Ian Graham ushered in an era of data analytics at Anfield that had other clubs envious at Liverpool’s economical approach – and success – in the transfer market
Graham may be someone many Liverpool supporters are blissfully unaware of but he is a figure worthy of recognition.
He is the data guru who lived out his dream job as the Liverpool director of research from 2012 to 2023, helping to restock the trophy cabinet at Anfield during Jürgen Klopp’s tenure before leaving the club with a pang of regret.
“We were consistently one of the best teams the Premier League’s ever seen,” he said of the team who won the title in 2019-20, having won the Champions League the season before. “I think José Mourinho’s first Chelsea team did similar in that mid-2000s period. But it was one of the best teams the Premier League’s seen for that extended five-year period of time.
“It’s just sickening as a fan that it coincided with the best club side of all time. There is no argument about that. Manchester City don’t even have Lionel Messi and they’re still easily the best club of all time. It’s a criminally underrated team.”
by TimesandSundayTimes