Jordon Ibe stole the show on Friday, despite Liverpool being held to a 1-1 draw by the Malaysia XI, and with that our pre-season tour of the Far East comes to an end. Three victories – four if you include the Felda United training game – as well as the draw in Kuala Lumpur surely represents a successful trip all in all.
SEE MORE:
Liverpool player ratings vs Malaysia XI – Jordon Ibe stars, but defenders struggle
Five things we learned during 1-1 draw v Malaysia XI – Origi, Moreno and more
Liverpool’s team vs Malaysia XI in 2011 – Where are they now?
Of course, there will still be plenty for Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff to discuss before the new season starts, including how to fit in those players that weren’t on the tour – Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Emre Can – into his side.
But for now, here’s our run down of the hits and misses of the last couple of weeks…
Goalkeepers:
Simon Mignolet (2 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 6
He had little to do in truth, conceding just one goal during his two-and-a-half games. Encouragingly, he did the little things well – such as his handling and positioning – and looked like the confident man of January onwards.
Adam Bogdan (2 start, 0 sub, 0 goal) – 6
The Hungarian should be pleased with his work, particularly against the Malaysia XI. He looked like a decent presence behind the back four and made a couple of nice saves as well. No chance with the goal. Looking good.
Ryan Fulton (No appearances) – N/A
Defenders:
Nathaniel Clyne (3 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 7
Our new man gave us exactly what we would have expected – great work-rate down the right-hand side, some sumptuous deliveries from the flank and a clear ability to track back well and defend. Plenty to build on for sure.
Joe Gomez (3 start, 0 sub, 0 goal) – 9
Three exceptional performances from the teenager, who looks like the bargain of the summer at this stage. He proved that he was capable on both the right and left-hand side of defence and has a real shot at starting v Stoke.
Dejan Lovren (2 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
There’s definitely been a few moments that the Croatian would rather forget here. He did okay Down Under, but his performances in Malaysia was truly woeful – at both ends of the pitch – his position is looking mighty unstable.
Alberto Moreno (1 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
Injury delayed the Spaniard’s return to the side and he was only able to start one game, against Malaysia on Friday. Ultimately, that could cost him his place come our trip to Stoke. He’s been very much outshone by Gomez.
Kolo Toure (1 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 6
There are never going to be any surprises in terms of his style of play, we know what we’re getting, and he’s proved here that he’s still capable of being a decent back-up player. His leadership skills will surely also come in handy.
Andre Wisdom (1 start, 0 sub, 0 goal) – 5
After returning from his loan spell at West Brom, the defender only got 45 minutes to show Brendan Rodgers what he’s capable of. It will be interesting to see whether another loan spell is awaiting the big man this summer.
Daniel Cleary (0 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
Looked a little nervous on debut, and understandably so. He gave the ball away on a couple of occasions and will hope that he gets another chance to prove himself among the first-team players somewhere down the road.
Martin Skrtel (3 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 6
There were a couple of uncharacteristically sloppy moments from the Slovakian throughout the tour, something which will have a lot of fans worried. He can still do a job, but we certainly shouldn’t be relying on him alone.
Mamadou Sakho (2 start, 0 sub, 1 goal) – 7
Looked very confident in the couple of games he played and deserved his goal when it came in Thailand. He’ll have been a little take aback to have been left out of the last couple of games, but he’s shown what he can do for sure.
Joe Maguire (0 start, 3 sub, 0 goal) – 6
The youngster will be pleased with his efforts, as well as the decent amount of game-time he got. He certainly did nothing wrong and this could be one to watch from the academy team next year. Perhaps the next Jon Flanagan?
Midfielders:
Joe Allen (1 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 6
Injury kept him out of the game in Brisbane and he didn’t feature in Malaysia either. But he’ll be pleased with his work in Adelaide, and will have to hope that it’s enough to endear him to the manager ahead of Emre Can’s return.
Jordan Henderson (3 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 8
The new captain looked supremely confident, with the armband being proudly worn for all but 45 minutes of our tour. His passing, movement and work-rate all looked excellent, with a goal all that was lacking from his efforts.
Lucas Leiva (3 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 7
Mr Consistency, the Brazilian can always be relied upon to put in a shift, and the four games here were no different. He’s the only out-and-out holding man in our squad and that could well work in his favour come Stoke.
James Milner (3 start, 1 sub, 2 goal) – 8
What a fantastic start for another of our new signings. The former Manchester City man looked right at home in our midfield alongside Henderson, working hard and doing all the right things. A couple of fine goals as well.
Pedro Chirivella (0 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
Only got a couple of minutes at the end of our final game. He’ll surely be pleased just to have been there.
Jordan Rossiter (1 start, 2 sub, 0 goal) – 6
We all know about how he burst on to the scene during the cup game last year, so it was pleasing to see the young midfielder back in action. He looks a little more Spearing than Gerrard right now, but one to stick with for sure.
Attacking Midfielders:
Joao Carlos Teixeira (1 start, 0 sub, 0 goal) – 7
He might have only played 45 minutes, but he couldn’t have done much more to help his cause. After skipping his holiday and recovering from a broken leg just to be on the plane, he set up Markovic for our opening goal.
Jordon Ibe (2 start, 2 sub, 1 goal) – 8
What a goal that was against Malaysia. His stunning left footed drive into the top corner has had people waxing lyrical for hours on social media. He’s getting better with every passing game and this should be a big year for him.
Ryan Kent (0 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
Got a few minutes in Brisbane and will look to kick-on with the Under-21s next season.
Sheyi Ojo (0 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
It was a shame not see a bit more of the winger, following his success at Wigan, but he did okay in Malaysia.
Harry Wilson (No appearances) – N/A
Adam Lallana (3 start, 1 sub, 2 goal) – 8
He’s definitely looking back to somewhere near his best. He’s going to be much better off for having a pre-season under his belt and hopes will be high that we’ll see him firing again soon, just as he always did for Southampton.
Lazar Markovic (1 start, 1 sub, 1 goal) – 7
Looked good in Thailand and will surely be disappointed that he got less than an hour on the pitch over the course of the tour. His chances could well be limited next season, but he’s done his chances no harm at all here.
Strikers:
Danny Ings (2 start, 1 sub, 1 goal) – 7
Worked incredibly hard whenever he got a chance. Deserved a goal in each of the first two games but eventually had to wait until our match in Adelaide before he did find the net. Should start the year as third-choice striker.
Rickie Lambert (1 start, 1 sub, 0 goal) – 5
Played his normal game. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t look good enough for this rapidly evolving squad. So, with that in mind, the arrivals of Ings, Origi and Christian Benteke are not going to make his situation any easier.
Divock Origi (3 start, 1 sub, 1 goal) – 6
Looked like a world-beater in the first game. He was all over the defenders, winning the ball and deservedly getting his goal at the end. His subsequent performances have been a little more low key, but promising stuff.
