Which Reds star is the most reliable when it comes to passing?
Ever wondered if Joe Allen really is the ‘Welsh Xavi’ or whether Jordan Henderson could be the next Jordan Henderson? Well wonder no longer, as we count down Liverpool’s top ten pass makers so far this season.
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In the list below, we count down the players in order of their pass success percentage during the 2014-15 Premier League campaign, with the numbers coming via football statistics website WhoScored.com.
Here we go…
10) Javier Manquillo – 82.2%
The youngster has barely featured since the turn of the year but is clearly doing something right, coming in ahead of the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson.
9) Glen Johnson – 83.2%
Another full-back, Johnson was originally brought to the club for his prowess on the ball and that hasn’t changed despite his ageing legs. Occasionally lets us down with his positioning but not with his possession play.
8) Dejan Lovren – 85.4%
The Croatian has had a mixed first season at Anfield, finding himself in and out of the team since the emergence of Emre Can back in December. Brought in as a ball-playing defender and has at least got that bit down.
7) Steven Gerrard – 85.7%
He might be 34 and approaching the day when he sets off into the Los Angeles sunset but he’s still more than capable of knocking the ball around like the best of them. The Reds’ No. 8 will be sorely missed.
6) Lucas Leiva – 86.4%
The Brazilian has been in fine form so far this season, doing his usual job in front of the back four (or three as it has been for much of this season). Clearly he’s also good at retaining possession as well as winning it.
5) Jordon Ibe – 87.9%
Another indication of the teenager’s superb start to his Liverpool career. The youngster has been a big miss for the Reds during his six weeks on the sidelines through injury. He returned to first-team training on Friday.
4) Joe Allen – 88.5%
He’s come in for a lot of criticism so far this season but if there’s an element of his game that can’t be questioned, it’s his short passing. While we’d love him to possess more of a cutting edge, he has a great platform to build-on.
3) Kolo Toure – 88.8%
Brendan Rodgers asks all his defenders to play a certain way and – setting aside his Arsenal nightmare – he’s had a pretty decent season. It will be interesting to see what part he has to play between now and the end of the season.
2) Mamadou Sakho – 89.5%
Another surprise inclusion but one that, for the same reasons as Toure, is not a completely unexplainable. The general perception is that the Frenchman doesn’t look comfortable on the ball but that’s clearly far from the truth.
1) Martin Skrtel – 90.5%
The Slovakian has been one of our stand-out players so far this season and was a huge miss against Arsenal last weekend. His presence at the back has become all the more assuring in recent years and it’s clear why.
