Liverpool drew 1-1 verses Bordeaux in France tonight, with Brendan Rodgers reverting to the wing-back formation he often used in 2014/15.
Adam Lallana opened the scoring, but the French equalised after some sloppy defending.
Here’s how we rated the players.
GK) Simon Mignolet – 7
Held on to the ball well when Bordeaux shot from range and made one excellent close-range stop on the hour mark. Could do nothing about the goal.
DRC) Joe Gomez – 6.5
Gomez should have been far more aggressive for the French equaliser, where he allowed Crivelli too much space in a crowded area – when he should have just put his foot through the ball. Apart from the mistake, the youngster was solid in a central defence. Carried the ball out from the back superbly and won his individual battles mostly. Many fans will call for a Gomez/Sakho partnership instead of a Lovren/Skrtel one.
DC) Kolo Toure (Chirivella 28′) – n/a
Mignolet clattered him and his match was over early. Let’s hope the injury’s not a serious one.
DLC) Mamadou Sakho – 8
Pretty much faultless on his return to the side. Sakho was given the captaincy, and he looked strong whenever Bordeaux attacked. Great in the air, and passed well too. Surely he won’t be dropped for Sunday?
WBR) Jordon Ibe – 6
Was charged with providing the side width, and did that down the right – although he often found himself isolated without midfield support. He was happier going forward than he was defensively but didn’t really create any telling chances.
WBL) Alberto Moreno – 7.5
Much better in the second-half when he provided a consistent outlet down the left. His engine was fantastic, and it’ll be hard to deploy Gomez as a left-back at home to Norwich when Moreno offers so much more going forward. Decent deliveries, but sadly there were rarely players in the box to convert them.
MC) Jordan Rossiter – 6.5 (Brannagan – 80′ )
Really tidy in fairness, especially in the first. Rossiter didn’t bomb forward or provide unbelievable cover, but he made good decisions in possession and made crisp, zipped passes. You have to question whether he can really change a game at the highest level, but for now, he was promising.
MC) Emre Can – 6.5
Switched to right centre-back due to Toure’s injury, where he looked composed and strong. It’s not a popular opinion, but he actually looked better in defence than he has in midfield so far in 2015/16. There’s so much more he can offer though. After all – this guy now starts for Germany.
AMC) Coutinho – 7
Our best player by such a long way it’s embarrassing. The Brazilian wasn’t at his best, but still looked like the player most capable of making a difference. He dragged a left-footed shot wide early on and smacked the woodwork with a trademark long range effort as well.
AML) Adam Lallana – 7
A performance defined by one moment of genius. A nutmeg followed by a cool side-foot finish put us 1-0 up. It was about time Lallana arrived this term, and following his injury, he did. It was a moment worthy of a £26m playmaker. Elsewhere, he looked composed on the ball and dealt with it well in tight areas – but wasted it when in promising areas.
FC) Divock Origi (Ings 73′) – 6
Didn’t offer much as a centre-forward, but did come wide and hold the ball up relatively well. Made one good run, but was glad to be offside when he missed the target when one on one with the keeper.
Subs:
Chrivella – 6 – Looked nervy early on but settled. Not ready for the first-team yet though.
Brannagan – n/a – No time.
Ings – 6 – Almost scored a fantastic goal but didn’t feature apart from the close-range effort he created himself with a great take down.
