When the team are struggling, sometimes it takes one player to do something amazing on his own to ignite his teammates. Quite often this can come in the form of a great run that sees the player glide past several opponents before either scoring a screamer themselves, or laying the opportunity off to someone else.
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Here are the top ten dribblers in Liverpool side, ranked by how many times in the Premier League their mazy runs have been deemed to end successfully by WhoScored:
10. Alberto Moreno (13)
The Spaniard has been for most of the season, bounding down the left-hand side, whether it be as a full-back, wing-back, or winger. His best dribble resulted in a stunning goal during the thrashing of Tottenham on the second week of the season.
9. Joe Allen (14)
The Welshman is probably better known for his distribution skills, and boasts one of the passing success rates in the side, but he has also attempted a series of runs with the ball before passing it on to a teammate.
8. Daniel Sturridge (15)
When he has been fit this season, the England international has often been alone up top with the wingers attempting to feed off him. Given the isolation, it is no surprise that he has felt forced to create something himself by going on a run.
7. Lazar Markovic (20)
It has been a difficult year for the 21-year-old, but the 20 successful runs he has been on proves that he has a lot of technical ability, and will be looking to back that up next year with a larger impact.
6. Glen Johnson (22)
Like Moreno on the other flank, Johnson hasn’t been afraid to burst down the right-hand side, whether it be with the ball or in support of his teammates. While it didn’t come from a dribble, his one goal in the Premier League this year came from a run down the right.
5. Jordon Ibe (24)
When the youngster collects the ball, we are urging him to run with it because he is already displaying an ability to make something happen. Opponents have looked completely out of ideas when it comes to stealing the ball off him. His growing confidence shows as he features high on the list without being around the side for much of the campaign.
4. Adam Lallana (30)
The winger developed a reputation at Southampton for being able to make the ball appear glued to his feet, and scored a couple of wonderful solo goals for them. While he has taken a while to adapt to playing for us, he is starting to find those feet again. His last goal came in the recent defeat against Crystal Palace, where he picked the ball up just inside the Eagles’ half and ran through on goal, before lifting it into the top corner.
3. Emre Can (34)
The German’s technical ability as a midfielder has made his transition into defence fairly smooth. Playing on the right-hand side of either a back three or four has allowed him the freedom to get down the line. It was a short dribble that led to his only goal of the season, when he hit a deflected strike against Chelsea back in November.
2. Raheem Sterling (103)
Being a selfish player is not always a bad thing, as long you back it up with goals or assists. Raheem Sterling has gone on 208 dribbles, but is the only man in the top ten to have more unsuccessful attempts than successful ones, with 103 runs ending well. His best moment came in the League Cup semi-final where he danced through the Chelsea team to score, although that would not have counted to his league statistics.
1. Philippe Coutinho (109)
Along with Raheem Sterling, the Brazilian is miles out in front of his teammates. However, he has a much better success rate than the England international. His 109 successful dribbles have helped to make him our player of the season. His large bag of tricks allow for him to dribble past opponents with ease, before normally making something special happen at the end of the run.