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A stop start season for Big Dejan. He came back injured from the World Cup and couldn’t get back in the side due to the form of Joe Gomez. When he did get his chance he played well enough but was never able to get a long run in the team because there was always something going on. An illness here, a little hamstring pull there, just minor stuff that disrupted his rhythm. It was in stark contrast to a year ago when he was a fixture in the side alongside Big Virg and was arguably our best player (along with Robbo) in the Champions League final loss to Madrid. Lovren’s star was in the ascendancy, especially when he followed it up with an impressive World Cup campaign that saw Croatia reach the final. Poor Dejan lost a Champions League final and a World Cup final in the space of a couple of months. His reputation was as high as it had ever been though, and when he described himself as “top five” in the world it wasn’t as ludicrous as many seemed to think. He’s much derided due to that claim, but I’m one of the few who felt that his boast wasn’t that outlandish at the time he made it. Based on his form in 2018, when he performed well in some extremely high profile games for club and country, he was one of the best. Since then he’s hardly played, and he’s now number four at his own club. Things can change quickly though, we’ve seen that. Besides, being number four at Liverpool doesn’t mean he’s no longer top five in the world. It just means Matip and Gomez have joined him in that elite group. Seriously though, I like him. He’s a character, he keeps Mo entertained and his Instagram rant about Sergio Ramos after Croatia played Spain was legendary. In case you’d forgotten, after beating Spain 3-2 Lovren grabbed his phone and went off on one…. “Elbowed him good,” said Lovren, citing a challenge on Ramos during the game, while making a gesture with his elbow. “Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now, buddy. Buddy! They are a bunch of pussies.” He then proceeded to cover the Spain flag on his match jersey, while pointing at the Croatia flag, and continued: “Only this side [Croatia] is worthy. Now to beat England and walk out like a boss!” Lovren also posted a picture of himself getting the better of Ramos in an aerial challenge during the game, accompanied by the message: “Good morning Croatia”. I mean come on, that’s funny as fuck. I can imagine Klopp’s reaction when he heard about it. There’s no point even getting worked up about it, he probably just rolled his eyes, shook his head and said “fuckin’ Dejan”. He cracks me up. When we beat Barca he did one of the post-match interviews even though he didn’t even play! You’d never know if he played in a game or not based on his celebrations, as he’s going to be the life and soul of it no matter what. I saw some rival fans on social media comparing him to John Terry after the way he was right at the heart of the celebrations when we won number six, but unlike Terry (who was suspended) Lovren was on the bench so was entitled to be wearing full kit (and shinnies!). Besides, the reason he enjoyed it so much was because he was part of the side that lost a year before. He referenced that in the interview he did after Barca and he also spoke about the need for those not in the team to put that disappointment to one side and be supportive. “I’m so happy for the team. I felt it last year. I saw how the guys who didn’t play were smiling. It’s my turn now to give them a boost, to give them confidence. I’m proud of them for reaching the final.” That’s one of the most impressive things Klopp has done but it’s also one of the least talked about. Everyone in that squad feels like they are important, whether they are in the team or not. It’s easy to laugh at those who didn’t play when you see them giving it the beans, but this isn’t a Josemi type situation. Klopp is forever telling them all how important they are and they’ve bought into it. It’s a squad, not a team, and they’re all in it together irrespective of who makes the starting eleven. The best part about that Lovren interview though was when he was asked about whether the team could go one better than last year. “We will. Trust me.” He didn’t even know who we playing at that point, but it mattered not. He even doubled down on it a few seconds later when the final was brought up again and he said “We will do it. Trust me”. And he was right. There was a time when a Lovren brag would almost certainly end in embarrassment (usually his) but not any more. We now have a team and manager who can back up Dejan’s bravado. Some would suggest that it’s also because he’s not playing, but that’s just mean. Rating 7 / 10 Possibly a little generous, but he celebrates like a boss and that counts for something. Best Moment: Savaging Ramos on Instagram or dragging Hendo over to the fans after the final and yelling “This is the fucking man! This is your captain!” Worst Moment: Making Rondon look like prime time Didier Drogba. The Future: Is uncertain. There’s talk that he’s available for £25m and AC Milan are interested. Maybe the Reds will want to get his 100k a week off the wage bill considering he’s fourth choice, but the smart move is probably to keep him around for another year while Ki-Jana Hoever develops. As long as Lovren is happy to fight for his place, then let him stay. He’s a big part of the incredible team spirit in the camp, as he’s often the butt of his team-mates jokes but he takes it all in good spirit and gives as good as he gets. Matip and Gomez have had injury problems, we’ve got a shitload of games next year, so for me Lovren needs to stay as he has a part to play.

