As Luis Suarez grabbed the ball from the back of the net and sprinted to the half-way line, we could all be forgiven for thinking ‘it’s on’, as Liverpool looked to some how haul back Manchester City and their superior goal-difference. 3-nil up with barely 10 minutes of the second half to go, and a Newcastle side that have seemingly been on their summer holidays since last summer, and it looked like it was becoming less and less impossible. How things can change in 30 minutes.
With almost 2 days having passed since the Premier League title was all but handed to Manchester City, tempers and emotions may have settled enough to objectively take a look at how Liverpool’s players performed against Crystal Palace. Check out Live4Liverpool’s player ratings after the jump:
Simon Mignolet – 6: Made a couple of great reaction saves when Palace had a good spell, prior to their 3-goal burst but his lack of command in the area continues to leave Liverpool’s defence without direction from behind them.
Jon Flanagan – 7: Perhaps the only defender to come out the other side with some credit. Made few mistakes, but offered little going forward.
Martin Skrtel – 7: Skrtel has been hands down Liverpool’s best defender this season but when the team continues to concede 2, 3, 4 practically every week it’s hard to really take that as a compliment. Lost concentration, after being imperious early on, but when those around you fail to cover or step up with you, there really isn’t a great deal you can do.
Mamadou Sakho – 5: While many will continue to wheel out the passing stats, the most important aspects of defending are: concentration, leadership and, funnily enough, defending and no matter how often his passing stats are above 95% his constant lapses in concentration – along with his teammates – will continue to cost the team points.
Glen Johnson – 4: Oh Glen, you promised so much but after this season you may well have hammered the final nail into your coffin. A decent attacking display in the first half gave way to a typically lax, lazy defensive performance in the second half and no matter how often he was caught out in the opposition half, he just didn’t learn. Johnson has long had the attributes to be one of the world’s best in his role but it may well be that the time has come for somebody else to try and coax it out of him.
Steven Gerrard – 5: Even when the side were coasting at 3-nil, Gerrard looked a little off the pace. Much has been said of his performances in the ‘quarterback’ role, but as evidenced numerous times this season, using a player in this position often leaves the team lacking defensively in that area and it showed once again against Palace once the home side eventually woke up. Would perhaps benefit the team to see Gerrard adopting a new role next season, or used more sparingly in that role to retain fitness and energy levels. Seemed to still be in shock after last week.
Lucas Leiva – 6: The midfielder has struggled greatly since his return but the constant claims that he isn’t good enough (again) won’t be helping, particularly as Rodgers has – strangely – opted to use the holding player as a much more attacking player, which he has shown in every game he isn’t suited to. It’s hard not to wonder whether Liverpool would’ve conceded a couple less had he been screening the defence. But if Rodgers continues to select him there, he’ll likely lose out to a returning Henderson.
Joe Allen – 7: Another improved performance from Allen who took his goal well but, like Lucas, probably needs to do more if he’s to retain his position once Henderson returns.
Raheem Sterling – 6: For large swathes of the game Sterling was Liverpool’s most impressive player but his performance trailed off in the second half. Has had a great season and will be a big player for Liverpool next season.
Daniel Sturridge – 6: Clearly still not fit but his quality in front of goal still shone through when needed most.
Luis Suarez – 7: Says a lot about the man that, even after vomiting prior to kick off and clearly not being 100%, he was still head and shoulders above everybody else on the pitch. Visibly distraught at the final whistle, and rightly so, as his own commitment and work-rate failed to be matched by that of some of his team mates.
Subs:
Philippe Coutinho – 6: Little time to make an impact but if the manager was going to bring him in, it really should’ve been when the team had their tails up at 3-nil.
Victor Moses – 5: Unfair to give him a rating when he wasn’t on for long but, while it’s never nice to criticise a Liverpool player, the sooner he’s back at his parent club, the better.
