When I wrote my brief analysis yesterday on Man U's loss to Swansea at Old Trafford... that'll never get old... I mentioned that they dominated possession, had outstanding passing percentages, took three times as many shots, and won two-thirds of their aerial duels, which is somewhat similar to Liverpool's performance today save shots. The Reds were less dominate on possession though at only 56% compared to Mangoloid U's 60%. Liverpool completed 86% of their passes, which goes without saying is excellent, and won 62% of aerial battles. The big difference was shots.
Both Southampton and LFC took 12 shots, but the south coast side had 6 on target while Liverpool had one less. If we allow 6 shots on target every match, we will be very fortunate to make the top 7, never mind top four or competing for the league. Mignolet put in an outstanding performance today making some terrific saves. With Reina gone, I just hope there aren't any repercussions from him slamming into the post on that save of Ward-Prowse's forever lobbing attempt on goal. Brad Jones is capable, but I doubt he would have put in an equal performance.
Let's get the negative out of the way first so we can look into the magic mirror, hold hands, and color unicorns. Johnson was a waste of space and honestly we would have done better with ten men. He turned over the ball nearly half the times he touched it, his two shots had a better chance of hitting the hot dog man than finding the back of the net, and he passed the ball backward like he was challenging time travel. Maybe he was trying to go back to three years ago when he wasn't as dreadful. Moreno should be ready to go next match, but if not, where's Enrique?
Speaking of fecal matter, Lucas and Allen were particularly foul, especially as the match wore on. It was as if Lucas had just put on Allen's kit and continued his downward spiral. The Brazilian hasn't played that poorly in a couple of seasons, maybe it was just part of his 'sell me to Napoli so I can be with me Uncle Benitez' plan. I guess Rodgers felt Can wasn't ready to make his EPL debut, I don't see how he could do any worse than those two though. Turnovers, indecisiveness on the ball, passing to Southampton players on crucial possessions... those aren't positive attributes for players who are supposed to be 'holding midfielders'.
Also, what happened to our defence? What happened to our field general and drill sergeant, Lovren? It's not as if he hasn't played in the Premier League before. Maybe he just felt sentimental towards his old club, hopefully that was the case, hopefully it's not a disease that defenders get now when they put on the LFC kit, and hopefully it has nothing to do with Rodgers' tactics. If it's the latter, we are screwed, let'em rage, BR. The bottom line is, our defence has to communicate better, at times they looked like a bunch of mud-wrestling Helen Kellers out there.
Finally, Coutinho had a poor match. Every time he gained possession, he was corralled by the Saints defence and for the most part, failed to dribble or pass his way out of it. He'd better get used to it though, he's got a target as big as Hiroshima on his back and if pressuring him takes him out of the equation, it's going to be awfully easy for opposing defences to make him a non-factor. If there's one thing that he needs to understand is that it's okay for him to pass backward once in a while, especially when he has two or three defenders around him. His passing today clearly suffered from trying to force things, his 76% completion rate was worst among Liverpool outfield players.
Our best players were Sterling and Gerrard with Henderson coming in third, though the latter's passing requires improvement. Sterling should probably get man of the match just on being responsible for both goals, but Gerrard, as always, played his heart out with reckless abandon. Our captain was all over the place defensively, and thankfully so since Lovren and Skrtel had a few momentary lapses of concentration, but the most impressive part of Gerrard's performance was his passing. He completed 89% overall and was 10 of 13 on long passes, even though most were wasted. Sturridge looked a little bit shaky there in the beginning and never really found his form, which is scary, but he'll come around.
Speaking of Sturridge, he once again came through with the match-winning goal. The first match of the season and he already has a 'crucial' goal, something he did seven times last season. And since we are on the subject, I really wish pundits and commentators would get a clue, Suarez was not as valuable as he seemed. Yes, he scored goals, but most were meaningless, he scored exactly ZERO goals that broke a scoring draw, won, or drew a match for Liverpool last season. Shut your ignorant pie holes, please.
Southampton deserves some credit as they were quite impressive. They looked far from a relegation contending side, but will be a mid-table club, possibly finishing as high as seventh. Tadić and Ward-Prowse were brilliant and I wrote prior to the match, if Clyne gets involved on attack, we could be in trouble. Well, guess what? He did and he equalized a vivid passing display by the Saints. In the end, Liverpool were lucky to get all three points, pulling this one off by the skin of their teeth. We've got to improve defensively though because a master passer like Fabregas, Silva, or Ozil will tear us to pieces if we don't.