I love Jordan Henderson. Not to the extreme where I'll tell you he's the best midfielder in the world. I may love him, but I'm not blinkered to the point of delusion. He's really good though, much better than many give him credit for. Some of our own fans are the worst for that too. Hopefully that might change now he's a European Cup winning captain, but I won't hold my breath on that. I googled Hendo's name just then as I was looking for some stats on appearances and stuff. When you do a search it comes up with a box that says "people also ask". The top one said "What does Jordan Henderson do". What does he do? WHAT DOES HE DO???? He captains the European Champions, that's what he fucking does. To be fair, I couldn't care less what fans of other teams think of him. If Spurs fans want to convince themselves Eric Dier deserves to be ahead of Hendo in the England pecking order, have at it. I'm not arsed. If Everton fans think Andre Gomes is better, good for them. I don't care if the rest of the country can't see what he brings to a team. When our own fans are among the critics though, that's a different matter. The unwarranted sneering about our skipper just makes me feel overly protective of him. I expect it from rival fans and it's fair game. With the amount of piss taking I do about rival players, it would be a little precious of me to get upset about them throwing shade at Hendo. It irks me when I see the lack of respect towards him from our own fans, although it's almost exclusively on social media it should be said. It’s a weird phenomena because barring the occasional moan and groan here and there, he doesn’t get that kind of treatment from the matchday crowd. The 'LFC family' on Twitter though? Different story entirely. Usually the overall perception of a player doesn’t vary too much from stadium to social media but in Hendo’s case the difference is huge. I don't think anyone has ever split opinion more, and I genuinely don't get it. I mean how can you watch Jordan Henderson play and think he's not a good player? Just how good he is comes to down to personal opinion. I probably rate him more highly than most but there will be others who think even more of him than I do. It blows my mind though that there are people who watch Henderson and think he's just an average player who only passes backwards and sideways. I know he's not Souness or Gerrard, but if that's the bar being set for all of our midfielders now then they'll all fall short. Those of you who don't spend too much time on social media probably think I'm exaggerating here, but I'm honestly not. Have a look at the replies to this tweet from This is Anfield. That's typical of any Henderson related tweet. The replies to this official announcement by the club were even worse. When he signed that new deal earlier in the season, I looked at the replies to the above tweet and I wanted to go on a fucking killing spree. People were reacting like he was Christian Poulsen or Salif Diao. I used to think the criticism directed towards him was basically because he isn’t Steven Gerrard. Now I think it’s just that some people are clueless. Jordan Henderson is a damn good player and is a much better leader than he’s generally given credit for. He wouldn’t still be captain if he wasn’t. Unless you think Klopp is an idiot. It's true that he got the armband more or less by default because there was no-one else even remotely qualified at the time, but there are plenty who are qualified now. We’ve got leaders all over the place, but listen to how his team-mates (and manager) talk about him and it’s clear how well respected he is. He’s grown into the captaincy. Many fans would like to see Van Dijk given the captaincy, but Big Virg has been as complimentary about Hendo's leadership as anybody. The players know more than we do. They're in that dressing room every day with him. During the on-pitch celebrations after the final, Van Dijk and Lovren walked Hendo over to the fans and Lovren was screaming "This is your captain, this is the fucking man". It would be nice to think that some of the entitled wankers who were ripping Hendo in the above tweets will have come around now, but it's wishful thinking. As soon as he has a poor game next season they'll all crawl out of the woodwork again. No matter, there are more than enough Henderson fans to drown out that noise now, and he's got a Champions League winners medal to point to any time he wants to silence his critics. He wouldn't do that though, it's not his style. I do feel that he's validated his captaincy now though. Lifting the European Cup and captaining a side that finished with 97 points is surely enough to end that discussion now? The only problem for Hendo moving forward is that he’s not guaranteed to start every game anymore. That’s not even a reflection on him either, it’s more about the competition for places and Klopp’s policy of rotating his midfield more than any other area of the team. The demands on the midfield lads are huge so Klopp will often freshen things up and bring in fresh legs. That means someone is always going to miss out. In the Nou Camp it was Hendo. In the return leg it was Wijnaldum. In the final it was Milner. It’s not a reflection on the players, just a necessity based on how we play. It's going to be even worse for them next season with Ox now back in the fold and Naby hopefully up to speed after a season of transition. Henderson at least has his versatility to fall back on. Being able to play more than one role helps, but unfortunately for him he isn't the only flexible option Klopp has. Wijnaldum and Milner are like Swiss army knives. Fabinho will almost certainly start all the big games, so that leaves two other spots up for grabs. Right now, for me at least, it's Henderson plus one more. That could change, but based on the way he's played in the last few months I don't think you can leave him out in the bigger games. I wonder if we have seen the last of him in the holding role though. He has spent most of his time under Klopp playing in that role and generally did a good job there. Most of the time he was excellent but there were occasions when he wasn’t, and on those days when he wasn’t at his best Twitter would be awash with the Hendo bashers calling for him to be moved on. I like him in the holding role, but I like him more when he's got licence to run around and make things happen. Fabinho won't play every game but when he is rested it may not be the skipper asked to fill in for him now. Wijnaldum is great in that role, and using him there allows Hendo to continue doing what he does best. It seems like Jordan has spent his entire career fighting to prove people wrong, and that's why it was so satisfying seeing him lifting the trophy. I was happier for him than I was for anyone else (other than perhaps Klopp). He