Ross – @rossic89
JUDGEMENT; The ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. Easy for some, difficult for Twitter. We all like to judge, it’s natural. Some like to do it more than others though. In a desperate attempt to create content I have decided to judge and rate the Liverpool players so far this season, which could turn out to be the actual season. I hope not. The main problem with doing this is that one persons 6 out of 10 is another persons 8 out of ten. It’s a game of fine margins. I will do my best to explain my rationale behind the numbers and argue my points. If you choose to agree, thanks, if you choose to disagree, thanks. I’m here for the conversation. Working from home can be a struggle. I’ve nailed down self-isolation from human beings. In fact, I’d mastered that a few years back. Or maybe they mastered me. Who knows. All I know now is I really need to start doing it with my fridge as well….. I’ve done the goalkeepers which you can find here…. https://theredmentv.com/season-so-far-goalkeepers/ And the defenders which you can find here….. https://theredmentv.com/season-so-far-liverpool-defenders-ranked/ The midfield…… Here So now I will crack on with the forwards.. Enjoy. @rossic89Divock Origi Lord Divock. Our saviour. Cult Hero. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that every fan of this club has an affinity or soft spot for Divock Origi. And rightly so. He’s the go to. He’s Liverpool’s Bat Signal. Need a late goal? Someone to rescue some points? Divock is the man. However, so far in this series of articles I have looked to draw upon conclusions with a level playing field and have put things into perspective based on this season alone. I’d love to take all the Origi nostalgia into consideration but I cannot for this. I politely urge you to do the same. The season seems a somewhat distant memory right now but my first thought when I hark back to Divock Origi so far this season is one of frustration. Both at him and for him. I’ll explain both. (A bit of this might stem from being stood inside Stamford Bridge – which was the last game I attended before shit hit the fan. Divock didn’t have his best game, but neither did one or two other players.) The frustration at comes from what feels like predictability for me, well for large parts of his game that is. It’s feels like he picks the ball up in areas he isn’t comfortable with, and why should he be? He’s not a winger. And like most ‘second’ choice players he falls foul of not being his predecessor, in this case, Sadio Mané, something myself and a lot of other Liverpool fans seem to struggle to adapt to. Modern football talk, or certainly Twitter talk from FIFA virgins and rival fans looking for bait, clicks and some sort of interaction, strive for comparisons and ‘who’s better’. It doesn’t always need to be the case. For me, Mané and Divock shouldn’t be compared. Divock is trying to fulfil a role he probably doesn’t want to play. And Mané, well, he’s just special isn’t he? Anyway, back to Divock. I’m not suggesting he hasn’t improved nor am I trying to slag the man off. I think constructive criticism is allowed. And it’s only my opinion so I doubt he gives a shit. I’ve said playing out on the left isn’t his position, nor do I think it is fair on him, but he’s had to crack on. With the predictability comes another frustration which I feel he could do better. He takes far too many touches and wants too much time on the ball. He’s been at Liverpool since 2014. With a few loan spells in between, but you would have thought he’d have picked up on that or improved on it a lot more in that time. In his defence, as mentioned a few times now, Divock is much better playing in a central position, it’s is where he wants to be. The problem is Bobby. He isn’t the same type of player as Bobby. Nobody is. There is a tremendous amount of pressure for Divock Origi to perform for Liverpool because of the competition and because of all the iconic moments he has created for fans across the globe. There also seems to be a sense of piss taking when it comes to Origi, a gentle, welcoming piss take though. He’s almost meme like which I think buys him some time and credit. You can decide whether that is a worthy argument or not. I don’t see him as the meme. I’m just making a point that the perception of Divock being a little harmless scamp plays into peoples minds. Maybe I’m talking shite. How long can you use Barcelona, Newcastle, Everton, Spurs etc in an argument to back up poor performances? Or am I being incredibly harsh? This season Divock has made 36 appearances notching 5 goals and 4 assists, which to be fair to him is a pretty decent return considering 20 of those he has been stuck out on the left wing and the majority of those appearances coming from the bench. As with the other players I have commented on, it’s all about perspective. What do you consider Origi to be at Liverpool? Second choice? Is it fair he’s out on the left? Can we improve on him? Should we be praising his attitude for being out on the left, for being behind Bobby, Mané and Mo in the pecking order and not complaining? Look what he is capable of when down the middle. He scored two wonderful goals against Everton in the league earlier this season. I want more of that. He probably wants more of that. You can’t play against Pickford every week though.
