Ranking and Grading Liverpool Players on Champions League Performances so Far
Following their 0-1 defeat at Real Madrid on Tuesday—their third successive loss in the Champions League this season—it’s safe to say that Liverpool’s return to Europe hasn’t been the fairytale it was supposed to be.
Brendan Rodgers went as far as to field a weakened side at the Santiago Bernabeu, and while he came away with a lesser defeat than the comprehensive 0-3 at Anfield two weeks ago, this was not one of the finest nights in the Reds’ illustrious European history.
With three points from four games thus far, Liverpool are in danger of failing to make the knockout stages of the Champions League this term, despite a relatively smooth group-stage draw on paper.
Here are the updated grades and rankings for each Liverpool player in the Champions League so far by position.
Goalkeeper
1 of 6
Simon Mignolet: B-
A couple of unconvincing performances early on in the Champions League campaign have been redeemed by two successive games against Real Madrid in which Simon Mignolet has kept the scoreline down to a less emphatic one.
He one-upped his second-half display against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. at Anfield with a string of good saves at the Santiago Bernabeu. But that Liverpool’s goalkeeper was arguably their man of the match on both occasions will not reflect well on the efforts of his teammates.
Full-Backs
2 of 6
Javi Manquillo: B
With Glen Johnson’s increasingly abject and disinterested displays on the right, Javi Manquillo has shown his maturity and defensive nous on the grandest level. His biggest test thus far was Real Madrid’s in-form left-back Marcelo on Tuesday, and Manquillo equipped himself well.
Alberto Moreno: B-
Just like Manquillo, new signing Alberto Moreno has comfortably usurped his positional rivals in the team. With pace to burn, decent tackling and a strong attacking disposition, Moreno just needs to cut out his positional mistakes.
Jose Enrique: C
Jose Enrique made his sole Champions League performance for Liverpool away at Basel, where he found himself frequently targeted at left-back. It wasn’t his worst performance in a Red shirt by a long shot, but equally it didn’t give Rodgers much of a selection headache.
Glen Johnson: C-
Only Rodgers will know whether the dropping of Glen Johnson on Tuesday was to punish him for his recent performances or to rest him as part of a squad rotation exercise. But his performance against Real Madrid at Anfield was perhaps woeful enough to scare Rodgers away from deploying him against such opposition again.
Center-Backs
3 of 6
Kolo Toure: A-
Funny how some things work out. Kolo Toure, so often chastized for his proneness to high-profile errors and erratic performances, turned in an excellent performance from the start at the Bernabeu. His was a display of leadership, defensive organization, composure and experience—all of which have been sorely lacking from the Reds back line this season.
Mamadou Sakho: B-
Mamadou Sakho hasn’t had the best of seasons, what with his injuries as well as his high-profile temper tantrum in the build-up to the Merseyside derby, yet he is comfortably Liverpool’s best center-back. Based on their performances against Real Madrid and Ludogorets thus far (respectively), Toure and Sakho should become the de facto defensive pairing as soon as the latter is fit again.
Dejan Lovren: C-
After a downright depressing performance at Newcastle United on Saturday, Dejan Lovren found himself left out entirely of the 18-man squad at Madrid, where he would have witnessed Toure’s performance in his stead, as well as seen Martin Skrtel struggling and taking the heat off himself for at least one game.
Martin Skrtel: D
Who would’ve thought that Martin Skrtel would be the one to lead Liverpool out at the Bernabeu, especially since neither Steven Gerrard nor Jordan Henderson were injured?
Sadly for Liverpool fans, Skrtel didn’t turn in a performance befitting a Liverpool captain on the night, as he struggled time and again to deal with the brilliant movement of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez. A trend that, to be fair, has lasted most of his Champions League season.
Central Midfielders
4 of 6
Lucas: B
Sent on to replace Philippe Coutinho in the second half against Ludogorets, Lucas set up a more stable defensive platform for Liverpool to go on and secure a nervy win. Playing from the start in the defensive-midfield role to specifically patrol and contain Real Madrid’s star-studded attacking midfield, Lucas was a solid performer for 69 minutes. He might have some part to play in their Champions League campaign yet.