was probably doubted even back in his Sunderland days but certainly from the moment he walked through the door here he was having to deal with criticism and questions as to whether he was good enough. For a long while those questions were justified, but they haven't been for some time now. It took him a while to win over the fans and in some cases he still hasn’t and probably never will. That's on them, not him. Tell you what else is boss. He's a hero in Sunderland too. Their fans are buzzing for him and apparently he's in line to be awarded the freedom of the city. That's great, brings a warm glow to the soul. Usually when a player leaves a club for bigger and better things he's not too popular, but Hendo is such a top lad they still have a place in their hearts for him up there. Managers love him too, because he’s utterly selfless and it’s ‘team first’ all the time. Rodgers tried to get rid of him when he first took over but by the end of Brendan’s time here Hendo was his captain and very much in the ‘he's a wonderful boy, a beautiful human being’ category. Klopp feels the same. He fucking loves Hendo. You can always tell just how much disdain Klopp has got for Henderson’s critics by his reaction whenever he is questioned about it. “Jurgen, Jordan Henderson has come in for some criticism lately, but…” Cue Jurgen pulling that baffled ‘what the fuck are you on about?’ face. Klopp even apologised (tongue in cheek) a couple of months ago for having played Henderson out of position for so long. For the most part it worked, but any time the midfield unit didn't function as well as it needed to, it was usually Hendo who took the brunt of the blame. For me though the problem was more about the balance of the players selected rather than any individual. Klopp often went with the tried and trusted trio of Hendo, Milner and Gini, and at times it worked brilliantly, usually because the forwards were all on fire. Other occasions, when the forwards weren't on it, the midfield looked one paced and lacking creativity. Draws at Old Trafford and Goodison spring to mind, as well as some woeful Euro aways in the group stages. In games like that, it's easy to point the finger at Henderson for not providing any drive or creativity. It became even easier to do it when we discovered how great Fabinho was. Even Hendo himself saw that, which is why he went to see Klopp and discussed a change of position. He knew Fabinho was better than him as a six, so he asked Klopp to allow him to go back to being what he was before. Klopp agreed and the box to box, chase around like a dog in a park Hendo that played such a big part in the 2014 title challenge was back for the closing months of this season and he just so looked so much happier. There was a real enthusiasm about his play and he was hugely influential. It started when he came off the bench to score and assist in a win at Southampton. We'd been struggling a bit and his arrival changed the game completely. After that he was on fire, and looked so much more energised and refreshed than when he was playing as the six. That was not a natural position for him but he’s the type of lad who just does what is asked of him without complaint. He sacrificed his own game for the good of the team which is part of the reason why I’m often so protective of him. Being a great lad doesn’t mean you can’t be questioned, but it does mean you should be granted a certain level of respect from your own fans. This season has been massive for Henderson's reputation and standing in the game, and it showed the character he possesses. I mean come on, let’s be honest here. When Fabinho and Keita joined last summer, Hendo was as much under threat as anyone. They hadn’t been signed to sit on the bench and if they turned out to be the players we thought they’d be then that only left one midfield spot up for grabs and Hendo, Wijnaldum, Milner and Lallana (Ox too when he returned) fighting for it. Not for the first time, Henderson was being written off. Not for the first time, he rose to the challenge. Having been at the World Cup with England, he was given extra time off and wasn’t due to report back until just before the season. He was having none of it though and Klopp had to force him to stay away. In the end he came back early anyway as he was so insistent. I think he had two weeks off, and even that was more than he wanted. He wasn’t in the starting line up on the opening day, but he came on in the second half and was like a man possessed. He was on the bench for the next three games too, and each time he came on he played with the intensity of a man who wanted to show his manager he was ready to start. Klopp handled it well though, resisting the temptation to rush him back and treating the first few weeks as a pre-season of sorts for him. That careful approach paid dividends as some of his performances in the latter months of the season were as good as anything we’ve seen from him. He’s in the form of his life and particularly shone on the big European nights. He was great in those games last season too actually. European sides can’t cope with the speed and intensity we play at and Henderson is a big part of that. Barca at Anfield is a perfect example. That was probably the finest display of his life, a performance to sit alongside those of any of the legendary names of the past. A real career defining game that was. He was immense, especially as he was injured early on and had to stock up on painkillers at half time just to get through the game. Seeing him collapse at full time and then struggle to get back on his feet because he had nothing left... I mean how can you not love this lad after that? Then of course there was the final. The scenes with his Dad at full time would bring tears to a glass eye, but it was also revealed later that he asked Milner and Klopp to lift the trophy with him. They both rightly refused, but that’s just about as Jordan Henderson as it gets. Even in the most defining moment of his career he’s still thinking “there’s no I in team”. Captain. Leader. And now, finally, Legend. Rating 8/10. Had he played the whole season in the more advanced role he ended it in, he'd have been a 9. Still, overall a fine effort from the skipper and a season he can be proud of. Best Moment: Lifting Big Ears. I don't know if anyone has ever done it better. Years of practice in front of the mirror had gone into that, you could tell. Worst Moment: For him personally it was probably being left out in the Nou Camp, but he ended up playing most of the game anyway after Keita was hurt early on. Maybe going off injured early away at Bayern was a low point for him, but thankfully it wasn't as serious as it looked. The Future: I expect next year to be a lot like this one. He'll play more often than not but be left out more than he'll like.

