Power Ranking Every Liverpool Player from the 2014/15 Premier League Season
Liverpool closed their season with a miserable 6-1 defeat away to Stoke City on Sunday, which leaves them in sixth place in the Premier League and clinging to a Europa League spot next season. But how did Brendan Rodgers' side fare individually in the league this term?
Players are ranked subjectively based on a variety of factors, including appearances, goals, assists, clean sheets, influence, importance and development, among others.
Eighteen-year-old academy striker Jerome Sinclair gets an honourable mention here, but he does not feature in our rankings, having played just 25 minutes over two league appearances.
But how did everyone else perform in the league this season?
24. Jose Enrique
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Jose Enrique is something of an enigma on Merseyside. Eternally unfit and perpetually positive, the left-back is more likely to be found playing table tennis around the club's Melwood training complex than he is on the field of play.
Enrique made just four league appearances throughout 2014/15, amounting to 203 minutes—the least of any outfield player, barring Sinclair.
Perhaps his defining performance this season was in Liverpool's slipshod 3-2 victory away to Queens Park Rangers in October, wherein the 29-year-old was central to a mediocre defensive display, making one miserable defensive error and completing just 58.2 percent of his passes.
Enrique is Liverpool's worst outfield player in terms of passes completed this season, with an average accuracy of 65.7 percent.
A calamitously absent-minded full-back, Enrique has had another season to forget.
23. Brad Jones
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Brad Jones served as back-up goalkeeper to Simon Mignolet once again this season, but he was given a chance to shine with three league starts in December.
This came as a result of Mignolet's prolonged run of poor form, with Rodgers dropping the Belgian for "an indefinite period," according to BBC Sport. But the manager would perhaps have been hoping for more of a competitive showing from his deputy.
Lining up for the first time proper in Rodgers' radical 3-4-2-1 formation, Jones was completely at odds with the demands of not only the league, but Liverpool's progressive, sweeper-keeper system.
Jones conceded five goals in two games—the loss to Manchester United (3-0) and a draw against Arsenal (2-2)—outlining his overall poor quality between the sticks before sustaining an injury 16 minutes into Boxing Day's 1-0 win away to Burnley.
As will be discussed, Mignolet's spell on the sidelines may have improved his form, but Jones' inclusion arguably cost Liverpool dearly.
22. Fabio Borini
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"I've never regretted staying here. Yes, I could have left but I wanted to stay at Liverpool and I'm glad I did."
When Fabio Borini outlined just why he had rejected moves to Sunderland and QPR last summer to the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce back in January, the Italian striker's explanation bemused most Liverpool supporters.
"The reason I said no to the clubs who wanted to sign me was that I wanted to play for a top-four club. I wanted to play in the Champions League and in the biggest European competitions," Borini elaborated, before later concluding with the bizarre.
"This is really the season for me. Yes, I haven’t played much, I don’t know why, but that’s not up to me. I'm working hard every day to show the manager that I can help. I want to prove myself here."
It seemed obvious to all but Borini himself that he was never going to get the game time he wanted at Liverpool, with his 12 league appearances—including just three starts—covering just 394 minutes.
Borini did score once, and made an assist, in an impressive two-game spell in January, but his regular absence from Rodgers' first-team thinking outlines the gulf in quality between him and the manager's ideals.
21. Dejan Lovren
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Liverpool parted ways with £20 million to secure to signature of Dejan Lovren last summer, with the centre-back arriving from Southampton on the back of an impressive maiden Premier League campaign.
This made Lovren the club's most expensive defensive signing, and their fifth most expensive signing ever.
That £20 million now represents a risible outlay for one of the worst centre-backs the club has seen, pound-for-pound, in a very long time.
Lovren has struggled to adapt to the intensity of Rodgers' system, lacking composure and finesse as well as being easily beaten in the challenge—particularly by pacy wingers such as Crystal Palace's Yannick Bolasie—and now finds himself deputy to fellow left-sided centre-back Mamadou Sakho.
The 25-year-old made six defensive errors in the league this season, more than any other Liverpool player.
20. Mario Balotelli
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Fortunate to have Lovren's £20 million looming over him, £16-million misfit striker Mario Balotelli shades his Croatian team-mate by virtue of economy.
Balotelli represented a sheer risk signing by Liverpool last summer, but one too potentially rewarding to not plump for. Unfortunately, and be that due to managerial negligence or individual lethargy, the 24-year-old can only be described as a miserable failure on Merseyside.
Very, very rarely utilised in his natural role alongside a strike partner, Balotelli struggled to get to grips with Rodgers' pressing game—and his on-goal profligacy only exacerbated the situation.