Showing posts with label Lucas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucas. Show all posts
Sunday, August 17, 2014
The return of Robo-Skrtel
Liverpool 2, Southampton 1: The match in stats
- Martin Skrtel had 20 clearances. He led Liverpool and the league last season with 11.5 per 90 minutes and is well on his way to doing so again this season. Lovren was second with 11 and Manquillo was third with 5.
- Skrtel also led the side in touches with 111, Manquillo was second with 109, and Lovren third with 86.
- Skrtel won the most aerial duels as well with 7 while Lovren was second with 6.
- Lovren led all players with an absolutely ridiculous passing rate of 96%, Skrtel was 2nd at 91%, and Gerrard third at 89%.
- Manquillo led the side with 6 tackles, Jordan Henderson was 2nd with 3.
- Gerrard completed 10 of 13 of long balls. He lead all outfield Prem players last year with 257.
- Daniel Sturridge attempted 20 passes the entire match, Joe Allen attempted that many in 31 minutes. Sturridge, a career 80% passer, completed 17 while Allen, a career 90% passer, completed 16.
- Raheem Sterling dribbled past 5 opponents, but was dispossessed 6 times.
-Rickie Lambert had more tackles, one, than Glen Johnson and Lucas Leiva combined.
- Every starter had at least one interception except Sturridge. Lovren and Manquillo led the team with 4 a piece.
- No Liverpool player committed more than a single foul. Thank you, Clattenburger.
- One of Glenn Johnson's shots landed in a rubbish bin, the other knocked an ice cream cone out of a six-year-old girl's hand.
- Lucas had a shot on target, created a chance, and dribbled past an opponent. Either he passed a few bills to the statistician before the match or it's his Uncle Joenihno recording the numbers.
- The only other player to do as Lucas did above was Raheem Sterling, he had 3 shots on target and 2 key passes though.
- Martin Skrtel had 20 clearances. He led Liverpool and the league last season with 11.5 per 90 minutes and is well on his way to doing so again this season. Lovren was second with 11 and Manquillo was third with 5.
- Skrtel also led the side in touches with 111, Manquillo was second with 109, and Lovren third with 86.
- Skrtel won the most aerial duels as well with 7 while Lovren was second with 6.
- Lovren led all players with an absolutely ridiculous passing rate of 96%, Skrtel was 2nd at 91%, and Gerrard third at 89%.
- Manquillo led the side with 6 tackles, Jordan Henderson was 2nd with 3.
- Gerrard completed 10 of 13 of long balls. He lead all outfield Prem players last year with 257.
- Daniel Sturridge attempted 20 passes the entire match, Joe Allen attempted that many in 31 minutes. Sturridge, a career 80% passer, completed 17 while Allen, a career 90% passer, completed 16.
- Raheem Sterling dribbled past 5 opponents, but was dispossessed 6 times.
-Rickie Lambert had more tackles, one, than Glen Johnson and Lucas Leiva combined.
- Every starter had at least one interception except Sturridge. Lovren and Manquillo led the team with 4 a piece.
- No Liverpool player committed more than a single foul. Thank you, Clattenburger.
- One of Glenn Johnson's shots landed in a rubbish bin, the other knocked an ice cream cone out of a six-year-old girl's hand.
- Lucas had a shot on target, created a chance, and dribbled past an opponent. Either he passed a few bills to the statistician before the match or it's his Uncle Joenihno recording the numbers.
- The only other player to do as Lucas did above was Raheem Sterling, he had 3 shots on target and 2 key passes though.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Liverpool 2, Man City 2: A 'Sterling' performance
It is only the preseason, but that second half was some entertaining football. I had to go and praise Coates in the first half, only to have him let me down in the second. The Uruguayan defender couldn't really do much more save 'take out' Jovetic on the first goal and risk penalty. Had Gerrard not deflected the ball into the Montenegrin's grasp, Mignolet would have probably scooped up the attempt. It did slightly expose what became very apparent on the second goal, Coates needs to get stronger. If he allows forwards to out-muscle him like the Man City forward did on his second score, he'll never make it in the Premiership.
