Liverpool Transfers
According to figures from Football Critic, all three rank among the top 15 attackers in Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to touches in the opposition box per non-penalty goal (NPG): Salah is top with 13.9, Firmino is sixth with 10.2 and Mane is 12th with 9.3.With that in mind, it’s worth noting the other names on the list include Norwich’s Teemu Pukki, a more orthodox central striker whose game is built on taking big chances laid on by a strong supporting cast, and players like Ciro Immobile and Kylian Mbappe, who average more than four shots per game (Firmino and Mane are down on 3.2 and 2.6 respectively there, while Salah is still shy of four).
You can tell Liverpool’s front three are great without the use of statistics, but there are cases where the numbers can really underline the impact made by Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

We’re not just talking raw numbers, either, although all three have consistently posted strong numbers when it comes to non-penalty goals and assists per 90 minutes in a Liverpool shirt.

While some stats can reflect short-term form, others can point to a longer-term pattern which can be relied upon to provide a positive outcome more often than not. And when we look at touches in the box per non-penalty goal, there’s plenty that catches the eye from a Liverpool perspective.

This particular stat might not be among the most common or even the most penetrable in football, but it gives some indication of the regularity with which Firmino, Mane and Salah are getting into the right areas.

According to figures from Football Critic, all three rank among the top 15 attackers in Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to touches in the opposition box per non-penalty goal (NPG): Salah is top with 13.9, Firmino is sixth with 10.2 and Mane is 12th with 9.3.

The figures tell you a bit about those three players themselves, but also reveal a great deal about the rest of Liverpool’s attacking play: no other European club has more than two names on the list, and Bayern Munich - with Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry - are the only other club with more than one.

It points to a supply line working effectively enough to give forwards the ball in dangerous positions, but also to give them enough time and space in such positions to ensure they’re not rushed into shooting immediately for fear of a comparable chance not presenting itself in a hurry.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting the other names on the list include Norwich’s Teemu Pukki, a more orthodox central striker whose game is built on taking big chances laid on by a strong supporting cast, and players like Ciro Immobile and Kylian Mbappe, who average more than four shots per game (Firmino and Mane are down on 3.2 and 2.6 respectively there, while Salah is still shy of four).

It’s hardly a surprise to see the list dominated by top strikers in teams who create a lot of chances, and it’s intriguing to see Reds target Timo Werner near the top.

The RB Leipzig striker edges out Firmino with 10.6 touches in the box per NPG, and is one of just three Bundesliga players involved (along with the aforementioned Bayern duo). He also ranks high for NPG contributions (goals and assists) per 90, with only Mbappe beating his 1.10 average.

There will always be concerns about players not being given the same opportunities in a new league, and Premier League defenders may well present a different sort of challenge to that faced by Werner in the Bundesliga, but if he does move to Liverpool he’d at least be joining a team which sets up to give its forwards plenty of the ball in dangerous positions.

Liverpool’s current front three seem confident enough in their own abilities - and in the abilities of those around them to supply them - to take plenty of touches in the opposition box, knowing that a goal for them at the end of it isn’t essential and the moves don’t even need to end with them taking the final shot.

When you know the chances will continue to fall your way, it can be easier not to end up too downbeat on those occasions where you don’t find the net.

If a forward is turning almost every touch in the opposition box into a goal, it could mean he’s on fire but it could also mean he’s converting at an unsustainable rate.

Getting plenty of the ball, and having the luxury of plenty of touches in the opponents’ area? That suggests you’re regularly getting yourself into dangerous positions, and if you’re still contributing to a high number of goals then that’s probably a good sign.