Real Madrid: Is Liverpool’s front three this season better than the 2013/2014 BBC?
By Ben Sundock
The talk of the press in the lead up to the Champions League Final on Saturday between Real Madrid and Liverpool has been centered around the attacking lines of both sides. But, who was better: the Liverpool trio this season or the Real trio in 2014? Let’s take a closer look.
Let me begin by saying there is no guarantee that manager Zinedine Zidane starts Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema in the final on Saturday. This article is meant to compare the ‘BBC’ during the 2013/2014 season to the Liverpool strikeforce of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah this season.
Going off of the stats from The Reds forward line in this year’s in Champions League, to that of the ‘BBC’, the stats are in favor of the British side as the three forwards have combined to score 29 goals through 12 matches.
That stat is even more remarkable considering the team as a whole scored 40 goals from the group stage through the semifinal, meaning Salah, Firmino, and Mane made up nearly 73 percent of the goals.
While everyone has been blown away by the breakout year of the Egyptian winger, Mo Salah, it is worth noting that the BBC combined to score 28 goals in 13 matches, leading Real Madrid to their 10th European title in club history.
While Sergio Ramo’s header to tie the match in the dying minute against Atletico Madrid in Lisbon will forever be remembered by Madridistas, it is worth noting that the club had the second highest goal tally for a UCL campaign without having played in the qualifier round (41 goals in 13 matches).
Liverpool, on the other hand, has already played in 14 Champions League matches this year after having to play in the playoff round against Hoffenheim in late August. So, while Liverpool did overtake FC Barcelona for the most goals in a campaign with 46, they will have played two more matches than Madrid in ’13/’14 and one fewer than the previous record from 1999/2000 held by Barca.
This is where the debate gets a bit tricky. Without a doubt, the English side has the more balanced attack. Salah and Firmino both bagged 10 goals while Sadio Mane finished with nine.
On the other side, the BBC was led by the record-breaking effort of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the most goals for a player during a single Champions League season with 17. Far behind, but still playing a significant role in the team’s success, was Bale with six and Benzema with five.
However, the BBC did have more assists than the Red forward trio as the three players combined for 13 assists through 13 matches (four from Bale and Ronaldo, five from Benzema).
The creator for the side from Merseyside has been Roberto Firmino with seven assists, while Salah provided four, and Mane only one.
Much like Gareth Bale’s incredible first year in Madrid, Salah is tearing up England in his first season and turning heads in ever match with his incredible awareness and finishing ability.
Next: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane says “This may be the toughest final we’ve had”
While this may upset some of you, it is too difficult to determine who has the better forward trio.
A fantastic year from Salah and Firmino is canceled out by Ronaldo’s record-breaking 17 goals, the even distribution of assists across the Real Madrid forward line is canceled out by Bobby Firmino’s seven assists, and finally, with the final not having been played yet, it is hard to say if this Liverpool trio is truly elite yet.
Los Blancos came from behind to beat Atleti in extra time with both Bale and Ronaldo scoring in the additional half hour. Salah, Firmino, and Mane will need to have a breathtaking final against a very good Real Madrid team in order to put themselves in the same category as the ‘BBC’ in its prime.
Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more Champions League Final coverage!