As for the rest of the side, Sterling was the absolute game-changer. If there ever was a sign of his world class potential, it was his very apparent ability to make his teammates look so much better, especially Henderson, who was having a rubbish bin match before our Raheem came on. Not to take anything away from Henderson's brilliant finish, but it was Sterling's pass to Sturridge that set up the goal. Beginning with an excellent set-up for Jack Robinson, which should have produced a better attempt on goal, Sterling provided chance after chance, terrorizing Man City down the left side of the pitch.
Sterling allowed a change in style of play, from a long-ball, centralized approach in the first half, to a possession-based, bring the ball up the flanks in the second. Well, I should say bring it up the left flank that is, hardly anybody was on the right save Glen Johnson, who did himself no favors when it comes to his critics. Even when he made a positive contribution, which was rare in itself, he would sure enough mangle it.
Lucas and Can were bright spots as well. Lucas, in his cameo appearance, neutralized Touré, provided the brilliant assist to Sterling on the equalizer, and scored the winning penalty. He provided a sense of 'calm' the team needed to get back into the match. Can was simply a beast, roaming around central midfield causing havoc for City and making smart possession-based passes. His style of play is very similar to the box-to-box midfielder prototype that is Yaya Touré, if he can reach those heights, we'll have many years of success to come.
By the way, when did Micah Richards become such a school girl princess? Before the match, I would have gladly had him come to Liverpool, but his wincing and whining, particularly after being man-handled by Can, has provided second thoughts. He did more complaining than positive contributing, which is something we don't need.
Also what was going on with the pitch? I realize it was played on a baseball field, but had this match been scheduled for the Prem or European football, it would have probably been abandoned due to horrendous conditions. I don't know if the grass was too long or just the wrong kind, but especially in the first half, proper ball movement took an extra effort, which could have lead to a muscle strain or hamstring pull. The stability in the 'infield' area was also questionable with a few players slipping, maybe that's why Liverpool avoided that side of the pitch in the second half.
Ultimately, this was a meaningless preseason match, despite what Guinness and Fox wants us to believe. If Sterling can perform this well through-out the season, we'll be contenders until the end. If Coates can play like he did in the first half, we have another option at centre back. One thing I'm certain of, as they have both shown it the last two seasons, Henderson and Allen can play much better than they did, but Lambert and Sturridge will have to produce goals for us to have a chance at the title.
As for the rest of the side, Sterling was the absolute game-changer. If there ever was a sign of his world class potential, it was his very apparent ability to make his teammates look so much better, especially Henderson, who was having a rubbish bin match before our Raheem came on. Not to take anything away from Henderson's brilliant finish, but it was Sterling's pass to Sturridge that set up the goal. Beginning with an excellent set-up for Jack Robinson, which should have produced a better attempt on goal, Sterling provided chance after chance, terrorizing Man City down the left side of the pitch.
Sterling allowed a change in style of play, from a long-ball, centralized approach in the first half, to a possession-based, bring the ball up the flanks in the second. Well, I should say bring it up the left flank that is, hardly anybody was on the right save Glen Johnson, who did himself no favors when it comes to his critics. Even when he made a positive contribution, which was rare in itself, he would sure enough mangle it.
Lucas and Can were bright spots as well. Lucas, in his cameo appearance, neutralized Touré, provided the brilliant assist to Sterling on the equalizer, and scored the winning penalty. He provided a sense of 'calm' the team needed to get back into the match. Can was simply a beast, roaming around central midfield causing havoc for City and making smart possession-based passes. His style of play is very similar to the box-to-box midfielder prototype that is Yaya Touré, if he can reach those heights, we'll have many years of success to come.
By the way, when did Micah Richards become such a school girl princess? Before the match, I would have gladly had him come to Liverpool, but his wincing and whining, particularly after being man-handled by Can, has provided second thoughts. He did more complaining than positive contributing, which is something we don't need.
Also what was going on with the pitch? I realize it was played on a baseball field, but had this match been scheduled for the Prem or European football, it would have probably been abandoned due to horrendous conditions. I don't know if the grass was too long or just the wrong kind, but especially in the first half, proper ball movement took an extra effort, which could have lead to a muscle strain or hamstring pull. The stability in the 'infield' area was also questionable with a few players slipping, maybe that's why Liverpool avoided that side of the pitch in the second half.
