Ace/Waste of Space: Unwanted Liverpool midfielder the big loser
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Our tour around the Premier League to find the best and worst performer at each club reaches Liverpool, with a whopping 19 players to look at after a topsy-turvy campaign on Merseyside.
Players who made 15 or more starts in all competitions qualify, with the men posting the highest proportion of wins and losses picking up the laurels.
ACE – Roberto Firmino
There were some predictable names within the upper echelons of the Reds’ biggest winners, such as Divock Origi on 47%, with the Belgian striker only tasting defeat once in 15 starts last term, giving him the lowest loss rate by a street at 7%.
Centre-halves Dejan Lovren (46%) and Kolo Toure (45%) were the fourth and fifth-biggest winners, suggesting the pair’s heralded renaissance of form translated into results, while captain Jordan Henderson posted a respectable 43% in an injury-ravaged campaign.
The surprises are much-derided wing-back Alberto Moreno, with 44%, and Jordon Ibe, now at Bournemouth after a £15m transfer, who ties with our Ace Firmino on 50%.
By virtue of starting twice as many matches over the campaign, and still being a Liverpool player, it has to be the Brazilian.
Hardly needs saying that Joe Allen, seemingly on his way to Stoke as we speak, also scored highly in relation to his Reds peers on 47%.
WASTE OF SPACE – Lucas
Any Liverpool fans who believe Jurgen Klopp must stick with Lucas in the middle of the park should probably look away now.
The 29-year-old is thought to be on the verge of a reunion with old boss Rafa Benitez, as Newcastle look to include him in any deal that takes Georgino Wijnaldum to Anfield.
No doubt he’d be a fine asset in the Magpies’ battle for Championship supremacy next term, but the midfielder’s 34% win rate when starting for Liverpool last season stands out like a sore thumb in the top flight.
Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho and Christian Benteke share the next biggest loss rate all the way back at 25%, with all but one of the other 15 men qualifying for this calculation spread between 16-24%.
Lucas shares the second-worst win rate at 38% too, with only Emre Can, who flips his midfield partner with more draws than losses, posting a lower number at 37%.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