I love this little guy. How can you not love him? Look at his little smiling face. If I was one of his team-mates I’d spent all day just ruffling his hair and high fiving him. He’d probably end up hating me or reporting me for harassment. When I think of Shaq, the first thing that comes into my head is this clip of him on his first day at Melwood giving it the 'finger gun' when he saw the fitness guy he worked with at Bayern. That’s Shaq right there, a gif makers wet dream. He’s the kind of player that fans are drawn to. If he stays here another year (or hopefully more) he’ll be even more of a cult hero than he already is. In a squad full of so much talent he’s never going to be one of the main men even though he’s a top player in his own right. He’s a modern day Ronny Rosenthal type. Someone who made a big impact in limited playing time and who will always be remembered fondly and with a nostalgic smile. I wish he’d played more this season but I trust Klopp’s judgement implicitly (let’s face it, how can you not?) and if he’s not picking him much then there’s a reason for that. It’s probably due to his off the ball work more than anything. It’s not that he’s lazy or unwilling to work, I just don’t think it’s something he’s particularly good at as it doesn’t come naturally to him. Some players can just do it instinctively, but if you’ve got to think about where you need to run and when you need to close down, that split second can make all the difference. Initially I hoped Shaq might be able to fill the role Coutinho vacated. Sometimes in the front three, sometimes in a midfield trio. In theory it seemed like it could work, but Klopp never played him in midfield and usually when he picked him he changed the system to 4-2-3-1. It has to be down to a lack of trust in him defensively, as nothing else makes sense. Even taking that into account I still thought he could have been used more, because he is a difference maker. His goals and assists record is really good based on minutes played, and he’s one of those players who can lift the crowd as soon as he steps onto the field. He made an instant impact with a spectacular overhead kick goal against the Mancs in a pre-season game in the States, and he looked sharp from day one. A free-kick that hit the underside of the bar against Southampton (Mo followed in and buried it) also stands out as an early memory. I also remember Klopp coming onto the field at full time and having a right go at him over something. Poor little Shaq looked distraught, like a kid being blocked by his Dad. He was just unfortunate there, he was the first player Klopp ran into so bore the brunt of his ire over a short free-kick routine in stoppage time when Klopp wanted it put into the box. It wasn’t even Shaq’s fault, but he was nearest so he took the flak. His little face though, it was heartbreaking. The best bit was when he mistook Klopp’s gesturing as an offer of a handshake and he just grabbed Klopp’s hand. It kills me every time I watch this, it’s fucking hilarious. bigshaq.mp4 Cracking the starting line up was never really likely given the players he was competing against, and I also thought there might be an element of him needing to wait a few months until he learned all the intricacies of the pressing game. It didn’t really turn out like that. He probably played more early in the season than he did in the run in. That’s a little worrying in one sense, as you’d think that once he picked up all the nuances of the system he’d feature more, in the way Ox did the year before. Instead, he found himself struggling to get any minutes for about three months. Klopp actually apologised for this towards the end of the season, but when you see the results we had there’s not really anything to apologise for. That being said, maybe Shaq might have been able to make a difference in some of those draws we had? When he did play, he was effective. He ended the season with six goals from eleven starts. Ok, he had a lot of sub appearances too, but that’s still a good level of production. He had a few assists too, some of them vital ones. It was his cross from which Origi headed the winner at Newcastle, and it was another pinpoint Shaq delivery that allowed Gini to head in the third against Barca a few days later. He’s just a really good little footballer. He can score and he can create, and when he’s on the pitch he makes things happen. He also has the ability to immediately change the pace of a game when he comes off the bench. He can lift a crowd, which in turn lifts the team. There were a few occasions early in the season when he came on as a sub and with his very first involvement he immediately had the crowd go up a notch or two. Some players can do that, most can’t. It’s not always even about doing something impactful. It’s just the vibe he gives off. He’s busy, he looks like he wants to get on the ball and do something positive, and that has an effect on the crowd. This was never more evident than when he came off the bench to score twice against United at Anfield. They were really beginning to frustrate us but Shaqiri’s positivity turned the game. The tunnel footage they show on LFC TV after home games captured Van Dijk walking off the pitch and shouting “BIG SHAQ IN THE HOUSE!!!!”. I love that. I also love that Shaqiri never complained when he wasn’t getting a look in. Just like Origi, he kept his head down and waited for his chance to come again, and when it did he made sure he contributed to the cause. In short, he's boss and I love him. He's my Dad's favourite player. My Dad loved Ronny Rosenthal too, so that's something else they have in common. Rating 7/10. He was a steal for the price we paid and he’s done exactly what we needed him to do. Best Moment: Scoring twice in front of the Kop against United, and in doing so earning the approval of Big Virg.. Worst Moment: The first half against Barca wasn’t great, he kept giving the ball away. He was much better in the second half though. Being shouted at by his Dad, I mean manager, was the worst though. Poor little guy. The Future? Tough one this. I had suspected his stay here might be coming to an end but he insists he’s staying and I hope that’s the case. Regardless of what happens this summer he’ll always have a place in our hearts.

