It has been a season to forget for Liverpool, in many ways, but they salvaged it at the death, showing great resilience in the final weeks.
The question is: which player stood out most in 2020/21?
This Is Anfield’s regular writers all gave their individual marks for each player, before an overall average was worked out – with ties decided by amount of games played.
Divock Origi
It’s no great surprise to see Origi bottom of the pile, as his Liverpool career threatens to peter out.
Injuries and ineffective form limited the Belgian to just 182 minutes of league action and his only goal of the campaign was against Lincoln City in the League Cup.
Time to go?
- Naby Keita
Keita’s infuriating time at Anfield continues, with another campaign to forget for the Guinean.
He was constantly plagued by fitness issues yet again, but even when he did play, there were too many insipid performances on show.
A lifeless showing against Real Madrid, when Keita was surprisingly picked over Thiago, epitomised his season.
- Neco Williams
There was hope that this season would see Williams kick on in a Liverpool shirt, but doubts remain about his role moving forward.
A reckless penalty conceded at Brighton summed up his raw nature, and while he remains second-choice right-back for now, he needs to go up a gear for things to stay that way.
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain is another who has been hard to rely on fitness-wise, with the midfielder never quite the same since his cruciate ligament injury in 2018.
The 27-year-old bagged a goal at Burnley, but only two starts sums up what has been a forgettable campaign.
If he stays at Liverpool, fine, but a move to a mid-table club wouldn’t be a surprise.
- Xherdan Shaqiri
Like Origi, Shaqiri has surely reached the end of the line at Liverpool.
The 29-year-old only managed seven starts and registered just two assists, having been strangely overlooked by Klopp despite being available for 30 consecutive games from the turn of the year.
Time for Harvey Elliott to take his squad role this summer?
- Joe Gomez
Gomez’s season was ruined by another serious knee injury, with question marks now surrounding whether he will return the same player as before.
Prior to that huge setback, the centre-back was showing signs of stepping up in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, producing an impressive run of form.
That being said, he was abysmal in the 7-2 loss at Aston Villa and actually lost his place to Joel Matip in the next game at Everton, before Van Dijk was scythed down by Jordan Pickford.
- Joel Matip
Is there a more frustrating Liverpool player than Matip?
When the Cameroonian was available, he looked a class act, shining without Van Dijk and Gomez around, but injuries were depressingly inevitable.
He hasn’t featured since January and cannot be relied upon as a first-choice option moving forward.
- James Milner
This was a season that finally saw age creeping up on Milner, even though he did well in some of his 36 appearances.
His effort levels and professionalism cannot be faulted, but his legs don’t have the limitless energy they once did and he looked one-dimensional at times.
Still an important figure when the injury crisis was at its worst, though, and is likely to spend one more year on Merseyside.
- Sadio Mane
By Mane’s elite standards, this was a stinker of a season, but TIA’s writers still deemed him to be somewhere in the middle of the pack.
The 29-year-old finished the campaign with a brace at home to Crystal Palace, which helps, but he was still a shadow of himself for too long.
Still, 11 goals and seven assists in the league is a tally that many wide players would be pleased with.
- Ozan Kabak
It looks as though Kabak won’t be retained this summer, but he should be remembered for doing a solid job at a horrendous time.
A calamitous performance away to Leicester aside, the Turk looked an assured presence as the games racked up, before he was struck down by injury.
Only turned 21 in March and three years younger than Nat Phillips, which many seem to ignore.
- Rhys Williams
Williams deserves to walk away from this season with his head held high, having filled in at the back during an unprecedented centre-back crisis.
The youngster was far from perfect, getting caught out horribly against Aston Villa‘s youngsters and almost gifting Burnley a couple of goals, but what else did you expect?
In those final weeks, he showed great heart in hugely pressurised matches, when he could easily have wilted.
- Roberto Firmino
Much like Mane, Firmino has dipped well below the level we expect from him, but he showed signs of life late in the day.
Too often balls bounced off him, he looked leggy and his finishing was erratic, but it is important to stress that there were moments of class, too.
The last-gasp winner at home to Tottenham was memorable, while an outrageous touch and finish at Palace was absolute peak Bobby.
- Gini Wijnaldum
Gini has played his last game for Liverpool, following a season of typical hard work and dependability.