Lucas, Johnson, Sakho, Allen and (hate to say it) Gerrard should be out in the summer, (and i idolise Gerrard) Gerrard, lucas and Johnson are spent forces, Sakho and Allen just are’nt up to it. Kelly, Toure, Borini, Aspas, Alberto, (Moses, Sissokho) should go too. Big clear out i know, nessesary though.
Just Johnson needs culling from the 1st team for me – so overrated it’s not true!!!! Possibly Skyrtel as well as he lacks positioning sense.
Now it’s all over. It was after Chelsea but we just collapsed v palace.
One more game and a thorough analises is needed . Find out what went wrong, rectify for next season.
BR has done great this season (I’m his critic by the way), but failure started with Simon mignolet ahead of Reina! Hands up who thinks he is an upgrade? Costly mistakes time and again…..will grow but still made many errors.
Holding mf player in January anyone ? Instead of konoplanka , who’s another attacking player?
Moving on, Gerrard. Lost it v Norwich. Watch the game again! He was nervous with a two goal lead.
Rogers, why not call the bluff that mr Mourinho asked? He came for a draw! We kept attacking with no way through.
Should have gone back in our own half on the 20 min mark….
Palace? What were the players thinking? Goal difference? The odds on us winning by 11 goals (minimum) the next two games, had to be 120 /1 . The odds of winning the league simply on points….around 1/7.
Anyway, everything needs to be looked at .
Proud of the team and how they play but sometimes, they need to use the head not heart! Stronger next season
YNWA
Please get rid of sakho. Rubbish. Who apart from rodgers thinks he’s better than agger? I’m sure there are teams in france who would love him. I never want to see him in a liverpool shirt again. Rubbish
B Rodgers was at fault vs Palace, he lost us the game.
He never ever wants to take off L Suarez, L Suarez is the best player in league, he was last season and has been this season. But he is human, he does need a rest, he doesn’t need to be played every minute and every game. After 58mins, L Suarez was exhausted he had nothing in the tank at all. He was absolutely knackered, he was ill before game.
So L Suarez should have been replaced by Coutinho.
B Rodgers took off the two fastest players in stadium off pitch, which was like telling palace, the game is done, we have got this.
What was he thinking? We had one more game to go and the season is over, sterling and sturridge should have played all game.
B Rodgers should have taken off Flannagan and Lucas and brought on D Agger and Cissokho and played 5 at back, then we would of been able to use Sterling and Sturridges pace on the break and wrap it up with few more goals. But as soon as he took off Sterling and Sturridge, The palace defence must have been laughing because Suarez was exhausted and knackered and was never going to stretch their defence and no one else in squad was going to, so the momentum was with them.
Rodgers wanted and needed goals, after going 3 0 up, he should of brought on D Agger, Cissokho and Coutinho for Flannagan, Lucas and Suarez. Then gone 5 3 2 with Gerrard and Allen beside one another , coutinho just in front of them and sterling and sturridge using their pace and speed in attack.
B Rodgers lost us game, no one else. He may not like D Agger(29) but Agger is the best playing centre back in world, he lacks mobility, pace,speed and strength. But he is Leader, and calm collective and good organiser.
Something we lacked during 12mins at Selhurst Park
We need huge clear out in summer: 12 players should be shown the door and replaced by 10 class quality players:
B Rodgers needs to ship out these 10 players:
GK: B Jones(32) GK: P Reina(31) RB: M Kelly(23) CB: S Coates(23)
CB: K Toure(33) DM: L Leiva(27) AM: L Alberto(21) RW: O Assaidi(25)
FD: I Aspas(26) FD: F Borini(22)
Those 10 players could bring in 35-45M to B Rodgers on sales, plus the 60-70m B Rodgers has been promised by owner this summer.