What more could Robbo have done this season? In terms of relentless, consistent quality, it might be the best season we’ve ever seen from a full back. Certainly since Stevie Nicol won the Player of the Year award back in the late 80s anyway. That was the benchmark and no-one has ever really come close to matching it, until this year that is when you can argue that both Trent and Robbo were right up there with ‘Chico’. Robbo’s consistency is just off the charts. He’s great every week. I genuinely can’t remember him ever having a bad game and he’s only had a few average ones. The rest of the time he ranges between excellent and sensational. You notice it more when he isn’t brilliant than when he is, because those rare occasions when he isn’t really stand out. And even then, he’s rarely (if ever) less than a 7 out of 10. The only thing missing is the odd goal or two, because other than that he’s been close to perfection. Virgil gets all of the headlines and the awards, and deservedly so, but I ask again, what more could Robbo have done this year? The answer is pretty much nothing. But playing full back isn’t going to win you many awards. It’s not ‘sexy’ enough, although both Trent and Robbo have done a lot to change that this year. As I said in Trent’s report card, these two have made playing full back cool. They’re the coolest full back pair since Cafu and Roberto Carlos. Kids in the playground want to be Alexander-Arnold or Robertson. ‘Robbo’ is my daughter’s favourite player. Most kids love the goalscorers. Salah is the most popular player in her school but when I asked her what t-short she wanted me to make her for the final, she immediately said “Andy Robbo” and wouldn’t be swayed. Not that I tried especially hard to sway her. She’s clearly got good taste. Robbo gets plenty of love from the fans and he’s had no shortage of credit from the media too. It’s not like he’s flown under the radar. Both he and Trent have had rave reviews from TV pundits, whether it’s the likes of Shearer and Lineker on MOTD, Ferdinand and Owen on BT or Carra and Neville on Sky. Their contributions haven’t gone unnoticed, and yet I can’t help but think that Robbo has been ever better than he’s generally been given credit for. He was named in the ‘Team of the Season’ but based on performance level he should have been on the six man shortlist for ‘Player of the Year’. When the list was initially announced, I admit that even I wasn’t immediately put out by his absence. I think it’s because I just never even considered for a second that he would be on it, so it wasn’t a surprise. Forwards always get the attention for those things. You might get a truly outstanding midfielder in there too, and occasionally a dominant centre back, but full backs don’t get a sniff. It was only when one of the lads in the group chat brought it up that it really hit me. I won’t mention who it was, because his ego is large enough as it is, but he was right. There’s no way you can make a serious argument that Robertson wasn’t one of the best six footballers in the league this year, but it’s sadly predictable that he wasn’t recognised for it. Left backs aren’t getting nominated ahead of an Eden Hazard or Bernardo Silva no matter how great they are. Being Scottish, extremely unassuming and humble, and having signed for a modest sum from relegated Hull probably doesn’t help either. He did get some lavish praise from the most unlikely of sources though. While he was still Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho took the unusual step of singling out a Liverpool player for an outstanding performance. “Liverpool play 200mph with and without the ball. I am still tired to look at Robertson. He makes a 100m sprint per minute! Incredible.” While there was probably an ulterior motive for the comments (he was basically saying “look at your left back, he’s fit as a butcher’s dog, whereas mine looks like James Corden’s even fatter twin”), it was great hearing Robbo get such public acclaim from a man who wouldn’t normally do that. Robertson is clearly the best left back in the league, he’s almost certainly the best left back in Europe and seeing as how all the best players are in Europe, that makes him probably the best left back in the world. He’s just relentless. Brilliant defensively, brilliant going forward, completely tireless in his running and he’s fiercely competitive and takes no crap from anyone. His running battle with Luis Suarez in the Nou Camp was great (apparently he was calling Suarez a big fat so and so when they clashed in the tunnel at half time) and the lack of deference he showed Messi at Anfield helped to set the tone for that entire night. Yeah, you might be the greatest player to have ever lived, but this is Anfield, son. He’s also one of the nicest, most humble lads you could ever wish to have in your team. He’s dead funny and everyone at the club loves him. He’s only been here five minutes and he’s already up there with my favourite ever Reds. In the big games we’ve had he’s generally been sensational. Even when others may not have performed, he’s always brought his A game. That game in the Nou Camp was something else. I gave him 9 out of 10 in my ESPN ratings for that game (prompting an argument between Steve Nicol and some fella named Moreno, see below), but on reflection I should have given him ten. We lost 3-0 but none of the goals were anything to do with him, and it would have been an even heavier defeat without him. ratings.mp4 The most iconic moment from that game for me was the late break Barca had from one of our corners. Messi led the charge, with Alba to his right and Suarez to his left. In their way? Just one man. Andy Robertson. The world’s greatest player with the ball at his feet and two team-mates flanking him, against a Scottish full back who two years earlier was fighting an unsuccessful relegation battle with Hull. A goal seemed certain, but Robbo held Messi up as long as he could until he eventually chose to lay it off to Suarez, and as soon as he did that he turned on the after burners, closed him down and blocked the shot. It was one of the best moments of the entire season, and given what would happen a week later you can also argue it was one of the most important. If Robbo doesn’t snuff out that counter attack, there’s almost certainly no “number six” in the trophy cabinet. Because he isn’t exotic, or flashy, or always drawing attention to himself on social media, he probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He gets plenty, but considering how fantastic a player he is, his brilliance isn’t lauded enough as far as I’m concerned. Andy Robbo is T-Bone Steak flavoured Roysters. Ok, I’ve lost you there, but stay with me as it will all make sense in a second. It’s only when you eat a pack of T-Bone Steak Roysters you realise “fuck me, these might actually be the best crisps out there”. They’re overlooked though, probably because you can buy six bags for a quid in Poundstretcher. People think, if you can get six packs for a quid there must be a reason for that. Then you get Marks & Spencer charging £2 for a packet of crisps, and to justify it they give it a fancy name to make it sound exotic. “Four Cheese & Red Onion”. It’s still just cheese and onion!! Who do you think you’re fooling with that pretentious bollocks? Loads of people, as it turns out. Don’t get me wrong, those Marks & Spencers crisps are good, but they can’t hold a candle to T-Bone Roysters despite the big difference in price and the fancy packaging. Benjamin Mendy is one of those fancy, overpriced packets of Marks & Spencer crisps. Robbo is Roysters. Bought from an unfashionable outlet for a knockdown price, but the best value you’ll ever get for your money. Best Moment: Foiling the ‘three v one’, calling Suarez ‘fat’ at half time in the Nou Camp tunnel or giving Messi a clip round the ear. Take your pick, they were all iconic moments. Worst Moment: Being forced off at half time after being taken out by Suarez. It all turned out fine in the end, but for a little while it looked like Suarez had put one over on him and that would have stung him. In the end it didn’t matter, because Robbo is a European Champion. Rating 10/10. Other than chipping in with a few goals I don’t know how he could improve on this.

