Liverpool’s greatest team of all time

As one of the most successful teams in professional football, Liverpool have unsurprisingly had plenty of top-class players represent the club.

Their on-field success has made them the darlings of sports bettors, who regularly back them to win individual matches or lift major silverware.

The best betting sites often rank Liverpool amongst the favourites for competitions such as the Champions League given the depth of talent they have in their squad.

Picking an all-time greatest Liverpool team is no easy task, particularly when you consider just how much success they have enjoyed over the past few decades.

However, we think the following starting XI would be a match for any all-time top team, although some fans may think differently.

Best-ever Liverpool line-up

(4-4-2) Ray Clemence; Phil Neal, Alan Kennedy, Alan Hansen, Ron Yeats; Ian Callaghan, Graeme Souness, Jimmy Case, Steve Heighway; Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush.

Liverpool fans will undoubtedly notice that the team does not contain any of the current squad, but there are good reasons for that.

Picking Ray Clemence as goalkeeper is a no-brainer given the impact he had on Liverpool during his time with the club.

His record of conceding just 16 goals in a 42-match season in 1978/79 was a phenomenal achievement and he stands head and shoulders above every other Liverpool goalie.

The back four is where the controversy starts, with Virgil van Dijk failing to make the cut despite starring for the club in recent seasons.

Van Dijk is a classy player, but when it comes to choosing someone who had a transformational impact on the club’s defence, no-one can hold a candle to Ron Yeats.

Bill Shankly pulled off a masterstroke when he signed Yeats from Dundee United for just £22,000 and he helped the Reds establish themselves as major force in the top flight.

Alan Hansen is the perfect centre-back foil for Yeats having helped the club win eight league titles, three European Cups and several other major trophies.

Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy get the nod in the full-back positions after playing key roles in Liverpool’s success during the 1970s and 1980s.

More controversy abounds further forward, with Steven Gerrard missing out despite many people arguing he is the club’s greatest ever midfielder.

While Gerrard was a talented player, his inability to help Liverpool win the Premier League is a black mark on his footballing CV.

By contrast, Graeme Souness and Jimmy Case won multiple league titles and several major European trophies during their respective careers.

Gerrard would not have displaced either player from the line-up had he been around at the same time, which further explains why he has been omitted from the team.

Ian Callaghan and Steve Heighway get the vote in the wide midfield positions after helping the club win a plethora of major silverware.

There are no controversies in attack, with Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish widely regarded as the greatest pairing the club has ever had.

They were the scourge of bookmakers similar to the one featured in the BetUK review, combining to score 335 goals, winning four league titles and two European Cups.

The pair would walk into Jurgen Klopp’s current starting XI and are worthy additions to Liverpool’s greatest team of all-time.