As we enter the last break of the season, it’s a perfect time to stop and reflect on Liverpool’s first-team players.
We know what’s coming in these ratings. Some players haven’t turned up this season, which is why Liverpool are in serious danger of finishing outside the top five despite lifting the title just ten months ago.
The drop-off in quality from a number of these players is staggering.
Just how bad do you want Arne Slot gone? 😬
We will of course be discussing Mo Salah’s apparent decline, Ibrahima Konate’s regression from last term, and how all of the new signings have fared so far. Players like Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni will be omitted for small sample size.
Liverpool player ratings, the season so far
Alisson Becker – 6
Linked away from Liverpool at times, but the club have moved to secure his future with an extension through to 2027. It’s been a relatively standard season by his high standards — an average save percentage (65.1%) and, notably, no errors leading directly to goals — but he hasn’t quite hit the elite, match-winning levels we’ve come to expect. Alisson is now out for a while through injury.
Giorgi Mamardashvili – 5
The Mamardashvili criticism is unfair at times. It is never easy for a goalkeeper to build any real rhythm when opportunities come so sporadically. Conceding two goals per game in the league is not a flattering return, but there is enough quality there to suggest improvement will come with time and a more consistent run of matches.
Jeremie Frimpong – 6
Injuries have disrupted his rhythm at times, but even so, Frimpong has shown plenty of promise whenever he has been available. He has arguably looked a better defender than many expected on arrival, while still offering the electric attacking threat that made him such an exciting signing. Frimpong has looked dangerous and versatile, and is already proving money well spent.
Conor Bradley – 5
Has been injured for most of the season. Hard to judge.
Joe Gomez – 5
Yet another injury-plagued star, Gomez has been his usual reliable self when available, but as usual, that’s less often than we would like.
Ibrahima Konate – 4
It hasn’t been Konate’s best season. From the opening weeks of the season, he just looked a step slow compared to last term. His form has fluctuated in the months since, and he doesn’t inspire nearly the same kind of confidence as we grew so accustomed to. A mistake waiting to happen a lot of the time, maybe because he has one eye on the exit door.
Virgil van Dijk – 5
If Konate is a 4, I can’t put Van Dijk any higher than a 5. By his own high standards, this hasn’t been a great season for the Dutchman. Liverpool have lacked defensive cohesion all season, and part of the blame must fall on the captain. Composure has been lacking, and attackers don’t seem as intimidated as in seasons past. We know how good he still is, though.
Milos Kerkez – 6
Kerkez was a slow starter after arriving, but he has grown into the season more as it has gone on. There have still been signs that he is learning the role and ironing out rough edges, but he has increasingly looked like a player Liverpool can build with, and a potential long-term successor to Andy Robertson.
Andy Robertson – 6
Robertson’s season has felt like the beginning of the end for a club legend. Liverpool named him vice-captain at the start of 2025/26, which reflects his standing in the dressing room, but on the pitch, he has clearly taken a step back. Even so, the Scot has handled that competition professionally and remains a valuable senior figure, offering experience, reliability and cover during crucial months.
Ryan Gravenberch – 5
Gravenberch has been involved heavily again this season, with 28 Premier League appearances, four goals and three assists, so this is not a campaign lacking in contribution altogether. But there is still a sense that he is not being used in the most effective way. Liverpool clearly still believe strongly in him — the club handed him a fresh long-term contract a few weeks ago — but there has undeniably been a regression from last season.
Curtis Jones – 4
Jones has been useful without ever quite making himself undroppable, which has been the story of his Liverpool career. He has been posting strong ball-retention numbers with a 92% pass completion rate, but the end product and overall influence still feel a little light for a player of his experience now. Some days, he just doesn’t show up.
Alexis Mac Allister – 4
Mac Allister has fallen far short of his usual standards and influence. In the Premier League, he has two goals and two assists from 29 starts, with his attacking output lagging behind his expected-goals figure. He has not consistently controlled matches in the way we saw last season, and he gets overwhelmed by more physical midfielders too often.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 9
Liverpool’s best player this season and it’s not really close. Szoboszlai sets the tone with his energy, quality and consistency in whatever position he is asked to play. His Champions League form in particular has been outstanding — five goals and four assists in 10 games — and he seems to come to Liverpool’s rescue more than any other player. Nine feels fair.
Florian Wirtz – 7
Wirtz has had a good first season at Liverpool without quite exploding into life in the way some expected. There have been moments of magic to get fans excited, but there is still a sense that there is another level to come once he fully settles. He has shown enough class and creativity to suggest he will be a huge player, even if this has been more promising than dominant so far.
Trey Nyoni – 6
Nyoni has done well whenever he has been asked to step up, especially given how young he still is. This season has been more about gaining experience than making a major impact, but the fact he has been trusted in multiple competitions says plenty about how highly he is rated. He still looks raw, but there is real composure and talent there.
Rio Ngumoha – 7
The 17-year-old has looked like one of the brightest stories of the season whenever he has been involved. Fans have urged Slot to start Ngumoha, and he seems to be trusting him more and more. He is obviously still developing, but he’s clearly a special talent. Hopefully, that magical winner against Newcastle is just the first of many huge moments for him in a red shirt.
Cody Gakpo – 4
Gakpo is beginning to run out of road at Liverpool in the eyes of many fans. He has too often drifted through games and failed to really put his stamp on games. For a player of his quality and experience, you want more impact and more consistency, especially if he is to be the nailed-on starting left-winger. Too predictable as an attacker.
Mohamed Salah – 4
This might well be the season where Salah finally starts his decline after nearly a decade of dominance. He produced the best season of his career last term, but this season, the Egyptian King has been a shadow of his former self. When Salah drops below his usual level, it is always more noticeable because the bar he has set is so ridiculously high.
Which Liverpool player would you most like to see lift the World Cup this summer?
And which one has the best chance…
Federico Chiesa – 4
Chiesa’s season has never really got going, even if there have been flashes of the player Liverpool thought they were signing. He has only played 278 Premier League minutes, mostly from the bench, and his return of two goals and one assist reflects how hard it has been for him to build any momentum. There is still talent there, but this has felt like a frustrating year more than anything else.
Alexander Isak – 5
Isak has shown glimpses of his quality, but injuries and a lack of rhythm have made it hard for him to really take off at Liverpool. Two Premier League goals and one assist in 14 appearances is not enough for a striker of his profile, though the numbers are also skewed by limited minutes and stop-start availability. He still looks dangerous when sharp, but it has been more of a frustrating first year than a convincing one.
Hugo Ekitike – 7
Ekitike has had a strong first season and has probably exceeded a fair few expectations. He has looked like one of Liverpool’s more natural attacking threats even when the team has been patchy around him. He still has room to improve, but there is enough output and promise there already to say he has been one of the better performers in the squad, and could challenge Isak for the title of talisman at Anfield.
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