Now that the season has come to a close, the time has come to grade each squad member based on their performances throughout the year. Each rating will be a mark out of ten, with a brief justification following:

Simon Mignolet: 7/10

A promising season for the Belgian international. Mignolet has certainly saved plenty of games for us, including an iconic match-winning penalty save to begin his Liverpool career. While I feel that many of his blunders have just come from being overworked by a leaky defence, he definitely needs to improve on his ability to command the box in set pieces, as well as his distribution.

Glen Johnson: 5.5/10

In my opinion, one of the worst players in the squad this season. After coming back from injury, he provided us with a few good games, but then returned to the mediocre form he’s exhibited for well over a year now. The thing I found to be the most disturbing was his body language and what appeared to be a major lack of motivation in the midst of a title race.

Martin Skrtel: 7.5/10

A major improvement to last season. Throughout the course of the year he’s put in some great performances and made some vital blocks. I like the way he’s become far more aggressive, and hope he can improve on this form in the season to come. Can’t look past the number of goals he scored off set pieces either!

Mamadou Sakho: 8/10

I believe he’s the best defender we have. Disrupted by injuries in a debut season is never going to make it easy and while many seem to criticise him, I just feel that his uncoordinated nature seems to influence most peoples’ perspective of him. Flanagan has also made him look bad at times by giving him a poor option to pass to – which has lead to turnovers. Overall, I think he’s absolutely dominant in the air and will become a leader in our defence as he settles into England.

Read: http://www.thisisanfield.com/2014/05/dispelling-myth-mamadou-sakho-clumsy-possession/

Daniel Agger 7.5/10

Not a bad season by any stretch, but far from his absolute best. He’s been a fantastic player for us, and it was nice to see him score on what could be his last game at Anfield. Seems as though Sakho is the future LCB at the club.

Kolo Toure: 6/10

Started off excellently and positioned himself as a cult favourite amongst LFC fans. Unfortunately he became progressively mediocre as the season went on, scoring one of the most bizarre own goals we’ll ever see… and let’s not remember the West Brom game.

Jon Flanagan: 7/10

What a breakthrough season this lad has had, he’s even earned himself the name “Scouse Cafu”. Was given a chance and seized it with both hands. Many highlights, including a debut goal versus Tottenham Hotspur and a series crunching tackles against a variety of opponents. Still has a long way to go, with his inexperience shining through at many points of the season. It will be very interesting to see how he gets on after the World Cup!

Steven Gerrard: 9/10

A fantastic season for the captain, particularly after Christmas. Situated in his new deep-lying playmaker role, he excelled in a variety of games – showing discipline whilst also reminding us at times he can still pull off a hollywood pass. He’ll probably always look back on this season and wonder what could have been if he hadn’t slipped, but he still did himself and the club proud.

Jordan Henderson: 8.5/10

In the space of a season he’s become our most important midfielder. The seemingly limitless energy he exhibited throughout every game was incredible, and half the reason Gerrard played so well this season. The difference in the team following his suspension was clear for all to see. If he could become slightly more clinical in front of goal, then I think we could have a real player on our hands.

Joe Allen: 7/10

A mixed bag throughout the season. Complimented our midfield very well at times with Henderson, but left a lot to be desired in other games. Unfortunately suffered multiple injury setbacks which would have impacted his form, but has left himself plenty to build on for next season.

Lucas Leiva: 5/10

It may be a harsh rating and Lucas is obviously a fantastic lad off the pitch, but he was absolutely dreadful this season. Slow, lethargic and seemed to constantly hack people down in dangerous areas whenever he played. It’s evident to most objective supporters that he has declined rapidly since his injury, and our midfield has become noticeably worse with him playing in it. He played a good game versus Tottenham in December, and provided the pass that lead to the penalty at West Ham, but I believe it’s time for him to move on.

Phillipe Coutinho: 7.5/10

A solid season from the young Brazilian. Inconsistent at times, but you’d expect that from a 21 year old. Throughout the year he played a variety of positions, putting in some fantastic performances. My favourite performance of his came against Arsenal, where he absolutely excelled in that deeper position. He scored some important goals for us in the second half of the season, with his effort versus Manchester City topping the lot. The defensive side of his game improved drastically throughout the course of the year too, and I think he’ll grow into a fantastic player for us.

Raheem Sterling: 8/10

The best young talent in the league this season. Goals, assists, speed and strength. His diminutive figure seems to be a mere illusion as he held off some of the biggest players in the league while leaving others dead in his tracks. Another player who has been deployed in a variety of positions but still managed to perform extremely well – winning a World Cup place in the process. At this rate he can become an incredible player, and I think Brendan Rodgers is the best man to fulfil his potential.

Daniel Sturridge: 9/10

25 goals and 9 assists in all competitions, and would have gotten even more if not for a few injuries. Proved to be an integral part of the “SAS” while also showing his ability to hold down the ford in Suarez’s absence. Sturridge has gone from strength to strength since joining our club, and I’m excited to see what he can produce at the World Cup.

Luis Suarez: 10/10

Don’t think there’s much to say about this lad. 31 goals and 12 assists in the league alone. PFA / PWA player of the year and the tied Golden Boot with Ronaldo. What a phenomenal player Suarez has been this season, and I’m not sure any amount of writing could do his performances justice. I can only hope that we retain his services over the summer….

Other mentions:

Aly Cissokho: 6/10

Solid in defence but not great going forward. Lacks confidence and just hasn’t been good enough overall.

Victor Moses: 5/10

Well I think most people predicted that Moses would be mediocre, and back to Chelsea he goes.

N/A

Alberto, Enrique, Jones, Ilori etc