Liverpool have enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2018/19 season.

Putting the Carabao Cup and FA Cup eliminations to the side, Jurgen Klopp's men are preparing for an exciting four months that could produce Premier League and Champions League glory.

Liverpool command a four point lead over Manchester City domestically and after securing a 1-0 win over Napoli, will be eyeing a second consecutive appearance in Europe's biggest game.

There have been several factors that have contributed to Liverpool's rise this season but the influence of the last two transfer windows simply can't be underestimated.

It's now over a year since Virgil van Dijk sealed a £75 million move to Anfield and his impact on Liverpool's defence has been simply unquestionable.

Liverpool's superb season

However, there were still areas that needed addressing last summer and Liverpool once again delivered, paying a then world-record fee to secure a deal for Alisson Becker.

Having replaced the mistake-prone Loris Karius, Liverpool now boast one of the most revered back fives in European football and their prowess has been reflected in the season's results.

And, of course, the performances of new signings have also been complimented by great showings in other areas on the pitch from Andrew Robertson to Mohamed Salah and elsewhere.

Stats rank Liverpool players

But in a team stacked with so much quality, it can be difficult to establish which players have shone more than the others.

Well, one way to organise the displays amongst the Liverpool squad is to assess the statistics and WhoScored.com handily provides ratings of every player after each game.

As a result, five months into the season, these can be averaged out to create a fascinating list and one that surprisingly relegates Alisson to 12th place.

Yet with all the data at the list's disposal, it shouldn't be taken lightly and can be seen down below:

1. Mohamed Salah - 7.70
2. Virgil van Dijk - 7.41
3. Sadio Mane - 7.29
4. Dejan Lovren - 7.21
5. Roberto Firmino - 7.17
6. Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7.16
7. Andrew Robertson - 7.11
8. James Milner - 7.03
9. Fabinho - 7.00
10. Joe Gomez - 6.92
11. Xherdan Shaqiri - 6.91
12. Alisson Becker - 6.89

Well, Lovren must be feeling pretty chuffed with the results.

It won't surprise many Liverpool fans to see Salah and Van Dijk leading the way, but there are plenty of shocks when you begin to look further down the rankings.

Lovren does have the advantage of having played fewer games this season and clearly his poor performance at Manchester City hasn't influenced his average too much. 

The fact Georginio Wijnaldum finds himself in thirteenth place might also raise eyebrows, while Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson can be spotted towards the very bottom of the list.

In terms of Alisson winding up in twelfth, the fact he has been so inactive throughout games dominated by Liverpool is no doubt a factor and must have led to less flattering ratings.

If the list was to be decided outside the realms of statistics, though, you could bet that Liverpool fans would elevate him into the top five at least.

Who do you think has been Liverpool's best player this season? Have your say in the comments section below.