The ECHO has assessed Liverpool’s players so far this season, with Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo generating a stir.
Halfway through the season, Liverpool fans have had little reason to complain about the Arne Slot era’s development, with the exception of one Forest-sized setback. The Reds lead the Premier League by eight points, are top of the Champions League standings, and have advanced to the League Cup semi-finals.
However, not all players have impressed as much as others, with some struggling to adjust to new roles and techniques.
The ECHO has graded Liverpool’s squad in all 27 games this season, giving them a rating out of ten for every appearance in which they played for at least 15 minutes.
Men who impressed
It would be to the surprise of nobody that Mohamed Salah (average rating 7.50) is dominating the rankings given the fantastic form the Egyptian has demonstrated, particularly during the previous six weeks. Twenty goals and 17 assists in 26 games tell their own story.
Ibrahima Konate (7.29) was another player who impressed before being sidelined by injury, and his return is timely considering the fitness difficulties elsewhere in the defence. Ryan Gravenberch (7.25), on the other hand, has continued to excel since switching to defensive midfield, with only his terrible performance against Newcastle United standing out.
Caoimhin Kelleher (7.15) established himself a more than capable backup goalkeeper when Alisson Becker was out, and Cody Gakpo (7.00) has pushed his way into becoming a fixture on the left flank owing to a string of key goals.
Best of the rest.
Virgil van Dijk (6.96) continues to be the foundation of the defence, with his performance in the win over Manchester City receiving a good rating. Luis Diaz (6.96) overcame a disappointing time in early autumn and has regained his goal-scoring touch, while Curtis Jones (6.90) is adding more goals and assists to his game.
Alisson Becker (6.85) has been consistent after returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for several months, while Joe Gomez (6.79) has struggled with timing, despite the fact that the defender had only recently found his groove at centre-back.
Diogo Jota (6.73) has also been sidelined for an extended period of time but has already returned to scoring form, while Dominik Szoboszlai (6.70) has been outstanding since returning from the international break.
Alexis MacAllister (6.68) appears to have overcome a difficult spell as another player to have embraced Slot’s new-look midfield, though Trent Alexander-Arnold (6.66) has been a little inconsistent of late while arguably reaching some greater highs than earlier in the campaign.
Must do better
Darwin Nunez (6.43) has been doing a job for the squad while leading the line even if it has come at the expense of goals and his confidence appears to have been harmed as a consequence.
Andy Robertson (6.27) has struggled in certain games, most notably his early red card against Fulham, but has been impressive moving forward in recent weeks, while Kostas Tsimikas (6.18) is still looking to regain full fitness after an absence.
Conor Bradley (6.80) has consistently impressed, Wataru Endo (6.60) has been consistent in his cameos, Harvey Elliott (6.50) is still working to regain his sharpness after a lengthy injury absence, and Jarell Quansah (6.25) has slowly improved.
