The Vital Connection Was Made. Some Will Be Broken.

Thirteen combinations created 10+ chances for Liverpool in the 2024/25 Premier League. Who was top? Which pairings won't be there next season?

Change is exciting. It’s why football transfers drive so much interest.

Change is also risky. Coincidence or not, Liverpool’s two Premier League titles followed summers in which they kept the gossip peddlers very quiet. The average starting XI for Arne Slot this season had been with the Reds for 4.6 years per player, at least 1.2 more than for any other club in the top flight.

Exiting or risky, change is afoot at Anfield ahead of 2025/26. Trent Alexander-Arnold has already moved to Madrid, with Andy Robertson rumoured to be heading for the other side of town. The full-backs rank fifth and 26th respectively for expected assists generated in Europe’s big five leagues since 2017/18. Their creative absence will be felt.

Florian Wirtz looks set to cover some of the shortfall, having been one of the continent’s top players for expected goal assists over the last few seasons. A summer free of international tournaments (for club or country) will help his integration, but it may take time for his wavelength to be fully attuned to that of his new teammates.

The line-up changes that occur next season will mean many of Liverpool’s top combinations for creating chances in their title-winning campaign are unlikely to feature as often, if at all. It’s time to review them.

The data which follows was compiled via Understat. A Driblab article from March noted Raphinha had created 18 chances for Robert Lewandowski to lead the big five leagues at that point; the Reds had no one-way combinations that strong, even at the conclusion of the campaign.

What they might have had was a stronger link-up in both directions. Here are Liverpool’s 13 pairings which generated double-digit chances in the 2024/25 Premier League.

Joint-10th, 10 chances

Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah, 2.69 expected goals, three goals

Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah, 0.71 xG, no goals

Luis Díaz and Alexis Mac Allister, 0.45 xG, no goals

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai, 0.41 xG, no goals

The latter two duos produced little of note, with neither generating more than a single shot on target. Luis Díaz and Alexis Mac Allister - the likeliest combination in this group to feature next season - did at least fashion two chances worth 0.10 expected goals, whereas Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai failed to deliver anything above 0.07 xG.

The other two combinations are rather more interesting, simply because they didn’t get much in the way of shared playing time.

Harvey Elliott’s lack of starts meant he and Salah played just 345 minutes together, with half of that occurring after the title was secured. To combine for 10 shots is therefore remarkable, with them comfortably the top combination in this study for chances per 90 minutes (2.60).

The Egyptian’s link-up with Darwin Núñez has always been potent, though it saw roughly 400 minutes fewer than in either of the preceding two seasons. Despite generating a noticeably lower expected goals per 90 average than in years past, on this basis they remained Liverpool’s second most productive pairing by this measure in 2024/25.

Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah’s figures as a partnership in the league

Joint-eighth, 11 chances

Luis Díaz and Dominik Szoboszlai, 2.54 expected goals, three goals

Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota, 1.15 xG, two goals

Liverpool put in many of the hard yards towards their 20th league title in the first half of the campaign. The combination of Díaz and Szoboszlai came together more noticeably in the spring; the Colombian picked up an assist against Newcastle, before the Hungarian returned the favor against Tottenham and Arsenal. The Spurs goal technically made the Reds champions, so kudos, lads.

Díaz’s combination with Diogo Jota has never been prolific, in part because they have competed for the same spot in the team at times. Some Liverpool combos generated more league chances this season than this pairing has in three-and-a-half.

But they also delivered the winner against Everton. Making your moments count makes memories.

Seventh, 14 chances

Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah, 1.64 expected goals, five goals

Most combinations in our countdown scored within one goal of their xG. Only two others strayed beyond that, yet Curtis Jones and Salah were over three goals above par.

It has been a theme of their entire time together. Their total of 4.42 xG in the Premier League has produced 12 goals. Their output this season included winners against Chelsea and Brighton, an equaliser at St. James’ Park and a game settler at Bournemouth. A less obvious partnership, perhaps, but a bloody effective one.

Sixth, 15 chances

Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah, 2.17 expected goals, two goals

This is arguably the most interesting entry, purely because the two players aren’t that close on the pitch (in terms of the starting formation). Only four of the other 12 pairs discussed here had a higher proportion of their chances worth at least 0.3 expected goals.

Another mildly surprising aspect of their relationship is that it was Salah who was the more creative in this duo. He assisted Macca against Everton and Newcastle, providing him with high value chances when the Uniteds of Manchester and West Ham visited Anfield too.

Fifth, 17 chances

Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, 1.74 expected goals, no goals

Perhaps it was inevitable that one of the unlikelier pairings in this study was the most underachieving duo in front of goal.

It might have been so different. While their chance quality was rarely spectacular, only two combinations produced more shots on target. Gakpo and Szoboszlai were also responsible for two of the seven highest xG value blocked shots of the campaign, fact fans.

Fourth, 21 chances

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, 2.68 expected goals, three goals

As randomness would have it, Alexander-Arnold created exactly 100 Premier League chances for Salah. Aided by playing together throughout the Egyptian’s time with Liverpool, it is the most generated by any Reds combo (in one direction) since 2017.

Five of their final six chances went the other way, though, with Trent’s equaliser at Villa Park among them. Salah and Conor Bradley linked up just three times, for the record, though their trio included an Opta-defined big chance for the forward at Brighton. What Jeremie Frimpong will deliver on that flank remains to be seen.

Third, 23 chances

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, 6.67 expected goals, six goals

All hail Cody Back-post.

With each of these players capable of picking out the other at the back stick, this was comfortably Liverpool’s best link-up for generating xG this season. The Lewandowski-Raphinha link as highlighted by Driblab produced around four xG, albeit on a different model. It shows what Gakpo achieved with Salah.

And, oh, the goals. The sweet, sweet goals. Excluding a strike by the number 11 against Leicester, they were all hit from eight yards out or closer. It is the opener against Manchester City that will be most fondly remembered, though equalisers for the 10-man Reds against Fulham and Crystal Palace were important in their way too.

This pair produced 0.31 expected goals per 90 minutes together in 2024/25, which is within 0.01 of the xG shot averages posted by the likes of Matheus Cunha, Liam Delap and Bryan Mbeumo. Their level of production will switch clubs for a lot of money this summer.

Second, 27 chances

Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah, 5.56 expected goals, five goals

A bit like Jota’s relationship with Díaz, this one blossomed under Slot. The 38 league chances they delivered for Jürgen Klopp were worth fewer expected goals (5.40) than their total this term.

Few players did more to help the new head coach settle. Lucho and Salah combined for three goals in the opening three games, including a pair to put Liverpool 2-0 up at Old Trafford. Slot asked me to pass on his thanks.

Díaz filled in well at centre forward this season. His rate for chances in partnership with Salah didn’t vary depending on his starting position but the duo’s productivity grew when further apart on opposite wings.

Riddle me this, tacticos.

First, 33 chances

Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, 4.44 expected goals, six goals

I doubt everyone predicted this as the top pairing. Discovering that they were prompted this article, as it seems likely Szoboszlai’s number 10 role will be taken by Wirtz next season.

Not only did this duo provide the leading two-way combination but the top two in either direction. Dom set up Salah for 17 chances, one more than Mo sent the other way in reciprocation. That’s two link-ups within spitting distance of the 18 that Raphinha produced for Lewa.

Salah and Szoboszlai even had two games in which each assisted the other, achieving this in memorable wins at Tottenham and the Etihad. As exciting as the arrival of Wirtz looks set to be, Slot would be wise to keep this partnership in mind next season.