When the city of Liverpool was dominating the worlds of music and football in the 1960s, The Beatles became known as ‘The Fab Four’.
It’s a moniker which has been bestowed upon quartets of Reds players in the years since, with the foursome of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah being described as such in the first half of the 2017/18 season.
Yet for all their collective attacking talents, the team’s record when they were all on the pitch together was not particularly impressive. They may not have lost any of the eight matches in question, but they also only won three of them.
With the signing of Diogo Jota last summer, Liverpool appeared to be in position to have a new iteration of the Fab Four, and Jurgen Klopp did play the Portuguese forward alongside the established front three at times.
READ MORE: Four Liverpool stars sent Premier League title warning with what they did at Norwich City
But how did they get on? There were 23 matches in which all four players appeared - totalling 239 minutes - but in many of the games one came off the bench to replace another.
This also occurred at Norwich in the opening match of this campaign, when Firmino replaced goal scorer Jota and found the net himself just four minutes later.
With Salah also scoring against the Canaries and Mane looking back in form this summer it has to be a possibility that all four take to the field together in 2021/22. Let’s take a look at their record to date.
Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United. Minutes together: 83
Klopp chose to unleash his premium attacking quartet from the start of the home match with Sheffield United last October, with Salah leading the line in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
After going behind to a highly contentious penalty, which was only awarded after VAR Andre Marriner advised Mike Dean that a foul by Fabinho had actually taken place inside the Liverpool box, the Reds roared back with goals from Firmino and Jota.
As Mane took the shot which led to the first goal and then directly assisted the winner, while Salah also had two clear-cut chances, the new Fab Four certainly played their part in this victory.
Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool. Minutes together: 59
The same front four that had sliced through the Blades’ defence took to the field in a far tougher fixture at the Etihad Stadium two weeks later.
On this occasion it was the Reds who led before being pegged back. Mane was fouled in the box by Kyle Walker, allowing Salah to do what he almost always does when given the chance: he scored from the penalty spot.
But Manchester City were level before half time through Gabriel Jesus, and the match largely petered out after the break as two clearly exhausted teams settled for a point apiece.
Xherdan Shaqiri replaced Firmino after 59 minutes, and the Fab Four would not be seen again for five months thanks largely to the bad knee injury Jota sustained in early December.
Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool. Minutes together: 17
The current Fab Four’s shortest collective appearance was probably their most effective. Liverpool were dominating the match at the Emirates Stadium in April but had yet to make the breakthrough when Klopp brought Jota on for Andy Robertson in the 61 st minute.
James Milner moved to left-back, and Jota became the spearhead as Klopp switched from 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Three minutes later the former Wolves man gave Liverpool the lead, Salah doubled it four minutes later, and the points were in the bag within seven minutes of the tactical switch occurring.
Jota rounded off the scoring four minutes after Firmino had been replaced by Gini Wijnaldum to complete a fine evening for the Reds.
Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid. Minutes together: 22
Having lost the first leg 3-1, Liverpool were looking for a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in order to advance to the Champions League semi-finals.
Salah had squandered a clear-cut chance, which Mane created, in the second minute of the match, but that aside the Reds hadn’t generated too much of note.
With an hour gone, Klopp brought on Jota and Thiago for Milner and Ozan Kabak, with the Portuguese forward allowing Salah to go up front in an amended 4-2-3-1 formation.
Yet while the Fab Four were on the pitch, it was Madrid who had two clear-cut chances while the Reds continued to toil. Firmino and Mane were withdrawn in the 82 nd minute, and that was that for Liverpool in European competition in 2020/21.
Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United. Minutes together: 58
This match was a rarity in that it was only the fifth in league or Europe in which Klopp has sent his Liverpool side out in a 4-4-2 formation. Mane and Salah played as wingers while Firmino and Jota were the front two.
All looked rosy when Salah put the Reds in front after only three minutes had elapsed, but they were unable to secure the three points. They had the opportunities to do so too, with Salah (twice), Jota and Firmino all missing clear-cut chances while the score remained 1-0.
Milner came on for Jota after 58 minutes, and Newcastle eventually equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Had this been a boxing match Liverpool would have won it on points, but a failure to convert their best chances proved frustratingly costly.
The Fab Four’s sample size is too small to prove anything definitive, but two wins from five matches isn’t the most encouraging start to their life as a quartet. They have much to prove this season.