The feedback on socials was an interesting read. Marks out of ten ranged from 3 to 8. The 8 with the caveat as him as a striker. I think a 6/10 or 6.5/10 is a fair assessment of Origi so far this season. Let me know yours.Divock Origi vs Everton, 2019 ???? pic.twitter.com/UG4EbE88WT
— Rewind Liverpool (@LFCRewind) April 16, 2020
Sadio Mané I can’t possibly go any further with this article without sharing this….
Right, now I’ve got the Sadio propaganda in there I can carry on. The 28-year-old Senegalese forward has been nothing short of prolific so far this season, continuing his fine from the previous campaign. Mané has also been inspirational off the field too, offering support to his home nation and town where possible. Giving back to the community in which Sadio grew up is important to him and for those who haven’t had a chance to see the Sadio documentary, I urge you to. Let’s face it. Most of us have the time now. Back on the field Sadio Mané has had Liverpool fans on the edge of their seats pretty much every time he gets the ball, he has grabbed games by the scruff of the neck and at times he has been the catalyst that has dragged Liverpool to crucial wins across all competitions. Time and time again, Sadio has been the difference. The Southampton game sticks out in my mind. Not the best performance from Liverpool. In fact, we got pretty lucky in that game. Sadio stepped up and curled on into the top corner and he was probably our only chance of getting something from that game. He strikes me as someone who thrives on pressure, a natural born winner and someone with an elite mentality. We often get caught up in our own Liverpool bubble and talk about the pressures of playing for the club and what that means. But we easily forget about players like Mané who have the weight of a nation on their shoulders. And yet he still produces week in, week out. At the beginning of the year Sadio picked up the African Player of The Year Award, pipping team mate Mo Salah and Man City’s Mahrez to the prestigious award. Something which would have meant so much to Sadio and given him an extra boost in confidence to add to the Champions League, Super Cup and World Club Cup Championship. The only slight sticking point for some people and I don’t include myself in this, to be honest I forgot it was this season, was the ‘bust up’ or however you want to label it whilst Mané was being substituted versus Burnley. Naturally, it attracted up lots of headlines and gave those in the media and excuse to try and cause more friction between the players. That and there was absolutely nothing else to criticise the club for. At the time I said it was a non issue. Salah didn’t pass to him. He was annoyed. It happens. Besides, if one of your forwards is being substituted on the 85th minute whilst being 3-0 and he’s fucked off, where is the issue? He wants to do better? He wants our team to score more? He wants to be fucking ruthless. More of that please. Sadio was joint Golden Boot winner with Mo last season and he could be on course to be in with a shout if and when this season gets underway. Although he finds himself 5 behind Jamie Vardy (19) so he will have to pull his finger out! 38 games, 20 goals and 12 assists so far this season across all comps is a phenomenal return from someone who predominantly plays out wide on the left. His style of play is unpredictable, enthralling and electric. And when you think he is predictable he does does something unreal. He truly is a joy to watch. Once more, he has improved. Sadio has always been one to watch but in previous seasons he has been frustrating due to his finishing, or lack thereof. Now he’s just a machine. Taking into account his performances, what he has achieved and his goal contributions and his off the field work 9/10 feels more than appropriate for Mané. If he can carry on that sensational form and help Liverpool in their pursuit of that Premier League title then he will get a ten. As will everyone else.Happy 28th birthday
— supermane10 (@supermanelfc) April 10, 2020
Sadio mane
Sadiooooooo maneeeee ???? pic.twitter.com/vpQN34Xr8S
Bobby Firmino I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I suffer from ‘Bobby bias’. I can’t help it and I won’t apologise for it. As with everyone else, I need to be fair and reflect responsibly. First, something for you to consider…..