As with Joel Matip, I’ve chosen to largely ignore the first few months of the season when Fabinho hardly played. Matip didn’t play because initially he was injured, and then he couldn’t get in the team. With Fabinho it was different. He was fit, he just wasn’t selected. It may have been frustrating for him at the time, but given the way things turned out he will surely understand now why he didn't get a look in for a while. Jurgen played this one absolutely perfectly. Of course it’s easier to leave out a big money new arrival when the team are winning virtually every week, but even so, Klopp was still being grilled about why Fabinho wasn’t playing but he wouldn’t be rushed. Fabinho was barely seen for months. He didn’t even make the bench sometimes, despite arriving with a big reputation (not to mention a big price tag) from Monaco. This caused a bit of unnecessary panic from some fans and a lot of bollocks to be written by some sections of the media. There was even speculation of him being sold back to France in the January window. There was never any chance of that happening. Anyone with any sort of clue knew what was going on. Klopp has simply gone back to the old ways of letting players learn ‘the Liverpool Way’ rather than immediately throw them in to the side. There are exceptions of course, some players go straight in and take off immediately. Others have needed time, and they’ve been given it. Last season it was Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain who needed a few months to pick it up, this year it was Fabinho and Naby Keita, and to a certain extent Xherdan Shaqiri too. Keita had been expected to hit the ground running due to coming from a system and style at Leipzig that was not unlike Klopp’s, but for Fabinho it was a whole different ball game. He was learning to adapt to a new league, a new country, new team-mates and most crucially, a new style of play which is pretty complex and takes time to learn. It’s not like we were desperate and needed to throw him in. We had Henderson and Wijnaldum for the number six role so Klopp had the luxury of taking his time with the Brazilian and spending time on the training ground getting him familiar with what is required. The first we saw of him was as a last minute substitute against PSG in September. He played 87 minutes of the EFL Cup loss to Chelsea and got 15 minutes off the bench away at Napoli. Another sub appearance came in the win at Huddersfield in late October, and then he started three games on the bounce. He looked good in the first two, but the pace of the third one (away at Arsenal) seemed too much for him. At this time Klopp was experimenting with different tactical set ups and I felt as though the formation change to 4-2-3-1 was to make things easier for Fabinho (and also Shaqiri) to come in and play their natural game. Expecting Fabinho to play the ‘six’ role at that early stage was perhaps unrealistic, and having done well as part of a two against Red Star and Cardiff it was probably no co-incidence that his struggles at the Emirates came when he was left ‘alone’ in a 4-3-3. Pep Ljinders later said something about how they felt he was playing too deep and that although he was the best in the world at defending in front of the centre backs, he struggled covering across from side to side. These are the things he needed to learn, and learn them he did. As soon as Fabinho got himself comfortable and was able to hold down the fort on his own, he just went from strength to strength. In fact, I could make a decent argument that since January he’s been as dominant and as influential as Virgil Van Dijk. He’s an absolute monster, capable of just taking over the middle of the pitch and bossing things. He’s a tackling machine, he reads the game brilliantly and he can pick a pass as well. I look at him and see a mixture of Didi Hamann and Patrick Vieira, with a bit of Javier Mascherano thrown in too. The spine of our team now with Alisson, Van Dijk and Fabinho, is pretty damn intimidating isn’t it? Imagine being an opposition player lining up next to them in the tunnel. Just big, physical specimens who can all play. They're bigger than you and they're better than you. How do you overcome that? You don;t. With him on the field we look to have gone up an extra level. Scoring goals against us when we’ve got Alisson, Van Dijk and Fabinho on the pitch is incredibly difficult for anyone. It’s not just the defensive side that makes Fabinho so important though. He just brings a calm to the team. He settles things down. He was even brilliant on a couple of occasions when he needed to play centre back too. Matip said it best I think: “Fabinho is amazing. You always know you can play the ball to him, even a shit ball, he does not get stressed. When he makes a tackle…his leg seems to get longer and longer, like a gadget.” Matip also referenced the Barca game at Anfield and how it looked like there were three or four Fabinho’s on the pitch because he was everywhere. It was an incredible display. To play the way he did, despite being on a yellow card for 80 minutes, almost defied belief. That night Fabinho was like the end of level boss you can’t beat on a video game and by full time both Suarez and Messi had thrown their control pads at the TV in frustration. We’ve got some cracking options in the middle of the park, but I don’t think I’m wrong is stating that our midfield now is Fabinho plus two others. Rating 9/10. As I said, since January he might have been our best player. Best Moment: The second leg against Barca. One of the greatest defensive midfield performances I’ve ever seen, capped by that visceral roar into the face of Suarez. Worst Moment: Not being picked by Brazil for the Copa America despite being the best defensive midfielder in Europe in 2019. This is even worse than picking Jesus over Bobby. Are they mental? The Future? I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he was Player of the Year next season. I can see him becoming ‘the midfield Van Dijk’ and just completely dominating everyone next year. I think I should also mention his missus here. Often, particularly with South American players, the wives don’t really settle. Or at least that’s an excuse regularly used when they want to leave (not specifically us here, I’m talking across the board). From day one though Fab’s other half became some kind of Liverpool Superfan. She was wearing the shirt on the plane over when he was signing, and she’s never off Twitter posting about the Reds. I’m not saying he’ll stay here forever but one thing I don’t think we need to worry about is his wife pushing for him to move. Hell, she might stay even if he goes.

