LIVERPOOL’S record-breaking start is the best in Europe’s top five leagues EVER.
A cumulative table reveals just how outstanding the Reds’ 61-point start to the season has been, trumping PSG and Manchester City in recent years.
Roberto Fimino’s winner fired Jurgen Klopp’s side to yet another three points at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Spurs missed a host of chances to at least equalise, if not win outright.
But supporters are worried that a recent pattern has emerged, with the top five teams all achieving their record-breaking starts in the last six years.
Nick Harris, who goes under the name of @sportingintel on Twitter, collected the data.
He tweeted: “Liverpool’s 20 wins, one draw is the best league start after 21 matches by any club in Europe’s Big 5 leagues, ever.
“These are the best three starts in the Big 5 leagues, then those 15 ranked.
“LFC have broken PSG’s record for Big 5, and MCFC’s record for England.
“It’s remarkable how many of those are so recent.”
Manchester City’s incredible run to start the 2017-18 season is joint-second along with Paris Saint-Germain last season, Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola in 2013-14 and Juventus under Max Allegri last term.
MONEYBALL
All of the 11 teams on the list have set marks in the last 15 years.
In fact, the oldest trend-setter in there is Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, during the Portuguese’s second season.
The Special One’s Blues won the league after a superb start where they had 58 points from 21 games, including just one defeat, which was a 1-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Does this show football has stepped up a level since the injection of cash from mega-rich owners like Roman Abramovich, Sheikh Mansour and the Qatari royal family?
Liverpool are an obvious exception that rule, given their owner John W Henry made his reputation in Major League Baseball.
Warren Chrismas tweeted a reply to Harris, saying: “The fact that so many great runs are recent is remarkable, in the truest sense of the word, but hardly surprising.
“The biggest clubs in each league are getting richer and stronger, and less likely to lose against ‘makeweights’ over 21 matches.”
Chris O’Brien said: “The recency is what is really striking.
“Nothing before 2005/06. Shows how the structure of the game is letting the best teams pull further and further away.”
James Varley said: “Shows how lopsided football has become. A few fantastic teams at the top and a lot of rubbish.”