And let’s not forget this….This Firmino assist still isn’t talked about enough, needs more respect imo. pic.twitter.com/TcGX4lUA6b
— Jerry???????????????????????????? (@FtblJezza) April 17, 2020
The reason I have ‘Bobby bias’ is because of things like that above. Samba flair. Football magic. A man bringing highlights of a FIFA Street game onto the biggest stages of world football. A natural born piss-taker. Football should be about joy. It’s escapism. A place we all go to forget about everything else in our lives good or bad for just a short period. Bobby exemplifies that. Flicks and tricks shouldn’t really matter. In fact I’m not usually that arsed. But these have end product and are backed with so many other facets of his game. If he was just dicking about doing this all the time and none of the graft, I think we’d all get annoyed. The players in this side all have their own character on and off the field. Sadio gets you off your seat, van Dijk is just an animal and Bobby makes noises come from your body which should only happen after a late night internet search. It’s all part of the entertainment value. But as mentioned, it’s not the only side to his game. Part of the problem with football as I’ve also mentioned in this article is the desire for comparison, again from rival fans “Firmino doesn’t get enough goals for a number 9.” “HAHAHA how has that fraud ended up in this poll?” You get my drift. I tell you why. Bobby is the system. Bobby’s stats can’t always be measured in goals and assists. He’s not just a forward. He’s a 9. An 8. A 10. A defender. He’s whatever the fuck you want him to be. He’s a selfless, hardworking bundle of football joy. Is he in the leader charts for goals? No. He’s the assist or the assist for the assist. He presses people into mistakes or into a trap where Mo, Mané and other members of the pack wait to pounce. Bobby has played a whopping 43 games so far this season. That’s 3,339 minutes in total. And christ knows how much distance he has covered in that time. He has contributed with 11 goals and 12 assists in which one of those goals was the winner versus Flamengo to make Liverpool champions of the world. There has been an underlying frustration with Bobby from a few people this season. Not that he has been shite, we just know he can bring more to the table. Whether he has been playing with an injury or the constant wheel of football and the style in which he plays has caught up with him a little. Having said all that I think 8/10 is reasonable. He has missed some sitters this season but Liverpool are/were flying and his game has so many more positives than negatives. Like Sadio and everyone else. If we win the league he gets a ten.I don’t think I will ever forgive Mané for not giving Firmino the assist here. ???? pic.twitter.com/JmMvXPHe6a
— – (@EnRouteAnfield) March 29, 2020
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Salah Where do we start with Mo? A man who has had to adapt his game season on season. Someone in my opinion who is still vastly underrated. A man who, like Bobby, does so much for his team mates. People have been quick to voice their frustration at Mo this season, a small number of people, but still something which warrants addressing in my opinion. For the sole reason that I don’t get it. I’ve heard the argument that he’s a victim of his own success which to an extent I understand but it comes back to comparisons. Messi and Ronaldo are freaks who have been rewriting the goal scoring charts and records season on season. Good on them, they are phenomenal. We all appreciate and respect them. Mo was sensational in his first season and he hasn’t quite got to that standard in terms of goals again. But to suggest he has been found out is baffling to me. He still shared the golden boot with Mané last season despite them both being wingers and as mentioned, he has had to adapt. ‘Found out’ is total bollocks. Teams have discovered they can’t fuck about and give him time and space on the ball or he will just hurt them. So what do they do? Put two or three players man marking him. Sound. Pick your poison. You can’t mark Mo, Bobby, Sadio, Robbo, Trent and the midfield runners for the whole game. What Mo does is just as selfless as Bobby. This is a team game. His hold-up play and core strength for someone of his size have stood out for me. Yes he likes to shoot a lot of the time, I’ll get to that later. But his ability to bring others into play, to create space or to use his mates as decoys so he can create a yard or two for himself are elements of his game which he has improved and something in my opinion he doesn’t get a lot of credit for. Take a break from this and watch this below….
