How Liverpool's players have been rated by the ECHO so far this season with Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas causing a stir
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Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
And then there was one. Having challenged on four fronts all the way up to the start of last month, Liverpool are now concentrating their energies on bringing home the Premier League title having opened up a 12-point lead at the summit. The recent Champions League exit and League Cup final defeat have put a downer on matters among supporters, but there's no doubt the start of the Arne Slot era has far exceeded expectations.
Not all players, though, have impressed quite as much as others, with the difficulties of some squad members adjusting to new roles and methods having been apparent, along with recent signs of fatigue.
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The ECHO has rated Liverpool's squad throughout the 47 games they have played in all competitions this season, marking them out of 10 for every appearance in which they played for at least 15 minutes.
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The men who have impressed
Few will be surprised Mohamed Salah (average rating 7.30) leads the rankings given an astonishing season in which he has 32 goals and 22 assists in 43 appearances. The last couple of weeks shouldn't detract from that fact.
Virgil van Dijk (7.05) has been similarly impressive, not least in terms of his consistency throughout the campaign. And while Caoimhin Kelleher (6.94) ended up on the losing side in a League Cup for the first time last weekend, his overall showings when deputising in goal have caught the eye.
Ibrahima Konate (6.94) is another centre-back to have shone this season, while first-choice shot-stopper Alisson Becker (6.89) underlined his position as arguably the best goalkeeper in the world with his performance in Paris earlier this month.
Ryan Gravenberch (6.83) has had a significant drop-off in the last six weeks but still rates highly on the strength of his form before Christmas, while the recent injury to Cody Gakpo (6.82) demonstrated how much Liverpool miss the Dutchman on the left flank.
Best of the rest
Joe Gomez (6.79) has been absent for two lengthy spells through injury but has stepped up when required at both centre-back and right-back.
The midfield has been key to Liverpool's success this season, and three of the four regular starters are closely matched. Dominik Szoboszlai (6.77) has managed to maintain his level throughout, Alexis Mac Allister (6.76) had a dip in late autumn while Curtis Jones (6.73) has done well when coming into various positions in the engine room.
Luis Diaz (6.63) started the season strongly on the left of the attack but gradually struggled when played down the centre, and since the New Year has been wildly inconsistent but clearly happier on the wing. Trent Alexander-Arnold (6.61) experienced a handful of indifferent showings but was rediscovering his form before injury struck at home to Paris Saint-Germain last week.
Neither Wataru Endo (6.60) nor Harvey Elliott (6.54) have started a Premier League game, but their performances in cup competitions and from the bench suggest they perhaps could have been used more.
Conor Bradley (6.53) has found this campaign a bit tougher due to a combination of injuries and being in and out of the team.
Must do better
Jarell Quansah (6.41) was very much out of the picture during the opening months and took time to recover, but has delivered decent performances when called upon in the last few months.
Andy Robertson (6.30) had a tough period for much of the winter but has shown better signs from mid-January onwards, but the underwhelming fortunes of both Darwin Nunez (6.30) and Diogo Jota (6.29) - the former admittedly hampered by fitness issues - underline why Liverpool will be in the market for a striker this summer.
And while there have been the occasional highlights, Kostas Tsimikas (6.27) is another whose future as a left-back option could come under scrutiny during the transfer window.
The remainder of the squad haven't featured enough to be considered, with Federico Chiesa averaging a rating of 6.50 for his eight scoring appearances.