Balotelli scored just one goal in 16 appearances in the league, making more shots per goal (3.5) than any other Liverpool player.
Compared to Borini, however, Balotelli did offer more in terms of buildup play, and he was an impressive presence when required in tough end-game situations.
Under a different manager, it may have worked out for Mario.
19. Glen Johnson
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Glen Johnson announced his likely departure from Liverpool this summer with an understated Twitter post, offering: "A big thank you to all the people out there who have genuinely supported me through the last [six] years."
The "genuinely" lingering in the centre of that message is perhaps a thinly veiled dig at the many Liverpool supporters who turned on him long ago.
This is perhaps rightly so, as Johnson had yet another terrible season in Merseyside red. Disinterested, disjointed and disaffected, the 30-year-old was often at odds with the rest of his team-mates and, at times, the sheer occasion.
Perhaps his only true Premier League highlight this season came with a brave, headed goal in November's 1-0 win over Stoke.
That wasn't enough, though. Johnson's departure will be marked with more cheers than groans as the season comes to an end.
18. Rickie Lambert
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"I can't believe it. I've loved this club all my life. I left here 17 years ago and I haven't stopped loving it since," Rickie Lambert told BBC Sport on signing for Liverpool in a £4-million deal last summer.
"I have always dreamt of playing for Liverpool, but I did kind of think the chance of playing for them had gone. I didn't think the chance would come."
After a hugely impressive spell at Southampton, Lambert's signing seemed like a fitting, fairytale move for a player who had risen from the non-league ranks to Premier League and England recognition.
But, for whatever reason, Lambert's dream has become something of a nightmare.
Scoring just two goals and making two assists in 25 league appearances, Lambert's target-man style of centre-forward play jarred completely with Rodger's attacking system, as his lowly 68.1 percent passing accuracy attests.
17. Kolo Toure
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Thirty-four-year-old Kolo Toure is reportedly mulling over a new one-year contract offer at Liverpool, according to David Anderson of the Mirror, and the centre-back has done just enough this season to merit an extended stay on Merseyside.
Toure made 12 league appearances for Liverpool in 2014/15, largely utilised as a defence-steadying substitute, or a back-up option when the likes of Sakho and Martin Skrtel were on the sidelines.
Much of Toure's credit comes within his experience in defence, as he has often been one of the only cool heads in a nervy season on the whole for the Reds.
It is this intangible quality that lifts Toure above Lovren in the centre-back stakes.
16. Lazar Markovic
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A big-money, high-potential signing from Benfica last summer, Lazar Markovic arrived with a burgeoning reputation, having just spurred SLB to Primeira Liga success.
The 21-year-old has struggled to find a foothold in Rodgers' squad, although whether he is to blame is highly debatable. An advanced attacking midfielder by trade, Markovic was used almost exclusively as a wing-back by Rodgers, and the Serbian flailed in this unnatural role.
Markovic scored just two goals and made one assist in 19 Premier League games.
The hope for next season is that Markovic is given more license to perform in a natural, attacking role—he should have a big future on Merseyside, particularly if Raheem Sterling is to depart this summer.
15. Javier Manquillo
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Another summer signing who has been marginalised due to his perceived unsuitability to Rodgers' system, Javier Manquillo was a regular in Rodgers' first team for the first half of the season, after joining in an unusual two-season loan from Atletico Madrid.
Manquillo made 10 league appearances this season, averaging more tackles (3.2) and interceptions (2.2) combined (5.4) than any Liverpool player other than defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva (5.5).
The 21-year-old represents Rodgers' best defensive full-back, and despite this and Emre Can's struggles out of position on the right side of defence toward the end of the season, he has been completely exiled.
"I will work hard to get a game, whether it be the last game of the season or to be considered early on next season," Manquillo told the Liverpool Echo this month. "That’s what we are here for, we are all here to fight for our place and that’s what I will be doing."
Manquillo is low on our rankings due to inactivity, but he deserves to be playing more than he has.
14. Alberto Moreno
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Alberto Moreno had just won the Europa League with Sevilla when he joined Liverpool in a £12-million deal in August, as reported by Andy Hunter of the Guardian.
Liverpool desperately needed a left-back, given Enrique's inadequacy, and Moreno was a considerable prospect to add to Rodgers' ranks.
This season, unfortunately, it hasn't entirely gone to plan for the 22-year-old, who has made the joint-most defensive errors leading directly to a goal of any defender in the Premier League this season, with three.
Still, Moreno has offered Rodgers a progressive and exciting option at left-back, and his patches of great form—such as his goalscoring display in August's 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur—point to a bright future on Merseyside for the Spaniard.
