After a ridiculously tough campaign for Liverpool as they went the distance in four competitions, which players clocked the most minutes for club and country?
It was a historic season for Liverpool, but one without the triumphant ending many hoped would come.
Still, the FA Cup and League Cup were secured and over 500,000 supporters lined the streets in celebration for the victory parade.
In total, the Reds played 63 games across the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, including three finals, while a number of players were also part of enthralling tournaments with their national teams.
Before pre-season begins on July 4, then, Liverpool are in for a well-deserved break.
Days after the campaign concluded, though, 21 of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad departed for post-season internationals – pushing back their recovery time even further.
But who played the most football throughout 2021/22? We take a look at the numbers.
Club – The top 5
Alisson – 4,710
Virgil van Dijk – 4,620
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 4,234
Mohamed Salah – 4,014
Luis Diaz – 3,963
* Diaz minutes combined for Porto and Liverpool.
Country – The top 5
Mohamed Salah – 1,351
Sadio Mane – 1,238
Luis Diaz – 951
Kostas Tsimikas – 763
Andy Robertson – 751
Overall – Full LFC minutes for club and country
Mohamed Salah – 5,365
Alisson – 5,340
Virgil van Dijk – 5,340
Sadio Mane – 5,176
Luis Diaz – 4,914
Andy Robertson – 4,664
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 4,427
Fabinho – 4,226
Jordan Henderson – 4,162
Diogo Jota – 4,002
Joel Matip – 3,705
Naby Keita – 2,634
Ibrahima Konate – 2,487
Kostas Tsimikas – 2,475
Thiago – 2,386
Roberto Firmino – 1,804
Curtis Jones – 1,682
Takumi Minamino – 1,546
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 1,526
James Milner – 1,371
Joe Gomez – 1,036
Caoimhin Kelleher – 930
Divock Origi – 676
Harvey Elliott – 675
Adrian – 90
What can we take from this?
Well, firstly, the ridiculous workload of the likes of Salah, Mane, Diaz and Robertson, who are first-choice regulars for both club and country.
That they were capable of producing at such a high standard so consistently throughout 2021/22 is a testament to their quality – and, equally as important, their durability.
Perhaps even more impressive is how many minutes Van Dijk was able to play on the back of a season-ending ACL injury the previous campaign.
The Dutchman rarely missed a minute for club or country, and is rightly being given a break by Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal this month.
Tsimikas is one of the few players for whom the increasingly congested international calendar serves as a benefit, with the left-back able to maintain his fitness despite a bit-part role under Klopp due to his key status with Greece.
Heading forward, it would be no surprise if those in the top 11 for minutes played in 2021/22 – from Jota up to Salah – were slowly reintegrated over the course of pre-season, while those less-used feature prominently in the early weeks.
It isn’t over yet, of course, with a ridiculous summer of fixtures still in motion.
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