Post by Deleted on May 14, 2018 11:52:35 GMT
Something I used to love doing and definitely not influenced by us having a good season and with memories of ange postecoslamp getting about 6 players deep into an illustrated squad review before getting bored. So if you can be arsed, with as much or little detail as you want, give your squad your marks for the season.
Goalkeepers
1. Loris Karius: European keeper and heart throb at the beginning of the season, becoming first choice across the board in the winter saw a big change in him, having much more of a presence on the pitch, distributing quickly and accurately and being a massive upgrade on Mignolet, even if he isn’t the ideal first choice keeper for us. Great hair. 7/10.
22. Simon Mignolet: Really lost patience with him this season. The idea that he was going to improve fatal holes in his game was just overly optimistic. Having finally had someone to challenge his place in the team, he crumbled and I’ll maintain to my dying day that he just couldn’t be arsed against West Brom, knew his career here was over and that it’d be his last game so he threw it. Gone soon, hopefully. 4/10.
Defenders
2. Nathaniel Clyne: Didn’t really get to see enough of him when he came back from that unending back injury. Think Trent’s displays this season have definitely opened a few eyes to how limited Clyne is as an attacked in comparison, although I’d still trust him more up against experienced inside wingers. N/A.
4. Virgil Van Dijk: Coolest man I’ve ever seen. Most composed centre half I’ve seen play for us which is mad because we’ve had a variety of bumbling clowns occupy that exact position in recent years, left sided Lovren and fucking Sakho, who I defended for years as good on the ball. He wasn’t, I just liked him and he’s actually shite on the ball. Immense player, doesn’t rely on his physicality either when he easily could because he’s strong as fuck and rapid. 9/10.
6. Dejan Lovren: Look. I never know which Lovren I gonna turn up. There are so many variations of him that every day is a new experience. Being next to VVD has definitely brought something of a consistency to his game, but he’s still prone to completely losing his head, worryingly in big games away from home, like United and Spurs. Still, he’s our second best centre half and Salah likes him, so I have to. 7/10.
12. Joe Gomez: To be fair to him he nailed down the right back spot when Trent struggled, but since the latter emerged, a mixture of injuries and lack of attacking verve has just seem him fall out of favour. A centre half for sure, but there’s bags of potential in him and he could be the long term partner for VVD. I trust Klopp to unlock him. 7/10.
17. Ragnar Klavan: Those body feints and that goal against Burnley. Really not a bad squad player at all, really comfortable on the ball which suits us so well in games against defensive teams. Relative to the rest, hard to rate him, but for his contributions in the games he’s played, 6/10.
18. Alberto Moreno: Shite, supposedly played really well before Robertson came in, if you ignore his increasingly blase attitude to defending and him being at fault for a second collapse against Sevilla in 18 months. I really don’t like him at all, need better backup ASAP. 3/10.
26. Andrew Robertson: This guy, on the other hand. Mad that one summer signing can score 32 league goals and I’d still have him second in our signing of the season. The energy he has to get up and down twice a week for 90 minutes is superb. Great crosser, surprisingly good defender and a leader from the most surprising of places. 9/10.
32. Joel Matip: I like him, but squad player at best. Picks a pass through the lines really well but one too many defensive risks for my liking. 6/10.
66. Trent Alexander Arnold: For as long as I can remember he’s been spoken about as Gerrard’s successor, a midfielder with a good range of passing, a good engine and good from set pieces. So to take that anointment and come in at right back (not completely unfamiliar like) and perform like he has, he deserves a lot of credit. Does struggle a bit against wingers who cut in, but he’ll improve at that. Much like Robertson, he can put a great ball in and has unlimited energy.
Midfielders
5. Gini Wijnaldum: Up and down season for him I think, not as impactful this year as he was last. Goals weren’t as frequent as they were last year and he didn’t have the impact on general play he did last season. That said, his performances since coming in as a 6 in the derby and then coming on in the first half of the semi final first leg have been exemplary, could say he’s been our best player in the last month. 6/10.
7. James Milner: After a strange season playing left back last year, injuries to the normal midfield of Emre Can and Lallana have given him a place back in midfield and he’s been fantastic. He’s more than just a hard worker and has turned up huge in big games, especially the wins over City. For his age and my criticism of him since he signed, I’m delighted with how he’s done. 8/10.
14. Jordan Henderson: Clearly still struggling for fitness in the early months of the season but for the last few months he’s been superb, back to his 2013-2015 form. I think even more so since Wijnaldum came in, he’s had the freedom to get forward more and his passing range is, as ever, fantastic and underrated and he could be key in the final because he’s the best midfielder we have for threading passes between the lines. 8/10.
20. Adam Lallana: Hasn’t played enough to give a big rating. Has looked rusty but to be expected but going forward, he can still give us a really good technical option coming off the bench. N/A.
21. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Waste of money, can’t play in midfield, doesn’t score enough, doesn’t impact games enough. Bullshit. What a player. What a man as well he’s built up a rapport with the fans so quickly it’s almost like that number 21 shirt is blessed. I didn’t want him, I wasn’t happy with the fee and didn’t think he’d help. But big goals always help and he’s provided a few. Gutted for him to be injured. 7/10.
23. Emre Can: Start of the season against Hoffenheim and Watford I really thought this would be the season he pushed on and we’d see the best of him and he’s just stagnated and I still don’t see an improvement from the player we bought 4 years ago, I really don’t. No discipline, not agile enough to play in our midfield. Our loss might well end up being someone else’s gain, but I don’t mind at all. 5/10.
Forwards
9. Roberto Firmino: Holy shit. What a player. What a dentist he’s got. I didn’t see it coming at all. 27 goals this season in a system that’s designed to get the two to the side of him the goals. Klopp said it best when he said Firmino is world class pretty much every day. The fact he’s underrated helps us in keeping hold of him. 9/10.
11. Mohamed Salah: The Egyptian King. Don’t even think there’s much I can say about him. No criticisms, other than maybe he should’ve had about 60 this season but 44 goals in your first season for a club might be a world record. He’s exactly what we needed, we haven’t had someone in so long with this mix of pace, technical ability and pure finishing genius. Never leave us. 10/10.
19. Sadio Mane: And the third of the three with a measly 19 goals this season and supposedly the one we need to replace if we’re going to challenge for the title. For periods this season he was our best player and dragged us through some days when nobody else could provide the spark. I love Sadio, he’s a stupid genius but he can do anything he wants, he can play anywhere in that front three you need him to and he excels. 8/10.
28. Danny Ings: Biggest feel good story of our season was him scoring against West Brom. Still don’t know if he’s good or not lol but if he can stop his knees from breaking, he could well be very helpful to us in letting the regular front 3 get some rest. N/A.
29. Dom Solanke: I like him, most of our fans hate him but I do think he can be fantastic once he learns how to put the ball in the net against top flight defenders. Great for him scoring against Brighton and hopefully that’ll give him some confidence going into next year, whether that’s here or on loan somewhere. N/A.
The departed
Coutinho: I wasn’t gutted at him leaving, and how we’ve played since has shown why. Nothing has changed going forward, we just seem better in the midfield or defence. He’ll be a huge success at Barca, but I don’t like how he went, at all. 7/10.
Sturridge: Only out on loan but I’d be surprised to see him play for us again. Injured after about 5 minutes in a West Brom game and it characterised the last 3 years of his career. Wish him all the best but he’s just not going to fit into how we play again, even if he is the perfect prototype for our front line. N/A.
Goalkeepers
1. Loris Karius: European keeper and heart throb at the beginning of the season, becoming first choice across the board in the winter saw a big change in him, having much more of a presence on the pitch, distributing quickly and accurately and being a massive upgrade on Mignolet, even if he isn’t the ideal first choice keeper for us. Great hair. 7/10.
22. Simon Mignolet: Really lost patience with him this season. The idea that he was going to improve fatal holes in his game was just overly optimistic. Having finally had someone to challenge his place in the team, he crumbled and I’ll maintain to my dying day that he just couldn’t be arsed against West Brom, knew his career here was over and that it’d be his last game so he threw it. Gone soon, hopefully. 4/10.
Defenders
2. Nathaniel Clyne: Didn’t really get to see enough of him when he came back from that unending back injury. Think Trent’s displays this season have definitely opened a few eyes to how limited Clyne is as an attacked in comparison, although I’d still trust him more up against experienced inside wingers. N/A.
4. Virgil Van Dijk: Coolest man I’ve ever seen. Most composed centre half I’ve seen play for us which is mad because we’ve had a variety of bumbling clowns occupy that exact position in recent years, left sided Lovren and fucking Sakho, who I defended for years as good on the ball. He wasn’t, I just liked him and he’s actually shite on the ball. Immense player, doesn’t rely on his physicality either when he easily could because he’s strong as fuck and rapid. 9/10.
6. Dejan Lovren: Look. I never know which Lovren I gonna turn up. There are so many variations of him that every day is a new experience. Being next to VVD has definitely brought something of a consistency to his game, but he’s still prone to completely losing his head, worryingly in big games away from home, like United and Spurs. Still, he’s our second best centre half and Salah likes him, so I have to. 7/10.
12. Joe Gomez: To be fair to him he nailed down the right back spot when Trent struggled, but since the latter emerged, a mixture of injuries and lack of attacking verve has just seem him fall out of favour. A centre half for sure, but there’s bags of potential in him and he could be the long term partner for VVD. I trust Klopp to unlock him. 7/10.
17. Ragnar Klavan: Those body feints and that goal against Burnley. Really not a bad squad player at all, really comfortable on the ball which suits us so well in games against defensive teams. Relative to the rest, hard to rate him, but for his contributions in the games he’s played, 6/10.
