Top Liverpool picks for 23/24 FPL

Now that their fixtures and FPL player prices have been confirmed, here are the top Liverpool picks for 2023/24.

After four consecutive top-three finishes, Jurgen Klopp’s side finished a disappointing fifth. And it would’ve been worse, had they not ended with an 11-game unbeaten streak.

There was huge inconsistency, beating Bournemouth 9-0 and Man United 7-0 whilst also having four winless periods of at least three matches.

So, with Alexis Mac Allister (£6.0m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m) bought, Liverpool will be determined to mount a title challenge.

Fixture Ticker

Thanks to Fantasy Football Scout, we can see that Liverpool’s early fixtures are mixed. Although Gameweek 2 offers a chance to replicate last season’s 9-0 mauling, they have one of the worst-rated spells between Gameweeks 3 and 8.

They begin against Chelsea, where their last four meetings have all finished 0-0. It’s a run that compares poorly to those of Arsenal, Man City and Man United, so FPL managers will already be wondering if it’s ok to enter a team without Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) or do the pair remain fixture-proof.

Liverpool’s defence

2022/23 saw the Reds concede more goals (47) and expected goals (xG, 50.85) than in any of Klopp’s other full seasons.

• They still ended with the second-most clean sheets (14), behind rivals Man United
• Yet, at the same time, they conceded the third-most big chances (101), a number worse than last-placed Southampton

Stats were boosted by five successive shut-outs during February and March but, in reality, it was a huge overachievement on 4.84 expected goals conceded (xGC).

Top Liverpool picks in defence

Naturally, the main place to look is Alexander-Arnold. Such was his superb end-of-season form, over 33% of managers have currently opted to pick him despite the price rise that makes him FPL’s first £8.0m defender since 2011/12.

Liverpool’s form immediately improved once the right-back began to invert towards central midfield rather than overlap. Indeed, his eight-match streak of returns from Gameweeks 30 to 36 helped him finish on 11 assists – the most in defence.

Above: Points of defenders since the tactical shift of Gameweek 30

Alexander-Arnold was a lowly 25th within his position heading into the World Cup but ended joint second behind Kieran Trippier. He even bettered the Newcastle man for big chances created (25), ranking third overall.

Simply put, he has an FPL pedigree that goes beyond fixture lists and clean sheets. Reinvigorated in his new role, Trent is a tough name to proceed without.

It could be interesting that there’s finally a big price gap between him and Andrew Robertson (£6.5m) – £1.5m instead of the £0.5m of the last three campaigns – but the Scottish international could be restricted by being more defensive in this new formation.

Meanwhile, stopper Alisson (£5.5m) actually bagged more points than Alexander-Arnold. One of four goalkeepers to register an assist, he came second in his position for points (162) and xG prevented (+8.50).

Liverpool’s attack

• No team had more shots inside the box (432) and they sit second for big chances (125)
• There’s a huge drop from 2021/22 for goals (94 v 75), shots (729 v 605) and xG (92.03 v 70.79)

Top Liverpool picks in attack

The current online template seems to be without Salah, knowing there most likely needs to be a sacrifice out of him, Alexander-Arnold and Erling Haaland. It’s not so much a comment on his most recent year – 239 points were the most in midfield but only his fourth-best in six seasons – but more about the incredible range of midfield choices, many of whom seem underpriced.

Not having Salah for Gameweek 2 at home to Bournemouth won’t be fun but it’s probably the one feasible time to captain him in early weeks. He even blanked in last year’s 9-0.

It contributed to a slow start for the Egyptian, netting only eight times heading into Gameweek 25. From then, 18 goal involvements from his final 15 outings, even managing to squeeze in a pair of missed penalties!

Above: How this season’s midfielders ranked in terms of shots inside the penalty area

He therefore ended up as one of two players to reach double-digits for both goals and assists. As usual, Salah ranked amongst the top two midfielders for attempts (125), shots inside the box (104), shots on target (47) and xG (20.46).

Elsewhere, Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) and Diogo Jota (£8.0m) have swapped positions. The former is now up front and started 17 of 21 possible league games since his January arrival, whilst the latter scored seven times in the closing nine matches.

Conclusion

It’s hard to recommend a non-Salah attacker because rotation should be taking place. There’s also Luis Diaz (£7.5m) – back from a serious injury – and the incredibly wasteful Darwin Nunez (£7.5m). The Uruguayan has four goals from this pre-season but it was similar last year, when he netted four against RB Leipzig.

With an uninspiring set of opening fixtures, FPL managers shouldn’t really look beyond the elite talents of Salah and Alexander-Arnold. Having both of these plus Haaland is incredibly restrictive, so it’s about deciding which, in your opinion, has the better alternatives.

Otherwise, try the differential potential of Jota, Gakpo or Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m).