Liverpool: Ranking Best and Worst Reds Players for April
Overall, Liverpool suffered an April to forget, but who were Brendan Rodgers' best and worst performers throughout the last month?
Beginning with a deflating 4-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the Reds briefly reinvigorated their top-four Premier League hopes with a majestic team performance in a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, but their recent 0-0 draw away to West Bromwich Albion and Tuesday night's 1-0 loss at Hull City has put Rodgers in a precarious position.
On the FA Cup stage, Liverpool failed, too. Struggling to a 1-0 win away to Blackburn Rovers in their quarter-final replay, the Reds then lost 2-1 to a hard-working Aston Villa in the Wembley semi-final.
Rodgers must now assess his side, with four league games to go, and look to arrest his misery with an eye on the future.
So who can he deem the best and worst Liverpool performers in April?
Here we rank the three best and three worst Reds players, subjectively, on their overall performances in Liverpool's six games throughout April.
Rounding off with the effervescent Philippe Coutinho, who else makes the list?
3rd-Worst Player: Kolo Toure
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Kolo Toure only made two appearances for the Reds throughout April, but makes the cut as Rodgers' third-worst performer due to one of the single worst displays of the season in the loss to Arsenal.
Filling in for the suspended Martin Skrtel in the centre of the Liverpool back three, Toure was a consistent liability throughout. Lacking composure, guile and tactical intelligence, Toure was consistently caught out of position and regularly punished by quick-thinking Gunners midfielders such as Mesut Ozil.
This led to a rumoured dressing-room unrest, with the Mirror's claiming via Twitter that: "A couple of senior [Liverpool] players tore strips off the boss after Saturday's defeat, after he'd 'had a go' at Kolo."
He was the catalyst for all things miserable in a deflating top-four defeat.
Toure was introduced for an injured Mamadou Sakho midway through the win over Blackburn and performed reasonably—but his miserable Emirates display lingers in the memory.
2nd-Worst Player: Mario Balotelli
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Suffering with illness for half of April, Mario Balotelli returned in a substitute's role against Villa and then two starts as a lone striker at West Brom and Hull.
He performed with endeavour at Wembley and was one of few Liverpool players who seemed to appreciate the demands of the occasion, but Balotelli inevitably failed—the reason that was made more apparent in his next two appearances.
Deployed in an isolated centre-forward's role at The Hawthorns and the KC Stadium, Balotelli struggled to spearhead Liverpool's attack with any intensity.
Too often he would drop deep to link up with the likes of Coutinho and Raheem Sterling, failing to get into a goalscoring position when required.
Against Hull, Balotelli made just 19 touches of the ball in his 64 minutes on the pitch. He was too muted to affect the game.
It may not be his doing, but Balotelli continued to struggle as a lone striker throughout April.
Worst Player: Alberto Moreno
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As Toure toiled in a centre-back role at the Emirates, Alberto Moreno was exploited consistently by Arsenal as a marooned left wing-back in a display that set the tone for the 22-year-old in April.
Moreno played doorman to Hector Bellerin's eager penalty-area intruder, with the Gunners' young right-back deceiving his Spanish compatriot with ease for his opening goal.
As Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo expressed in post-match: "Only the Spaniard will know what on earth he was doing for Bellerin's goal, a mistake he has repeated on too many occasions this season."
Restored to a regular left-back role against Blackburn, Newcastle and Villa, Moreno improved slightly but still struggled defensively.
April highlighted Moreno as an extremely lightweight option at left-back and should map out the improvements he must make to preserve his status as Rodgers' long-term first choice in that position. He has the ability, but these inconsistent patches of form could see him become a fall guy soon enough.
3rd-Best Player: Joe Allen
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With five appearances for the Reds in April, Joe Allen continued to quietly impress in a central midfield role.
Allen was particularly outstanding as a box-to-box midfielder in the victory over Newcastle, as he was able to rely on the defensive capabilities of Lucas Leiva, linking defence and attack with intelligent movement and effortless finesse. The 25-year-old rounded off this display with a rare goal to seal the three points.
Against Hull, Allen was again one of the Reds' better players.
At the KC, Allen made seven tackles and five interceptions—more than any other player—and limited the Tigers to the wide areas by nullifying both Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone.
He was, like partner Jordan Henderson, bypassed by an energetic Villa midfield at Wembley, but overall Allen stands out as one of Liverpool's top performers despite a dismal spell of results throughout April.
2nd-Best Player: Simon Mignolet
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After the 0-0 stalemate at West Brom, Rodgers highlighted the continued form of Simon Mignolet as a positive, as reported by Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo.
"It’s never easy for players when you come to Liverpool, with such huge expectancy. The levels that you’re judged on are very high," Rodgers said. "I've been delighted with Simon since he’s come back into the team, he’s shown wonderful ability, a wonderful assurance."
Rodgers' reference to a miserable run of form at the start of the season for Mignolet serves as the perfect backdrop to what is now a seemingly unshakable goalkeeping confidence for the 27-year-old.
Showcasing his raw ability, the No. 22 was on hand to bail his side out against Blackburn, Newcastle and West Brom with some fantastic saves.
If Mignolet was not between the sticks, Liverpool's April could have been much, much worse.
Best Player: Philippe Coutinho
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Perhaps expectedly, with his PFA Player's Player and Young Player nominations being announced in April, Coutinho was once again by far the most outstanding performer for Liverpool throughout April.
Coutinho eventually lost out to Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane for the respective awards, but he was afforded a place in the PFA Team of the Year, which Rodgers felt was a worthy recognition, as reported by the club's official website.
"I'm delighted for him. He has been absolutely brilliant in his time here and this season he has been a real catalyst for us," Rodgers declared.
Coutinho continued his Merseyside catalysis with strong, goalscoring efforts against Blackburn and Villa, while his performance as a false nine in the 2-0 win over Newcastle was close to his very best of the season.
Against Newcastle, Coutinho made seven successful dribbles and two key passes—a combined total (nine) higher than any other player on the night.
Even in poor showings against Arsenal and West Brom, Coutinho remained one of Rodgers' best players.
The 22-year-old is rightly receiving the recognition that his form, such as throughout April, has deserved this season.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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