A couple of weeks ago I did player ratings in my monthly column for the Norwegian supporters club magazine, “the Kopite”. Even though the ratings were done the day before the Champions League Final, the ratings I gave each player in “the Kopite” will be the same as the ones I’ll be doing on here too. With just one exception - Alisson. I gave him 8 out of 10 in the Kopite, which on reflection was…. well, it was bollocks. I did him a dis-service. Like I say, the ratings were written the day before the final, but it was not his performance in that game that caused me to revise the rating I gave him. Well it was, just not in the way you’d think, but I’ll explain that shortly. So why did I ‘only’ give him an eight initially? My justification for it was that he made several mistakes that have been mostly forgotten about because either they didn’t result in a goal, or if they did, never cost us points. I stand by that point, if not the overall rating. Two examples off the top of my head are a cross he misjudged against Cardiff that Sean Morrison should have buried (the ref would have given a foul anyway, but there didn’t look much wrong with it to me) and an incident at Anfield late in the season (can’t remember who it was against) when he came out for a ball and missed it, the ball hit him in the face and then popped up perfectly for him to grab it. There were other similar ones throughout the season, which I accept is no big deal as it goes with the job. All keepers make mistakes, it’s unavoidable. The only reason I bring them up is to explain why I was ‘only’ giving him an eight and not higher. Alisson made a fair few errors but I don’t think they cost us a single point. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, but if you can be both then that’s perfect, and finally it looks like we have a keeper who fits that description. Alisson is great, and he also seems like he has Lady Luck in his corner. Neither Mignolet or Karius could ever be described as ‘lucky’ and many wouldn’t call them ‘good’ either, although I have a lot of time for big Simon so I’ll always fight his corner. As for ‘the Instagram Kid’? Yeah, that’s not a hill I’m prepared to die on, sorry. It always felt to me like any time Mignolet made a mistake it ended up costing us a goal. The poor bloke never got away with anything. Alisson made some blunders this year that Mignolet would have been slated for, but most of the time his blushes were spared because the ball didn’t end up in the net, or if it did it didn’t cost us points. For example, he was at fault for Jesse Lingard’s goal at Anfield but no-one remembers that now because Xherdan Shaqiri came off the bench and won the game for us. Virgil bollocked him for that one, but you’ve probably forgotten that too (as I had) because we won. The one Alisson mistake people do remember was at Leicester when he was caught showboating, but even that didn’t cost us points because we held on for the win. He learned a lesson that day and promised he wouldn’t do anything like that again, and he was true to his word. He didn’t do anything even remotely like that. What he did do was make big saves on the rare occasions we needed him to. The Napoli one stands out, but there were others too, usually in one v one situations where he’s absolutely sensational. The one at Old Trafford to deny Lingard was special, and the one against Jordy Alba just before half time at Anfield was crucial. He was immense that night. Another one that springs to mind was at Burnley late on when we were holding onto a 2-1 lead. Seconds later he started the counter attack that led to us making it 3-1. There was another top save at home to Brighton that preserved a win, a cracker to deny Everton at the Kop end and he was magnificent away at Chelsea. He’s come up big in important moments and I’m struggling to think of any keeper out there I’d rather have. I don’t know if he’s the best in the world but he’s definitely in the conversation, and there’s no-one better in the Premier League since David De Gea morphed into Massimo Taibi. So all of the above explains how I arrived at a rating of eight, but the below explains why I was talking through my arse. The final made me realise the error of my ways, but not because he was my star man on the night. Yes, he had a really good game and made some fine saves, but it wasn’t one of those eye popping games when the keeper is making all kinds of spectacular saves. Virtually every save was one that you’d have been disappointed if he hadn’t made it. So what caused my change of heart? It was more of a realisation that he doesn’t often have to make ‘difficult’ looking saves because his fundamentals are so good that he’s rarely stretched. I’m no goalkeeping expert, but I’m now of the opinion that Alisson doesn’t have to make full length miraculous saves because his footwork and his positioning is so good. He makes the difficult look easy, without us even realising he’s done it. Mignolet seems to idolise him and has even publicly stated that he has no complaints about being Alisson's back up as he's one of the best in the world. This is part of what has made me think again about what makes a great keeper. If he isn't always making brilliant saves, yet people keep saying he's one of the best in the world, why would that be? Fundamentals. Things that the layman wouldn't really notice. This brings me back to the final. Some of those saves he made didn’t look anything special but for another keeper they might have been, that’s if they made them at all. Take the Eriksen free-kick for example. It was a good save but it wasn’t a ‘how did he keep that out?’ moment. If he’d been a step more to his right though, maybe it would have been. Or worse, maybe it would have been a goal. If he’d just failed to get there most of us would probably have said “the shot was too good, he had no chance”. If I had a quid for every time I've said that about a goal Mignolet let in I’d have enough to… well it wouldn’t even pay him a day’s wages, but it’s still a lot. It’s nonsense though. I realise that now. I feel like I’ve had an epiphany. For years I’d judge keepers on their great saves or bad mistakes. The mistakes part is relevant as you don’t want a goalie who’s dropping clangers all the time, but the great saves thing is overstated. Sometimes a great save only looks great because the positioning was shit. Unless you’re a goalkeeping guru (which I'm certainly not) you probably wouldn’t even notice that. Alisson has maybe made half a dozen “great” saves this season, but it's likely that a load of those routine ones are only routine because he’s so damn good. The other thing that needs to be taken into account is that even when he’s made a mistake, you’d never know it from looking at him afterwards. He doesn’t let it affect him, and his team-mates don’t let it worry them either. He just keeps on being a big, bearded, dominant sexy bastard, oosing machismo. All of this has brought a sense of calm to the position that we haven’t had since before Reina tacked on mass and sacrificed flexibility. Alisson knows he’s boss, his team-mates know he’s boss, and the crowd knows he’s boss. The best thing is there’s still room for improvement. We’ve got ourselves a great one here. Best Moment: The save against Napoli. Without that, there’s no ‘number six’ and even worse, we’d have gone into the Europa League. The damage that would have done to our morale might have torpedoed the entire season. Worst Moment: Only being given 8 out of 10 by some divvy writing in "the Kopite". Other than that, probably the mistake at Leicester, although it was a blessing in disguise as it knocked the cockiness out of him early on. Rating 9 / 10 Not perfect enough to get a ten but a fantastic first season.