He ranks above the arguably more consistent Manquillo due to his longevity within Rodgers' first team.
13. Daniel Sturridge
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How different Liverpool's season may have been if Daniel Sturridge was fully fit and firing.
Sturridge made just 12 league appearances this term, spanning 753 minutes and scoring four goals in what was a season hampered with injury problem after injury problem—a situation that is not going away, with the England striker set to miss entirety of Liverpool's pre-season, too.
When he did play, he was sloppy in possession and slow in his movement—at points, it seemed like Sturridge had reverted to the selfish striker of old.
However, Sturridge still boasts the best rate of goals per 90 minutes in the Liverpool squad this season, with a goal every 188 minutes in the league.
Not bad for a striker who averaged just 63 minutes on the pitch per appearance.
12. Jordon Ibe
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"He is a young kid that has got a lot of potential; he still has a lot of work to do to become that consistent performer at the top level, but there's no doubting his potential, and he has really grown and developed over the course of the last season," Rodgers told Liverpool's official website after Jordon Ibe signed a new long-term contract this month.
"He's a great talent, a big talent here for the football club, and I'm delighted that he has been able to sign and commit to the future of the club."
Ibe committing his future to the club is great news for Liverpool supporters, as the 19-year-old winger has been one of few bright spots in a miserable season.
Returning from loan with Derby County in January, Ibe hit the ground running with an impressive Merseyside derby performance in the 0-0 draw with Everton, and he has looked assured and fearless when deployed.
This has extended across various positions, including right and left wing-back.
Ibe is a huge prospect for Liverpool.
11. Joe Allen
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Roundly underrated in Rodgers' side, Joe Allen will always be blighted by the manager's overhyping of his talents, spurring from his tongue-in-cheek introduction as the "Welsh Xavi" back in 2012.
Nevertheless, when he has played this season, Allen has been one of Liverpool's top performers.
With an average passing accuracy of 87.9 percent, Allen is the Reds' most proficient midfielder in possession, despite his primary role as a link between the midfield and attack—Allen is composed in tight situations and intelligent in his use of the ball.
Perhaps his best performance in the league this season came with a masterful display against Manchester City in March's 2-1 home win, in which he successfully marginalised both Yaya Toure and David Silva.
Still, having played just 1,471 minutes over 21 league appearances this term, Allen fails to break the top 10.
10. Lucas Leiva
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Lucas' return to the Liverpool first team toward the end of 2014 ushered in a welcome spell of defensive stability in a season that has largely been hampered with flimsy displays at the back.
Liverpool's most prolific defensive player, averaging 5.5 tackles and interceptions combined in the league, Lucas has been an invaluable option in defensive midfield.
At present, he is the only player capable of performing that shielding role in Rodgers' squad.
With Lucas in the side, Liverpool have won 58 percent of their league games; without him, this falls to just 39 percent.
His presence has been pivotal—yet his role is still a peripheral one.
9. Adam Lallana
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Rodgers made Adam Lallana the second most-expensive signing in Liverpool's history when he sanctioned his £25-million transfer from Southampton last summer, placing huge faith in his ability to perform immediately within Liverpool's midfield.
It has been a mixed campaign for the 27-year-old, who evaluated his season to Hunter of the Guardian as: "Very average to be honest."
Nevertheless, Lallana has been one of Liverpool's most effective attackers this term, scoring five goals and making three assists in 27 league appearances, making him the club's joint-fourth highest goalscorer.
With a goal every 358 minutes in the league, Lallana is Liverpool's third most prolific goalscorer on average, behind only Sturridge and Steven Gerrard.
8. Emre Can
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Playing a bizarre utility role for Rodgers throughout 2014/15, Can finds himself in a rather lowly eighth-placed finish in this ranking due to his unsuitability to some of the roles his manager has found fit to deploy him in.
Can was an integral part of the successful 3-4-2-1 system when deployed at right centre-back, as he was allowed to probe forward with regularity, owing to the resolute sweeper role Skrtel played.
But when used as a right-back, particularly toward the end of the season in a 4-3-3, Can has struggled immensely.
It is hard to truly evaluate Can's performances this season without offering compassion to a 21-year-old working in a plethora of unnatural roles under Rodgers—on the whole, Can has been one of Liverpool's best players.
Can has been undersold by Rodgers in 2014/15, but he has still come out with his reputation intact.
7. Steven Gerrard
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In his last season as a Liverpool player, Gerrard whimpered more than he roared.
Another victim of Rodgers' merciless and divisive tactical outlook, Gerrard was utilised in an ineffective defensive-midfield role for much of the first half of the season, and he was exploited by the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Aston Villa.
