Liverpool’s 2023/24 season was undoubtedly a challenging one, with the team competing in multiple competitions and many players representing their respective countries. The demanding schedule took its toll on the players, as evident from Virgil van Dijk’s honest assessment of the season as a “very, very, very long year” and a “tough year.”
Liverpool’s campaign was a rollercoaster ride, starting with the departure of Jurgen Klopp as manager. In addition to the 38 Premier League games, the team also participated in 20 matches across the League Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League, bringing the total number of games to 58. When you factor in international commitments such as friendlies, qualifiers, and tournaments, it becomes clear that the players faced an exhausting workload regardless of their salaries.
Considering the immense physical demands placed on the players, it is interesting to analyze who logged the most minutes for Liverpool last season. Virgil van Dijk emerged as the player with the highest number of minutes played, accumulating 5,395 minutes across 64 matches for both club and country. As the captain of Liverpool and the Netherlands, Van Dijk rarely had the opportunity to rest or be substituted, which explains his exhaustion at the end of the season.
The South American trio of Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, and Darwin Nunez also featured prominently in terms of minutes played. Diaz recorded 4,941 minutes across 67 matches, while Mac Allister and Nunez played 60 and 67 matches respectively, accumulating 4,561 and 4,001 minutes. These players not only had to contend with a high number of matches but also faced additional challenges due to travel.
Examining the statistics reveals an interesting pattern regarding Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian midfielder played 58 matches and accumulated 3,841 minutes, with 42 percent of his playing time coming from international matches. This highlights the need for Liverpool’s coaching staff to carefully manage Szoboszlai’s workload to avoid a drop in performance during the latter stages of the season.
Zooming out and looking at the bigger picture, only 12 players worldwide played more minutes than Virgil van Dijk last season in all competitions for club and country. It is worth noting that two of those players were goalkeepers. If we exclude club cup competitions, Van Dijk ranks fourth among outfield players in terms of minutes played. This further emphasizes the busy year he had, as he played 1,394 minutes more than Darwin Nunez, who ranked fourth in Liverpool’s top 10 for minutes played.
In terms of minutes played for Liverpool alone, the top five players were Van Dijk (4,072 minutes), Diaz (3,615 minutes), Mac Allister (3,501 minutes), Joe Gomez (3,113 minutes), and Mohamed Salah (3,132 minutes). On the other hand, the top five players in terms of minutes played for their respective countries were Diaz (1,326 minutes), Van Dijk (1,323 minutes), Szoboszlai (1,137 minutes), Mac Allister (1,060 minutes), and Wataru Endo (985 minutes).
Overall, the statistics highlight the physical and mental demands placed on Liverpool’s players during the 2023/24 season. It is crucial for the coaching staff to carefully manage their workload to avoid burnout and ensure consistent performance throughout the campaign.