One of the least likely success stories in recent times. Two years ago he was loaned out because he was (rightfully) behind Dom Solanke in the pecking order. One year ago he was on the market but nobody was willing to meet an asking price reported to be around £20m. Wolves were the one club who seemed genuinely interested last summer, but they wouldn’t pay the asking price and the rest is history. As it turns out, the goals he scored this season were worth more than double the fee we wanted for him. Funny old game, Saint. I’ll be honest, I’d have happily seen Divock leave last summer as he’d done nothing for two years and there was no reason to think this year would be any different. He didn’t exactly light it up in pre-season, and with Sturridge looking rejuvenated and fitter than he’d done for years, Origi just looked like a spare part. There was nothing to suggest he’d have much of a role to play and that’s why he was available for such a relatively low fee. £20m might not seem like that low a fee, but in today’s market it really is. He’s an international striker and only 24 years of age. Someone really should have taken him for £20m but luckily for us they never. It’s really tough getting a handle on him. For a while there he looked like he was going to be a real player, but after the Funes Mori tackle he just wasn’t the same. I don’t think it was the injury itself that did the damage, it was more that it came at a time when he was absolutely killing it, and when he came back he wasn’t at the same level and his confidence suffered. He just never looked the same and his loan in Germany last year was mostly a waste of time. This late season impact he’s had just pretty much came out of nowhere. He deserves every bit of adulation that comes his way though because the success he had was a direct result hard work and a fantastic attitude. I can't praise him enough. He started the season completely out of the picture but through hard work and patience he managed to turn things around completely, to the point where he’s ended the season as an Anfield legend. His name will go down in history thanks to the immense contribution he made to ‘number six’. It really is one of the unlikeliest success stories of modern times. Back in August he wasn’t even getting on the bench. He wasn’t really wanted, either by us or anyone else. Yet by the end of the season he was scoring twice at Anfield in a 4-0 win over Barcelona and then bagging one in the final. How did he do it? Hard work and a great attitude. It’s that simple really. He could have sulked and given up, but he did the opposite. He kept his head down, didn’t complain and just tried to train as well as he could and catch the manager’s eye. With the front three automatic selections, and Sturridge and Shaqiri starting the season in great form, we barely saw Divock at all. He got 11 minutes against Red Star in November, and then as a desperate throw of the dice in December’s Derby he got six minutes plus stoppage time. Of course we all know what happened at the end of those six minutes plus stoppage time. One of the all time classic derby moments as well as one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Klopp sprinting across the turf just added to the hilarity. He started the next game, away at Burnley, but didn’t do much and then had to wait a month for another chance in an FA Cup tie against Wolves. He worked harder than anyone on the field that night and although he wasn’t brilliant, he did score and his attitude stood out like a beacon on an evening when virtually everybody else stank the place out. He’d earned a shot and after that he was usually a part of the match day squad, regularly getting a few minutes at the end of games. He scored against Watford on a rare start and then of course he came off the bench to score the winner at Newcastle. Ultimately that didn’t count for a great deal but at the time it felt huge. Three days later came Barcelona. He had to start that one because Bobby was out and Mo picked up a concussion at St James. We didn’t miss either of them because Origi delivered big time. The first goal was a case of being in the right place at the right time but the second was a great finish and also showed he was on his toes. No-one else, from either side, was paying attention at that moment except Alexander-Arnold and Origi. The goal will be remembered for generations to come. Firmino was fit for the final, well, sort of, so Origi was back on the bench. As soon as he came on though I knew he’d score. Not because I think he’s some sort of superstar, but because it just felt inevitable based on how the season had gone for him. He was pretty poor actually (along with every other attacker on the field, except maybe Sadio who was ok), but the finish was brilliant. Left foot, bottom corner, keeper no chance. I still don’t really know what Origi is though. Since he’s been at the club his form has fluctuated wildly. I thought he was shite, then I thought he was good, then he was shite again and now I don’t have a clue. He’s nowhere near as good as the big three, yet he has shown a knack for delivering in vital moments. Has he just been lucky this season? Maybe. Or maybe he’s just one of those players who won’t necessarily contribute much in the build up and will often look poor, but who will get you a goal when you really need it. If you put a gun to my head and asked me if he’s good enough to stay and provide competition for the front three I’d say “no”. But I’d feel incredibly guilty about it and probably hate myself. Rating 7/10: Really difficult this because in terms of the impact he had and the size of his contributions, it’s a 10. But it also has to be based on performances. He didn’t really play much and when he did play, he was alright but nothing more. Best Moment: I don’t know. I’ve thought long and hard about it, but how do you choose? He scored one of the most dramatic - and most hilarious - goals in the history of the Merseyside Derby. Ordinarily that would be the highlight of anyone’s season, and in many cases career, but then he scored twice in the greatest game in Anfield history. And he wasn’t done there, as he scored in a European Cup final. So in short, I don’t know, but if I have to choose I’ll go with his second goal against Barca. Worst Moment: He could have won the game at West Ham for us in the last minute but couldn’t take the chance. It wasn’t a sitter or anything, but if he’d earned us two extra points there then we’d be Champions and I’d be petitioning the club to build a statue of him. I might still do it anyway. The Future? He might sign a new contract and stay or he might leave for regular football. Who knows? Whatever happens, he’s guaranteed himself a place in Anfield folklore after his exploits this season.