Nevertheless, there is a case to be made. MSN is not the most exciting offensive trio to watch in soccer right now.
Now take a second and a deep breath before closing the browser and lighting up your torches. Hell, I’ll say it: There has seldom been a team that more fun to watch than this season’s Liverpool squad since Ronaldinho said goodbye to Barcelona.
Sure, the genius who is Jurgen Klopp at the helm has a good deal to do with the success. But that attacking trio . . .
Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are the most electrifying attacking trio in the world right now. By no means am I claiming that they are individually better than Messi, Suarez and Neymar. And yet, they seem to be working together and closing that gap.
Let’s take a look at the numbers: The MSN trio has scored 20 goals in La Liga so far this season. The Liverpool trio has scored 16 in the Premier League. On the other hand, they go head to head in terms of assists with ten each.
If we keep going down the stats sheet, there are even categories where Klopp’s trio is superior to Luis Enrique’s superstars. For example, Coutinho, Mane and Firmino create more goal scoring opportunities than Messi, Neymar and Suarez as the Reds’ trio delivers an average of 7.2 key passes per match while the Blaugrana trio tallies up to 6.1 a game.
To level the score even further, we can’t forget the difference in the competition each of these clubs face off against.
Few people will try to make the case that the Spanish La Liga is as competitive as the Premier League. It only takes a look at the “goals against” category in each of the leagues’ standings to get a good gauge of the reality. While only three clubs in the EPL have been scored on more than 20 times this season (the three currently inside the relegation zone), seven clubs in the Spanish League have been scored on more than 20 times.
The numbers add up, and it only takes a few minutes of watching to fall in love with the beauty of Liverpool’s offensive moves. The trio is having fun on the pitch, and they are delivering for both Klopp and Liverpool’s fans. They are even in sync with their celebrations.
Mané on celebrating with Coutinho & Firmino: "I copy them because I’m happy for them." pic.twitter.com/eW8Akcvw1v
— Dan (@Jondanagan) November 3, 2016
"I copy them because I am happy for them,” Mane said when asked about following the two Brazilians in their goal celebrations against Crystal Palace. “It was Firmino who taught us to do the dance. After training he makes us dance and explains how to do it after the goal.”
Nothing against Barcelona and their guys, but if they are playing at the same time as Liverpool and I only have one tv . . . Well, I know which channel I’m keeping on.
