A mostly underwhelming 2022/23 campaign for Liverpool is put under the microscope as we continue to review the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season just gone.
In this stats-led recap, we assess each club’s attacking and defensive numbers and compare them to those of other clubs.
The players who carry the most goal and assist potential in each squad are also highlighted.
It’s still too early to be predicting what will happen in 2023/24 with any great conviction, with transfers and pre-season friendlies set to have a big say, so we’ll return closer to Gameweek 1 with a preview of each team.
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LIVERPOOL IN 2022/23: ATTACK
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
| Goals scored | 75 | 3rd |
| Shots | 605 | 2nd |
| Shots in the box | 432 | 1st |
| Shots on target | 205 | 4th |
| Big chances | 125 | 2nd |
| Expected goals (xG) | 70.79 | 5th |
| Non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) | 67.64 | 5th |
This was Jurgen Klopp’s seventh full season in charge of Liverpool and only once before have the Reds scored on fewer occasions (in 2020/21) under the German.
Ranking in the top five for all the key attacking metrics above would be an accomplishment for most teams but not so much for Klopp’s troops.
Certainly, the drop-off from 2021/22 was stark:
| Liverpool in 2021/22 | Liverpool in 2022/23 | |
| Goals scored | 94 | 75 |
| Shots | 729 | 605 |
| xG | 92.03 | 70.79 |
| Big chances | 132 | 125 |
Wastefulness from some of the Reds’ attackers, especially Darwin Nunez, was as much a problem as the drop-off in shots:
| 2021/22 big chance conversion rate | |
| Salah | 54.1% |
| Mane | 51.9% |
| Jota | 48.1% |
| 2022/23 big chance conversion rate | |
| Salah | 41.2% |
| Darwin | 25.9% |
| Jota | 33.3% |
The outgoing Roberto Firmino, with his uncharacteristically excellent xG delta of +5.53, was the chief reason why Liverpool ‘overachieved’ on the expected goals front in 2022/23.
The Reds were again strong on set plays, with no team scoring more than their 18.
Above: Liverpool’s goal threat home (left) and away (right) in 2022/23
Once again, no great surprise to see a team posting better attacking numbers on home soil – most Premier League clubs will have a similar disparity.
In fact, just for context, Liverpool were third for xG away from home (29.75) and only sixth on their own turf (41.04).
LIVERPOOL IN 2022/23: DEFENCE