You can see what he adds and what he brings to this side. Yes he has his moments where he could and probably should pass. But it depends how you see it. It it greed? Or is it someone who backs themselves? Do you want your forward to shy away from chances or twat one into the goal where he thinks its possible? Ok. There are times when both are applicable. Take the Burnley game for example. Yes he should have squared it to Sadio. But he backed himself. It didn’t happen. We move on. The biggest issue (at the time) we had at our club was being 3-0 up and it not being 4. One forward disappointed he didn’t score and the other fuming he wasn’t set up. Not a bad problem to have really is it? 20 goals and 9 assists in 40 games for Mo. Yes that’s 9 assists for some who is “selfish” and “doesn’t pass.” That’s 3,423 minutes of football, something which probably goes under the radar. He’s missed one Premier League game of the season. The one we fucking drew. Which in itself sums up the importance of the man. Mo is potentially on course for his third consecutive golden boot and a Premier League title to add to the Super Cup and World Club Cup an astonishing season for the Egyptian. Talk of Mo going whenever the transfer window happens to be is absolute poppycock. I want him to stay. You should too. 9/10.Re upload – Mohamed Salah – 19/20pic.twitter.com/dtqeLbS6QQ
— LFC Comps (@LFCComps) March 11, 2020
Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri. A player that has come under a lot of criticism this season. And last. I’ve used the word frustration quite a few times in this article and I’ll use it again. Much like my comments about Naby Keita. I think the same stands for Xherdan. Frustrated for him and at him. There is a major difference and it’s fine to be both. For him because you want someone with so much quality to be available a lot more, to see him rewarded for whatever he is doing in training and he is clearly someone who is liked by his team mate. At him for the same reasons ironically enough. You’d think a man with thighs the size of Gemma Collins would be able to run through brick walls. Turns out he’s probably not capable of running after the ice cream man. Or woman. It’s 2020. There is an air of “What the fuck is going on” with Xherdan. Speculation. A need to know of why he isn’t playing. Is he actually injured? Is there something else going on? Is it his attitude? Does he not track back enough? Does he still not know the system? Can he only play 4-2-3-1? I don’t have an answer. I haven’t a fucking clue. Which is terribly annoying. Xherdan has only managed 10 appearances far this season. 1 goal though. 1 clever finish against Everton. Which adds to the disappointment we all feel for him. Not just the goal, but his performance that game was something we all craved for so long from him. Unfortunately though this has been something he hasn’t been able to rectify again.
5/10 from me.Xherdan Shaqiri vs Everton, 2019 ???? pic.twitter.com/g9uQXovfaG
— Rewind Liverpool (@LFCRewind) April 15, 2020
Minamino I’ve put Minamino in there to simply illustrate he hasn’t been forgotten. I think it would be unfair to rank him given how little he has played and the games he has played in. He looks an exciting player but he still need time to adapt. Not just to his teammates, his role and our system but also the Liverpool, his new home, the food, the city and the culture. We are so disconnected from footballers I think we forget despite all the money they get that they too can struggle with elements of life and the daunting prospect of a new job. On the field I feel really sorry for him. He has found most of his game time as a substitute in the dying embers of a game in which he can’t possibly have any real impact. That or he has been used in games with a mixture of youth/fringe players mainly in cup games. To add to that he’s played a range of positions. I’m still not sure what he is. Or maybe he’s supposed to be a bit of everything. So for me he hasn’t had a fair crack of the whip just yet. But I firmly once he has settled. He’ll be sound. Ross – @rossic89