Ranking Liverpool's Defenders on Their Ball-Playing Ability

Historically, Liverpool are a possession-happy, ball-playing side, with defenders from Alan Hansen to Daniel Agger all capable of maintaining a composed passing game from the back. But how well set up are Brendan Rodgers' current side for this style of play?

Here we rank each Liverpool defender—including the exiled Jose Enrique and the injured Jon Flanagan, following their inclusions in Rodgers' Premier League squad—based on their ball-playing ability.

Who is Liverpool's best ball-playing defender, and who makes up the back four best suited to perform this fabled Anfield custom?

Ranking Criteria

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Measuring ball-playing ability across a variety of positions is difficult, and therefore a measure of subjectivity will be required in this ranking.

We will be leaning heavily on the eye test with statistics included as vital evidence.

Areas such as total passes played, passing accuracy, key passes made and unsuccessful touches will be considered, with each measurement averaged per 90 minutes—with each player's last regular, or semi-regular, league season as a Liverpool player judged.

For full-backs—including Enrique, Flanagan, Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno and Joe Gomez—the number of accurate crosses per 90 minutes will also be factored in.

Who comes out on top?

Jose Enrique

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Enrique played just four league games for the Reds in 2014/15, and his lackadaisical approach in possession will be one of the key factors behind his marginalisation under Rodgers.

The Spaniard completed just 65.7 per cent of his attempted passes in the league, and though he averaged 0.9 key passes per 90, this wastefulness saw Enrique consistently hamper Liverpool's buildup play down the left flank.

All head-down attacking thrust and no patience, Enrique finds himself at odds with the style of play Rodgers has sought to implement during his time on Merseyside.

Jon Flanagan

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Flanagan's remarkable rise into the Liverpool first team in 2013/14 saw him become a cult figure with the Anfield faithful, and it is a huge disappointment that injury has hampered his progress ever since—the academy product missed the entire 2014/15 campaign and is slowly recovering with a view to contributing this season.

Much of Flanagan's success came in the defensive sector, with his aggressive, wholehearted displays at left-back tempering the attacking tendencies of those around him.

In possession, he keeps it simple, with the 22-year-old well aware of his limitations.

Though Flanagan completed a respectable 83.7 per cent of his passes that season, his relatively paltry contribution in terms of key passes (0.6 per 90) and accurate crosses (0.1 per 90) highlights his lack of effective ball-playing ability.

Kolo Toure

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Kolo Toure has retained a backup role in the centre of defence since his free-transfer move from Manchester City to Liverpool in 2013, and the Ivorian remains a reasonably reliable option for Rodgers.

He is competent in all areas of defence, and this can also be said of his ability in possession.

Toure averaged 42.9 passes per 90 minutes last season, completing 87.6 per cent. He made just 0.1 key passes per 90.

Like Flanagan, Toure keeps things simple, providing composure when introduced late into games, and his output rarely wavers.

Nathaniel Clyne

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Clyne is arguably Liverpool's signing of the summer, and the improvement the England international has made on Rodgers' right-back options is immeasurable in light of Glen Johnson's miserable output last season.

The 24-year-old is an aggressive, front-footed defender who offers intelligent supporting runs in the attack.

However, when it comes to his buildup play and final ball, there is much room for improvement: The former Southampton man has completed just 77.8 per cent of his passes so far this season, averaging 0.5 key passes and just 0.3 accurate crosses per 90 minutes.

Clyne is more effective than both Enrique and Flanagan, but his output will need to be improved if he is to become a top-level, all-round right-back under Rodgers.

Dejan Lovren

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Rodgers lauded Dejan Lovren for his "range of passing" following his £20 million move from Southampton last summer, as relayed by Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph.

While his first three performances of the 2015/16 season erased some of the memories of his dismal maiden campaign on Merseyside, a calamitous display in Liverpool's 3-0 home defeat at the hands of West Ham United before the international break highlighted the Croatian's deficiencies.

Lovren is far from the top-level ball-player Rodgers believed he had secured.

Nevertheless, he remains a proficient option in possession, averaging 45.5 passes per 90 and registering a passing accuracy of 86.8 per cent.

That he has also averaged 0.3 key passes per 90 ensured Lovren edged Toure in terms of Liverpool's centre-backs.

Martin Skrtel

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Like Flanagan and Toure, Martin Skrtel knows his limits.

The Slovakian employs a simple passing game, primarily offloading possession to his more adventurous centre-back partner or into midfield.

As such, Skrtel has completed 89.1 per cent of his passes so far this season—second only to Alberto Moreno in the Liverpool squad.

Skrtel represents a useful pivot at the heart of defence, always happy to receive the ball, but his lack of progressive play in possession means he doesn't break into the top three here.

Alberto Moreno

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As mentioned, Moreno's appearances in 2015/16 so far have been short but sweet.

But the Spaniard looks to have improved his ball-playing ability over the summer, averaging 25.7 passes per 90 and completing 93.8 per cent.

He also represents Liverpool's best option in terms of providing width, and his average of 3.2 accurate crosses per 90 this season—though skewed by his lack of minutes—suggests he will be a valuable attacking player as Rodgers plots to effectively service £32.5 million centre-forward Christian Benteke.

Joe Gomez

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"I like to think I'm a ball-playing centre-back who likes to be physical and has got a bit of pace," Gomez told the club's official website following his £3.5 million move from Charlton Athletic this summer.

Though Gomez has so far primarily been played at left-back for Rodgers' side, the 18-year-old has proved his ability on the ball with four assured performances alongside Clyne, Skrtel and Lovren.

Gomez has averaged 46.6 passes per 90 this season, more than any other Liverpool full-back, and completed 82.2 per cent—managing to do so while playing every minute of the Reds' league campaign so far, largely out of position, highlights his maturity and ability in possession.

Gomez ranks above Moreno because of the Spaniard's lack of minutes this season—whether Moreno can maintain this high level when utilised in a regular role remains to be seen.

Mamadou Sakho

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Mamadou Sakho is, by far and away, Liverpool's best and most effective ball-playing centre-back.

This is despite, as Aaron Cutler of This is Anfield addressed at the beginning of September, a widespread misconception that the Frenchman is a liability in possession:

"

The laziest stereotype of modern-day football is that which laments Mamadou Sakho’s passing ability.

A gangly defender whose touch is somewhat unorthodox, the Frenchman has endured criticism from fans and pundits alike.

Opposition supporters have even taken to ridiculing his every touch—before being silenced in the wake of unerring accuracy.

"

Having so far not made an appearance for Rodgers' side in 2015/16, it seems that the manager himself does not fully appreciate the quality that Sakho offers.

Last season, the 25-year-old averaged 57.9 passes per 90 minutes, completing 89.4 per cent—both higher than Skrtel's output this season.

Sakho is the more adventurous in possession, and his higher average of passes made suggests he is more consistent and comfortable on the ball.

That Sakho averaged 0.6 unsuccessful touches per 90 remains the only blot on his copybook.

The former Paris Saint-Germain centre-back is not the finished product, but he is the best ball-player Liverpool have.

Liverpool's Best Ball-Playing Back Four: Gomez, Skrtel, Sakho and Moreno.

Statistics via WhoScored.com.

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