Emre Can: B
Two starts against Real Madrid, two very decent performances: If those two displays against one of the toughest opposition midfields in the world were anything to go by, Emre Can will have a stellar career at Anfield.
He displayed strong running on and off the ball in both matches and will be looking to extend his run in the Champions League for the Reds in their final two group-stage matches.
Jordan Henderson: B-
His anonymity in midfield at Anfield a fortnight ago served to illustrate the gap between Jordan Henderson’s current level and the level he aspires to get to on the grandest of all stages. Rodgers didn’t offer him another opportunity to prove himself on Tuesday, but Henderson has saved his better performances for the Premier League this season.
Joe Allen: B-
A useful player for what he does and what he offers to his team, Joe Allen has never been one to dominate midfields. And in games against opponents of such stature as Real Madrid, that has been to his detriment as his opponents have far overshadowed his own displays. That there have been no other matches to judge him from also hurts his grade.
Steven Gerrard: C+
Steven Gerrard was supposed to be the man to lead Liverpool back into their glory days in the Champions League, yet so far this campaign he’s shown to be one of the weak links in the Reds midfield.
Blown away by the hardworking and physical midfields of Ludogorets and Basel, outclassed by the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric at Anfield, and rested at the Bernabeu until the second half, Gerrard, unfortunately, is now but a mere shadow of his former self.
Attacking Midfielders
5 of 6
Raheem Sterling: B+
Raheem Sterling’s rapid ascent has perhaps levelled off in recent months, with a heavy workload weighing on his shoulders this season. Yet he is unquestionably Liverpool’s most important player at the moment, and he has taken to the Champions League like a duck to water this season.
As important as his contributions to the attack is his defensive work, which he again showed after coming on as a substitute on Tuesday.
Philippe Coutinho: B
It seems that Philippe Coutinho, in Rodgers’ eyes, can’t sustain a high level of performance across 90 minutes—he has failed to complete a full game in their four Champions League fixtures thus far.
Yet in those periods he has provided moments of flair, creativity and direct running that have scared Premier League defences since his arrival in January 2013.
Adam Lallana: B-
A second-ever start in a Liverpool shirt against Ludogorets and an appearance as a half-time substitute will have been Adam Lallana’s best Champions League moments thus far. His pressing and off-the-ball work are valuable to Rodgers’ style, but he has yet to take his game-changing talents to the biggest stage.
A shot that fizzed wide of Iker Casillas’ goal on Tuesday was but a hint of his talent that Europe hasn’t witnessed in full glory yet.
Lazar Markovic: D
There comes a point in time that all parties related to Lazar Markovic’s transfer will evaluate what hasn’t clicked yet since his move from Benfica. Is it a confidence issue? Or that he’s played away from his favoured No. 10 position? Or that he has yet to settle fully into his new team and a new playing style?
Whatever the case, Markovic’s troubles have been exposed brutally on the European stage.
Strikers
6 of 6
Mario Balotelli: B-
A late goal—his first ever for Liverpool—against Ludogorets was largely offset by a half-time substitution against Real Madrid, but the record will stare uncomfortably at Rodgers: Mario Balotelli is the only Liverpool striker who has scored in the Champions League this season.
Fabio Borini: B-
Take the goalscoring away from him, and Fabio Borini makes for a very useful all-round forward: His hard work, constant movement and positional intelligence are all integral to a Rodgers side, yet it’s the goal-scoring impact that constantly eludes him and continues to justify Rodgers not fully trusting him.
A couple of decent displays from the start against Ludogorets and at the Bernabeu, as usual, didn’t end with a goal.
Was Basel the only 81 minutes of Champions League football Rickie Lambert will ever have played in his entire career?
Signed to be a backup all along, Lambert has dropped even further down the pecking order than even he himself could’ve imagined—but Europe has a cruel way of exposing those who are just not at that level.
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