Brendan Rodgers chose not to strengthen in January, meaning his current crop have a chance to impress…
Liverpool have been in excellent form over the last two months, losing just two of the last 19 competitive fixtures – one of which came after extra time – and moving to within four points of a Champions League place.
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The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling have continually impressed, while our new-look back three – along with born again midfielder Lucas Leiva – have been showing rapid signs of improvement.
Kop boss Brendan Rodgers will perhaps be hoping that their success rubs off on several other members of his squad, who all still have a point to prove after a difficult first half of the campaign.
Below, we rank the ten players who Liverpool fans are still hoping to see the best of this season, starting with summer signing Adam Lallana:
10) Adam Lallana
The former Southampton man has been restricted to just 14 Premier League starts so far this season, as he’s battled against a series of frustrating injuries. He’s shown serious flashes of his quality, but we’re desperate to see more – and he’ll face a task to start matched once Daniel Sturridge is permanently filling one of the attacking spots.
9) Jordon Ibe
The 19-year-old enjoyed a hugely productive loan spell with Derby County during the first-half of the season, encouraging Rodgers to recall him for the second-half of the campaign. Now he’s back, we need to see him make good on all that potential.
8) Divock Origi
The Belgian teenager will return to the club next season to be greeted by a wealth of expectation. However, having only managed four goals on loan at Lille this season, the last of which came in October, Rodgers and co. will be hoping to see a little more before he makes the move to Anfield.
7) Fabio Borini
The commendably stubborn Italian raised a fair few eyebrows when he chose to remain with the club and fight for his place last summer. He’s only managed one goal, but has made 16 appearances in all competitions. He has six months left to prove he belongs, but we need to see more quality, in all honesty.
6) Glen Johnson
The England international is out of contract in the summer. If he’s to remain with the club beyond the end of the season then he’ll need to prove that he still has quality on the pitch, as well as behind the scenes – where his experience likely proves invaluable.
5) Simon Mignolet
The Belgian has been rapidly improving since his return to the starting line-up at the end of last year. He’s only conceded seven goals in his last 11 appearances and the faith of his defenders is beginning to return. He now needs to continue this until the end of the season.
4) Joe Allen
The Welsh midfielder’s performances are being greeted with an increasing sense of frustration on Merseyside. His displays have been consistently poor. He needs to prove that he can bring something different to Rodgers and his squad.
3) Rickie Lambert
Lambert turned down a £5m deadline day move to Aston Villa in order to fight for his place with his boyhood club. The former Southampton striker has only managed three goals so far this season, but remains a useful back-up option for Rodgers’ side. He’ll be hoping his decision proves the correct one.
2) Dejan Lovren
The Croatian defender has been a huge let-down thus far. He’s made just 13 Premier League starts, the last of which came in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United. Our improvement can be traced back to him being left out of the team, and he has a huge fight on his hands to retake his place.
1) Mario Balotelli
The controversial Italian striker has been a huge disappointment, scoring just twice in all competitions. He has undoubted quality, as he’s proved with Manchester City, AC Milan and Italy, but has simply failed to settle at Anfield.