As others disappeared to the treatment room, the Dutchman was an almost ever-present, putting in shift after shift during tough spells.
It wasn’t Wijnaldum’s best season for the Reds and he faded as it went on, understandably, but 51 appearances overall is a magnificent effort.
- Curtis Jones
Jones’ season peaked early on, meaning short-termism may work against him, but this was another big step in the right direction.
Back in the autumn, he was one of the form players at the club, scoring the winner against Ajax and showing maturity in his all-round work.
At 20, the sky is the limit for Jones – don’t be surprised to see him feature even more next season without Wijnaldum around.
- Nat Phillips
Imagine being told Phillips would make the top 10 last summer!
The defender has become a cult hero at Anfield in the past six months, playing a big role in Liverpool finishing third.
Phillips may have his limitations, but he was a colossus in the air, winning the most aerial duels per 90 of any Premier League centre-back (5+ appearances), also scoring a vital goal away to Burnley.
His efforts won’t be forgotten, even if he moves on this summer.
- Andy Robertson
There are parallels between Robertson and Wijnaldum, with the Scot outstanding early on, before playing so much football that he ultimately fell away.
By most left-backs’ standards, this was another good season, however, with seven assists still a more than adequate return.
Robertson grew in stature during the excellent 10-game run at the end, too, showing leadership skills and twice teeing up colleagues at Turf Moor.
- Jordan Henderson
It feels like a lifetime ago that Henderson last played, but he was influential before the injury curse struck him down.
The skipper was robbed of a famous last-minute winner at Goodison Park and his level never drifted too far away from its peak, certainly compared to others.
Very good filling at centre-back, albeit not perfect there.
- Thiago
By the time the season reached its conclusion, Thiago looked every bit the world-class footballer Liverpool signed last summer.
This was a positive first year at Anfield for the midfield maestro, even if a three-month injury hampered his progress, as well as his side’s stunning collapse in the New Year.
Thiago was Man of the Match, or at least close to it, in most of the Reds’ late-season matches and he looks primed to excel in 2021/22.
You could watch him play football all day, not just because of his effortless class on the ball, but also because of his tenacity off it.
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
Imagine not taking Alexander-Arnold to the Euros! It genuinely beggars belief.
The youngster had his bad spells during a taxing season, not assisting once in February and March, but he was a standout figure when crunch time arrived.
The stoppage-time winner at home to Villa was pivotal in the top-four battle and some of his end-of-season displays were full of outrageous technical ability and a winning mentality.
- Diogo Jota
The arrival of Jota came from nowhere, but 13 goals in 30 appearances is proof of an extremely promising debut campaign.
There was a point when the Portuguese wasn’t far off a goal-a-game ratio, scoring winners against Sheffield United and West Ham, as well as a hat-trick away to Atalanta.
A long-term injury halted his progress at a dreadful time – did Klopp really have to play him against Midtjylland? – and he wasn’t in the same rhythm upon his return.
Jota will be expecting to be a regular in the front three next season.
- Alisson
Was Alisson as good as he was last season? No. Was this still a largely excellent campaign from him? Absolutely.
The loveable Brazilian went through a shocking family tragedy midway through 2020/21, but showed incredible resilience in the months that followed.
His last-gasp winner at West Brom is an all-time great moment in Liverpool’s history, but he also did his primary job between the sticks superbly during the aforementioned unbeaten 10-game stretch.
There was the calamity against Man City, and some other unconvincing moments, but he has a fair excuse for those lapses.
- Fabinho
What a footballer Fabinho is.
The wiry South American shone at both centre-back and in midfield – he was outstanding in the former at one point – doing everything in unruffled fashion without several top defenders available.
Fabinho‘s return to the No. 6 role acted as the catalyst for Thiago upturn in form and it was arguably the main decision by Klopp that secured Liverpool the Champions League football they needed.
There is nobody better in his position in Europe.
- Mohamed Salah
If last season saw a plethora of Player of the Year contenders, 2020/21 is a no-brainer.
Salah stood tallest in the hardest season of his Liverpool career, scoring 31 goals and looking like a one-man attacking wrecking ball.
Back in February, Salah bullishly stated that the campaign wouldn’t “be defined by the recent results” and he kept to his promise, inspiring his colleagues and scoring a string of great goals.
This is Liverpool greatness before your very eyes and the thought of losing him doesn’t bear thinking about.
