Ranking Liverpool's Attacking Options on Their Goalscoring Threat
Liverpool are struggling for goals so far in 2015/16, but with the talent that is at Brendan Rodgers' disposal this should not be a major issue.
With strikers Daniel Sturridge, Christian Benteke, Danny Ings and Divock Origi supported by winger Jordon Ibe and attacking midfielders Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, the Reds should have enough firepower to launch them up the Premier League table.
But who is Liverpool's most effective player in terms of goalscoring threat?
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Here we rank each of the aforementioned attackers based on previous goalscoring record and a subjective view of their overall ability in front of goal.
Perhaps predictably, the 19-year-old Ibe kicks off our ranking.
8. Jordon Ibe
Twenty-four games into his Liverpool career, Ibe is still waiting for his first goal—and this is clearly playing on his mind.
"I'm not completely satisfied because I need to keep working on a few things, like my end product—getting the ball and finding someone in the box and trying to add a few more goals to my game," he told the Reds' official website after their 2-0 win over Finnish side HJK Helsinki in pre-season.
Starting the 2015/16 campaign as one of Rodgers' first-choice attacking options, rotated between the left and right flanks in a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, Ibe looked desperate to get himself on the scoresheet. Cutting inside to fire weak attempts on goal against both AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United in the Premier League, the 19-year-old looked to replicate his inspired conversion in Malaysia this summer.
The ability is there, but Ibe is yet to find the composure and tactical intelligence to become a goalscorer for Liverpool. As such, the former Wycombe Wanderers winger is ranked eighth here.
7. Divock Origi
Divock Origi is yet to prove himself as a goalscorer. Despite this, in October of last year, Belgium team-mate Vincent Kompany described the 20-year-old as having the potential to be "among the five or 10 best strikers in the world," as reported by Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo.
Origi joined Liverpool from Lille in a £10 million deal last summer, after impressing for Belgium during the World Cup in Brazil, but was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 1 side for the 2014/15 season—both as part of the terms of the Reds' agreement and as a means to aid his development before transitioning to the harsh landscape of the Premier League.
This loan spell did not go entirely to plan, however. Between a 1-0 victory over SC Bastia in October and a 3-0 win at home to Rennes in March, Origi endured close to a six-month goal drought in Ligue 1, going on to score just eight goals in 33 league appearances.
Best linking up play as an auxiliary forward, Origi is likely to score a handful of goals for Liverpool on the counter this season—but, like Ibe, he won't be a leading goalscorer.
6. Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho's goalscoring ability is worryingly over-exaggerated by many Liverpool supporters, and as Rodgers himself attested following the Brazilian's contract extension in February, this is one of the key areas that his No. 10 still needs to improve to become a top-level attacking player.
"His courage and bravery to get on the ball is fantastic," the manager told James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. "If he can continue to improve—he can improve his goalscoring ability—then he will get into that bracket of being world class."
As Rodgers notes, Coutinho's confidence has skyrocketed over the past season, and this has seen him develop a sensational long-range finish that has put Southampton, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City to the sword in the past seven months, as well as a more accomplished approach in the penalty area.
But this must be offset with his conversion rate: no Liverpool player has averaged more shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season than Coutinho (6.3), while only Ibe (33 percent) has registered a lower shooting accuracy than the Brazilian (35 percent).
It is a case of "throw enough mud at a wall and some of it will stick" for Coutinho at present, and while the 23-year-old can expect to score upwards of 10 goals in all competitions this season, he receives a low ranking here for that reason.
5. Adam Lallana
Lallana boasts a similar goalscoring record to Coutinho during his short time as a Liverpool player: Coutinho's 17 goals in 109 games boils down to one every 6.4 appearances, while Lallana's seven in 46 gives him a rate of one goal every 6.6 games.
But it can be argued that Lallana is the more clinical of the two—though perhaps this is to be expected given their age difference.
"I definitely need to start delivering that quality in the box more consistently," the midfielder told the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani after scoring his first goal of the season in Liverpool's 1-1 Europa League draw with Bordeaux earlier in September. "It’s what I want to do now. At 27 I want to take responsibility and contribute towards the team."
