Okay. That`s it. The seasons over, and it`s been a rollercoaster of a season, with all kinds of madness surroundingh the club. This is how I rate the performances of the players based on their performances level, expectations and attitude. 1 beeing worst and 6 beeing the best obviously.
Roll the dice!
Goalies:
Pepe Reina 5
Another Golden Glove after another very good season. We are very lucky to have a keeper of this quality. He very rarely makes mistakes and very strong mentally.
Charles Itandje 2
Hard to rate as he has hardly played. Looks suspect on crosses, but a decent shotstopper. Had no clue what to expect of him, but he failed to impress ( against Chelsea in the League Cup beeing the exception ) when given the chance, and rumoured to have a dodgy attitude as well.
Defenders:
Steve Finnan 3
Steve has been Mr. Consistent for the past three seasons and started off okay this season as well. But as the season unfolded it looked like time and injuries has caught up with him and late on he produced maybe the worst couple of performances i`ve seen from him since he arrived.
Alvaro Arbeloa 4
Alvaro started off very very well at left back but faded a bit after Christmas. A steady season with a couple of poor performances in central defence. He is clearly a better option on either backs.
John Arne Riise 3
For the whole season Riise looked like a player with the burden of the world on his shoulders. Not knowing wheter he was wanted clearly affected him. He has come in for a lot of critisism, and although I dont think he has been as bad as many make out, his performances has not been good enough.
Fabio Aurelio 4
Poor Fabio. You know there is a very good footballer inside that body made of glass. Whenever he manage to go on an injury free run in the side, his quality shines through. But at the same time you just know that another injury is just around the corner. So those runs are too few and far between.
Daniel Agger
Played too few matches to jugde. he has been missed though.
Sami Hyypia 4
He really impressed me this season, Sami. I thought he was finished, and when I went over in October he played like he knew it as well. But all of a sudden he regained his form proving me and several others wrong, earning himself another year at Anfield. Sami is a true Liverpool legend.
Martin Skrtel 5
Did`nt know anything about him when he was signed, and after a shaky debut against Havant he slotted nicely into the defence like he has been playing here for years. His understanding with Jamie has improved with every match, and with all defenders fit it will be interesting too see who will be picked.
Jamie Carragher 4
Not the best season by Jamie`s high standards, but still a good season. Started off rusty where he gave away quite a few penalties, but when the big games in CL arrived, he yet again proved he still is our main and most important defender.
Midfielders
Jermaine Pennant 3
Another player hard to jugde as he missed a lot of the season with injury, and needed time to find his form. On the plus side, he has showed good attitude in a season that must have been hard for him. He also managed to double his goal return ( if all players do that next season as well, we`ll be champions
) He may be on his way out, but I believe he has matured a lot in his two seasons here.
Yossi Benayoun 4
I like Yossi and I think he has done well. He has been in and out of the side, but still managed a good goal return. He can be frustrating at times, but he is one our more creative players and I think he is a very valuable member of the squad.
Javier Mascherano 6
He is the chief. Simple as. It`s easy to forget he is still very young, but he plays with a maturity beyond his years ( except that mad moment at Old Trafford ). I think his passing and goal threat has improved as well, and alongside Gerrard and Torres ( a case for Pepe and Carra can be made as well) our most important player.
Lucas 4
I like Lucas and he has done better than I expected. I thought he needed more time to getting to grip with the englisg game. He has played in some really huge matches and never looked out of place. He is young, still improving and he can be very pleased with his first season in England.
Xabi Alonso 3
Xabi has been my biggest dissapointment this season. His talent is never in question. His passing ability is second to none. But in my opinion he has been on a downward spiral for the last two seasons, and his contribution to the side has been poor. He has offered little going forward, and is easily out run defensively. His performance level in both CL matches against Chelsea, proved it`s still there, but sadly he very rarely produce those moments anymore.
Steven Gerrard 5
Another good season from the captain. His understanding with Torres is improving all the time, and if they stay fit we can match everyone. He struggled a little after the early injuries, stopping him from getting a 6. But still a very good season with a good goal return.
Harry Kewell 2
Close to a one, but in his first performances he was good. He came on as a sub and really contributed, but he very soon fizzled out and will end his Liverpool career beeing remembered more for the jokes made about him than for his brilliant performances. Still that fat pay check and a few winners medals will surely cushion the blow.
Attackers
Dirk Kuyt 3
The Kuyt of the CL would have gotten a 5. The Kuyt in the first half of the league season would have gotten a 1. The Kuyt of the second part of the season would have gotten a 4. Very difficult to jugde overall, as his performances has been schizofrenic in a way. He may be the player that benefitted most by the system chance, as it seemed a lot of the pressure was lifted from his shoulders.
Ryan Babel 4
A bit like Kuyt in the way that his performances is very inconsistent. He has been very good off the bench, not as effective from the start. But he is a goal threat, and his potential is easy to spot. He has all the attributes in the world, he just needs to produce them more consistently. This season under his belt have done him good, and I have high hopes for him for the next one.
Peter Crouch 3
Like Kuyt you can see a huge difference in his performance level in the first and second part of the season. Crouch were`nt played as much as expected early on, but he also failed to impress in the games he played. From February- March and onwards he was very good, and that performance at the emirates was one of the best individual performance by any Liverpool player this season. Sadly it looks like he is on his way out, as Peter Crouch is one of a kind.
Andriy Voronin 3
I dont buy into all this Voronin is rubbish/worst ever Liverpool player crap. He may not be good enough for us, but he is still a decent footballer. Early on he was vgood good. Scored goals, moved well and worked really hard. Critisism labelled at him when I was over was that he worked too hard away from the box. His performance level dropped towards new year though, and then he lost nearly 3 months of the season. He is a player im indifferent to. If he leaves I wont shed a tear, but at the same time I dont really mind him staying.
Fernando Torres 6
What can I say? 24 league goals, not one of them a penalty. And this in his first season. Again I thought this was a player needing a season to adapt. Just think now that he has adapted what a player he will be next season. A fantastic season from Fernando Torres, Liverpool number nine!