On the news that Gerrard was to join MLS franchise LA Galaxy at the end of the season, Rodgers' use of the captain changed, with the 34-year-old more often than not used as a No. 10, but still to muted success.
Gerrard finished the season as Liverpool's top scorer, with nine league goals, but his overall performances have been well short of the squad's best.
6. Mamadou Sakho
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Like Sturridge, if Sakho had been fit for the whole of the 2014/15 season, Liverpool would have likely been much higher up the table than sixth as the Premier League came to its climax.
The French centre-back made just 16 league appearances for the Reds, limited by injury and the manager's loyalty to £20-million Lovren.
It is Sakho's skill in possession that makes him so invaluable within Liverpool's progressive system, with his fearless delivery allowing the Reds to build from the back swiftly and effectively.
Sakho made the second most passes on average per game of any Liverpool player this season (57, behind only Jordan Henderson's 59), as well as posting the second best average passing accuracy (89.4 percent, behind only Skrtel's 90.1), despite making the most key passes (0.3) of any centre-back.
Bullish in the defensive side of the game, too, Sakho is high up in this ranking despite his inactivity due to his enduring quality.
5. Martin Skrtel
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When Liverpool have, at times, been hesitant and reckless at the back, Skrtel's no-nonsense style has been invaluable—whether that is conforming to the progress that should be made in the Reds' defence is another debate, however.
Skrtel has made more clearances (9.5) and blocks (1.2) per game of any Liverpool player in the league this season, as well as winning the second most aerial duels on average (3.4, behind Lovren's 3.7) and being dribbled past the least of any Reds defender per game (0.3, joint with Toure).
As mentioned, too, he is Liverpool's most accurate passer of the ball.
This has been consistently spread across 33 league starts, with Skrtel's 2,970 minutes played in the league the third most of any Liverpool outfield player this season.
Skrtel trumps Sakho purely due to his near ever-presence.
4. Raheem Sterling
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Sterling's Liverpool career will likely bow out this summer, with Ben Smith of BBC Sport reporting last week that the 20-year-old wishes to leave the club.
Interest in the forward will be high if he is allowed to leave, as Sterling has been one of Liverpool's best players this season.
With seven goals and seven assists in 35 league appearances, Sterling is behind only Henderson in terms of overall goal contribution, and he has averaged more key passes per game (2.1) than any other Liverpool player. He is key to Rodgers' side's attacking success.
That much of this came in an unfamiliar centre-forward's role this season, too, adds credence to Sterling's high placing in these rankings.
3. Simon Mignolet
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Looking down and out when Rodgers dropped him in December, Mignolet's rise back to form in the second half of this season has been the success story on Merseyside in 2014/15.
Going from apprehensive to assured, sloppy to neat, hesitant to decisive, the Mignolet of 2015 is far cry from the unconfident goalkeeper Liverpool supporters had so vociferously lamented in the year previous.
Mignolet finished the season with 13 clean sheets, leaving him in second place in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove award.
Next season could be a defining one for Mignolet.
2. Jordan Henderson
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Made vice-captain by Rodgers ahead of this season, Henderson's rise to a prominent creative role in this Liverpool squad sees him just miss out on the top spot in our rankings.
With a combined total of 15 goals and assists in the league—the most of any Liverpool player—having played the most minutes (3,256) and missing just one game, Henderson has played a crucial role in Rodgers' midfield.
Henderson has also shown great leadership qualities on and off the pitch, particularly when Gerrard has been absent—most impressive given how much of a supporting role he played to the captain in 2013/14.
2014/15 saw Henderson mark himself, at just 24, as a key player for Rodgers in his own right.
1. Philippe Coutinho
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After sweeping up Liverpool's end-of-season awards in this month's official ceremony, winning the Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, Performance of the Year and Goal of the Year, according to the club's official website, it should be no surprise that Philippe Coutinho tops our rankings for the season.
Speaking on collecting his Outstanding Achievement award, Gerrard chose to use his speech to praise Coutinho, as relayed by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo: "I want to pay tribute to Philippe. This is his night. I think he’s cleaned up tonight on the awards and deservedly so. I’m privileged to share a dressing room with him. He’s the next big thing for me. I hope he stays here for a long time and can help the club win more trophies."
Gerrard said it best. Although Coutinho is not Liverpool's top goalscorer or assist-maker, with five apiece to his name, he has been the Reds' driving force in attack and most inspiring player.
Rounding off this list in style, Coutinho will only get better in a Liverpool shirt.
Statistics via LFCHistory.net, WhoScored.com and Squawka.com.
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