18. Alberto Moreno: Shite, supposedly played really well before Robertson came in, if you ignore his increasingly blase attitude to defending and him being at fault for a second collapse against Sevilla in 18 months. I really don’t like him at all, need better backup ASAP. 3/10.
26. Andrew Robertson: This guy, on the other hand. Mad that one summer signing can score 32 league goals and I’d still have him second in our signing of the season. The energy he has to get up and down twice a week for 90 minutes is superb. Great crosser, surprisingly good defender and a leader from the most surprising of places. 9/10.
32. Joel Matip: I like him, but squad player at best. Picks a pass through the lines really well but one too many defensive risks for my liking. 6/10.
66. Trent Alexander Arnold: For as long as I can remember he’s been spoken about as Gerrard’s successor, a midfielder with a good range of passing, a good engine and good from set pieces. So to take that anointment and come in at right back (not completely unfamiliar like) and perform like he has, he deserves a lot of credit. Does struggle a bit against wingers who cut in, but he’ll improve at that. Much like Robertson, he can put a great ball in and has unlimited energy.
Midfielders
5. Gini Wijnaldum: Up and down season for him I think, not as impactful this year as he was last. Goals weren’t as frequent as they were last year and he didn’t have the impact on general play he did last season. That said, his performances since coming in as a 6 in the derby and then coming on in the first half of the semi final first leg have been exemplary, could say he’s been our best player in the last month. 6/10.
7. James Milner: After a strange season playing left back last year, injuries to the normal midfield of Emre Can and Lallana have given him a place back in midfield and he’s been fantastic. He’s more than just a hard worker and has turned up huge in big games, especially the wins over City. For his age and my criticism of him since he signed, I’m delighted with how he’s done. 8/10.
14. Jordan Henderson: Clearly still struggling for fitness in the early months of the season but for the last few months he’s been superb, back to his 2013-2015 form. I think even more so since Wijnaldum came in, he’s had the freedom to get forward more and his passing range is, as ever, fantastic and underrated and he could be key in the final because he’s the best midfielder we have for threading passes between the lines. 8/10.
20. Adam Lallana: Hasn’t played enough to give a big rating. Has looked rusty but to be expected but going forward, he can still give us a really good technical option coming off the bench. N/A.
21. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Waste of money, can’t play in midfield, doesn’t score enough, doesn’t impact games enough. Bullshit. What a player. What a man as well he’s built up a rapport with the fans so quickly it’s almost like that number 21 shirt is blessed. I didn’t want him, I wasn’t happy with the fee and didn’t think he’d help. But big goals always help and he’s provided a few. Gutted for him to be injured. 7/10.
23. Emre Can: Start of the season against Hoffenheim and Watford I really thought this would be the season he pushed on and we’d see the best of him and he’s just stagnated and I still don’t see an improvement from the player we bought 4 years ago, I really don’t. No discipline, not agile enough to play in our midfield. Our loss might well end up being someone else’s gain, but I don’t mind at all. 5/10.
Forwards
9. Roberto Firmino: Holy shit. What a player. What a dentist he’s got. I didn’t see it coming at all. 27 goals this season in a system that’s designed to get the two to the side of him the goals. Klopp said it best when he said Firmino is world class pretty much every day. The fact he’s underrated helps us in keeping hold of him. 9/10.
11. Mohamed Salah: The Egyptian King. Don’t even think there’s much I can say about him. No criticisms, other than maybe he should’ve had about 60 this season but 44 goals in your first season for a club might be a world record. He’s exactly what we needed, we haven’t had someone in so long with this mix of pace, technical ability and pure finishing genius. Never leave us. 10/10.
19. Sadio Mane: And the third of the three with a measly 19 goals this season and supposedly the one we need to replace if we’re going to challenge for the title. For periods this season he was our best player and dragged us through some days when nobody else could provide the spark. I love Sadio, he’s a stupid genius but he can do anything he wants, he can play anywhere in that front three you need him to and he excels. 8/10.
28. Danny Ings: Biggest feel good story of our season was him scoring against West Brom. Still don’t know if he’s good or not lol but if he can stop his knees from breaking, he could well be very helpful to us in letting the regular front 3 get some rest. N/A.
29. Dom Solanke: I like him, most of our fans hate him but I do think he can be fantastic once he learns how to put the ball in the net against top flight defenders. Great for him scoring against Brighton and hopefully that’ll give him some confidence going into next year, whether that’s here or on loan somewhere. N/A.
The departed
Coutinho: I wasn’t gutted at him leaving, and how we’ve played since has shown why. Nothing has changed going forward, we just seem better in the midfield or defence. He’ll be a huge success at Barca, but I don’t like how he went, at all. 7/10.
Sturridge: Only out on loan but I’d be surprised to see him play for us again. Injured after about 5 minutes in a West Brom game and it characterised the last 3 years of his career. Wish him all the best but he’s just not going to fit into how we play again, even if he is the perfect prototype for our front line. N/A.
Come back Oli