And B Rodgers needs to ship out the two abyzmal comical loan signings we brought to club this summer: LB: A Cissokho(27) LW: V Moses(22)
And then B Rodgers should replace those 12 players with these 10 class quality players:
Five/ 5 Defensive players: To shore up defence and back:
1: GK: A Mccarthy(24) Of Reading or D Marshall(29) Of Cardiff for 4-7M
2:CB: D Lovren(24) Of Southampton for 12-17M
3: RB:N Clyne(23) Of Southampton for 5-8M
4: LB: B Davies(20) Of Swansea for 4-7M
5:DM: Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 8-11M
Five/5 Attacking players:
6:CM: I Rakitic(25) Of Seville for 15-20M
7: AM: G Sigurdsson(24) Of Tottenham for 5-7M
8: LW: Y Konoplyanka(25) Of Dnipro for 12-16M
9: RW: I Munian(21) Of A Bilbao for 15-18M
10: FD: L Remy(27) Of QPR for 8-11M
The 12 players need to be shipped out in summer and replaced by these 10 class quality players.
Denis…..agree with who should be shipped out and even agree with two or three of the players you think should be brought in. However, there are bargains closer to home. Richards, rodwell, ings should all be considered. I note that will keane is coming to the end of his contract so take him as well. Give rossiter and ibe more games too. Sigurdsson no
Stevie,
All the players i have said need to be shipped out on are nice salaries but doing very little for the club and need to be shipped out this summer.
N Clyne(23) is class,quality player and i would take him over M Richards(25) any day of the week. M Richards(25) now is not the M Richards who came on the scene 7 years ago, he has had loads of injuries and is not the same player he was. Because if he was he would Englands N0 1 right back.
He would be a huge gamble, could he ever be as good as he was? Chelsea took a £50M gamble hoping Torres would be as good with them as he was with us, but that has never happened and he will never be the best striker in world again.
M Richards(25) is class good player but he is now injury prone and he there is no guarantee he can ever get back to his best 7 years ago.
Rodwell is ex everton player, so he will be last on the list of targets. J Rodwell is not in the class and calibre of Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan.
A Fully fit inury free motivated Y M’Vila(23) is as good as J Martinez(25) Of B Munich, just J Martinez(25) offers more creativity in attack. But J Martinez(25) cost B Munich £31.6M, B Rodgers can bring Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for £8-£11M
The reason i think G Sigurdsson will be brought to club this summer is because Tottenham do not want him and B Rodgers no matter what we say had him before and likes and rates the player very highly. And as Tottenham want him out , We could get him on cheap for £5-£7M
B Rodgers should bring in these cheap players and strengthen side in attack:
If B Rodgers decides to sell D Agger(29) this season, then i think Two centre backs should be brought to club as S Coates, K Toure need to be shipped out and we need one centre back anyway. But if B Rodgers sells D Agger(29) : B Rodgers should spend £23 on D Lovren(24) Of Southampton and S Caulker(22) Of Cardiff.
B Rodgers could raid rival premier ship teams for attacking players:
He could bring in A Lennon(27) and G Sigurdsson(24) to club for joint total of £14M
He could bring in B Arfa(27) Of Newcastle for £5-£7M also
And lastly he could bring in A Johnson(26) Of Sunderland in swap deal for F Borini(22)
Those four players all offer class, creativity, goals ,quality, premiership experience, mobility. Arfa(27) , Johnson(26) and Lennon(27) all have pace and speed with their game.
But i would prefer B Rodgers to spend serious money on : I Munian(21) Of A Bilbao RW
Y Konoplyanka(25) Of Dnipro LW
Those two players will cost club together between £35-£40M
But they are both worth it and are players who will only get better.
D Ings is a good Championship striker, but will he be a good premiership or champions league striker? for 8-£14M L Remy(27) is a proven goal scorer at all levels, he would guarantee club goals if ever Sturridge(24) or Suarez(27) are not in side. As he is world class striker, who is deadly finisher.
Now we are going to be playing against the elite sides in europe, we need good competition and cover for Sturridge(24) and Suarez(27) , L Remy(27) will guarantee any side in world goals and we should bring him to club for sure this summer. And have 3 class quality strikers at our disposal