That exquisite turn and finish in the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux underlined Lallana's quality in front of goal—when he is given a chance, he usually takes it.
Of Rodgers' squad last season, only Steven Gerrard (248.7) and Daniel Sturridge (187.5) registered fewer minutes per goal in the Premier League than the Lallana (358.4), with Coutinho scoring a goal every 560.2 minutes.
Lallana is right in saying he must take more responsibility in a Liverpool shirt this season, and if he can do so he will prove to be an invaluable source of goals for Rodgers' side.
4. Danny Ings
Rodgers believes Ings can go on to become a devastating striker for Liverpool, with the 23-year-old making a strong start to the 2015/16 after making the considerable step up from relegated Burnley over the summer—and his strong mentality has been a major factor in this.
"I’ve been really happy with his contribution," he told reporters ahead of the Reds' Premier League clash with Aston Villa, as reported by This is Anfield.
"He’s a very positive young guy that comes in everyday to learn, always analysing his game. I think what he’s done every time he’s played is grabbed the opportunity. He wants to get goals and I think over the next few years he’s going to develop into a top-class striker."
With goals in the Reds' last two fixtures, Ings is rightly receiving praise from all corners of Anfield—but these performances should not come as a surprise. Last season, Ings scored 11 Premier League goals for the Clarets.
If he continues his progress on Merseyside, Ings can expect to improve on that this season.
3. Roberto Firmino
Converse to Ings, Firmino has endured a troubled start to his Liverpool career, after joining from 1899 Hoffenheim in a deal worth £29 million this summer, but the Brazilian's quality is obvious.
In 140 league games for the Bundesliga club, Firmino scored 38 goals, at a rate of one goal every 3.7 games—much higher than that of Coutinho and Lallana, who both also perform in his natural role as an attacking midfielder.
Firmino is aided by his versatility: the 23-year-old is able to operate as a No. 10, a winger and as a centre-forward. This has seen him develop a finisher's instinct that Reds supporters will hope shines through in time.
This is a player who, according to Brazil manager Dunga, "smelled of goals" on their first meeting. "He sees the goal like few others," the former Fiorentina midfielder continued, as reported by Alex Chaffer of FourFourTwo.
Based on his record for Hoffenheim, Firmino takes up third place here.
2. Christian Benteke
Like Firmino, Benteke's goalscoring record for his former club—in this case Aston Villa—speaks for itself.
The Belgian scored 42 goals in 89 games for the Villans in the Premier League, at a rate of one goal every 2.1 games, securing his status as one of the most clinical strikers in the English top flight—a position that has endured during his start to life on Merseyside.
With two goals in six games for the Reds so far this season, Benteke is Rodgers' top scorer in the Premier League. This comes despite his team-mates' struggle to adapt to his physical approach to leading the line.
Rodgers will be hoping the 24-year-old can continue his success in front of goal and develop during his time on Merseyside.
But, after having sanctioned a £32.5 million outlay on Benteke this summer, the manager will be safe in the knowledge that he has secured a formidable goalscorer to boost his side's efforts in the penalty area.
1. Daniel Sturridge
"On his game [Sturridge is] one of the best that there is," Rodgers told reporters earlier in September, as reported by This is Anfield. "For him it’s just about getting himself back in and playing and obviously getting the goals."
The prospect of Sturridge reclaiming his goalscoring touch is of paramount importance for Rodgers this season, because—as he notes—when the Englishman is at full fitness, he is one of the most deadly strikers in European football.
With 40 goals in 68 games so far for the Reds since his £12 million move from Chelsea in 2013, Sturridge has averaged a goal every 1.7 games, and as relayed by Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo, he is the joint-fifth most prolific goalscorer in the club's history based on his first 50 league games.
With 33 goals in those 50 games, Sturridge is level with legendary former Reds striker Fernando Torres.
Preserving the former Manchester City striker's fitness is one of Rodgers' key priorities this season, but if Sturridge can restore his match sharpness, he will no doubt continue to underline his overriding goalscoring brilliance.
Statistics via WhoScored.com, Squawka.com, Transfermarkt.co.uk and LFCHistory.net.
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