Ultimately, this was a meaningless preseason match, despite what Guinness and Fox wants us to believe. If Sterling can perform this well through-out the season, we'll be contenders until the end. If Coates can play like he did in the first half, we have another option at centre back. One thing I'm certain of, as they have both shown it the last two seasons, Henderson and Allen can play much better than they did, but Lambert and Sturridge will have to produce goals for us to have a chance at the title.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Steven Gerrard, King of the APEs
Attacking Possession Efficiency that is. I haven't been posting much lately because I've been working on a lot of stats projects. One of these is APE. APE measures how efficient a player is in possession. It takes in account all positive results from possession and gives relative value to these results and then divides this number by total individual possessions. A goal is given four times the value of a completed pass and shot on goal, while an assist is given double value to a chance created. Here is Liverpool's top ten APE from last season (the team APE was 0.43563):
Skrtel was more efficient than Suarez? Yes, because he did more with less possession and turned over the ball much less, which is essentially what this stat measures.
| Gerrard | 0.46478 |
| Henderson | 0.46115 |
| Skrtel | 0.45314 |
| Coutinho | 0.45302 |
| Suarez | 0.45268 |
| Johnson | 0.44870 |
| Lucas | 0.44444 |
| Sterling | 0.43388 |
| Sakho | 0.42635 |
| Sturridge | 0.42570 |
Skrtel was more efficient than Suarez? Yes, because he did more with less possession and turned over the ball much less, which is essentially what this stat measures.
I also created a Positive Possession Result Quality, which gives value to the quality of positive result compared to overall 'stripped-down' results. The top ten PPRQ for Liverpool last year (the team average was 0.52788):
| Suarez | 0.62686 |
| Sturridge | 0.60947 |
| Sterling | 0.56348 |
| Coutinho | 0.54459 |
| Gerrard | 0.53748 |
| Henderson | 0.52640 |
| Allen | 0.51978 |
| Johnson | 0.51628 |
| Flanagan | 0.51585 |
| Skrtel | 0.51147 |
This basically means that Suarez produced a higher quality result (goal or assist) 62.686% of the time, that shouldn't be much a surprise.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
The players who must prove their worth this season
Mignolet & Reina?
No one seems sure as to whether Rodgers will give Reina a chance to compete for the starting job this season or is just waiting for and/or weighing the best offer for the soon-to-be 32-year-old. The Spanish International made the trip across the pond as part of the squad for the US tour, but so did Borini. I think he should be able to stay and fight for the top spot, there's nothing more healthy than a little competition and after last year, Mignolet should know his spot is far from safe.
The 26-year-old Belgian was fifth worst in giving up 50 goals last season and his 93% cross claim percentage was 28th in the league. The demeanor of Mignolet was what worried me most, he didn't seem too concerned with taking control on defence and a seeming lack of communication between him and his defenders cost us a few goals last year, possibly the league as well. Personally, if he doesn't show the form that lead us to buy him for £9m from Sunderland last summer, I say start looking for his replacement.
Sakho
The more and more I looked into Sakho's performance last season, the more discouraged I became. Whenever he was on the pitch, our defence was as fragile as a United fan's confidence, one remote slight and it would collapse. The biggest piece of the puzzle is what the 24-year-old French centre back did to warrant a -0.52 goals on pitch difference, by far the worst among club regulars. His statistical output otherwise was good to excellent (92.5% passing success rate), which leaves unquantifiable solutions such as positioning and communication. No matter what, if he continues the path he is on, which may have been due to game-style adjustment, he shouldn't be in a Liverpool kit by the end of next summer.
Martin Kelly & Glen Johnson
Oh Martin Kelly, too many injuries, too little time, what could have been? And now the clock nears the stroke of your LFC career end. It's too bad the freshly-turned 24-year-old has not been able to put together a decent amount of appearances since his first team debut in 2009. He needs a huge season to justify him staying even though his contract is until summer 2017. I've always thought he had the talent, maybe he simply lacks the physicality to survive English top flight football.
Despite reports of his imminent demise, Glen Johnson did the same things at the same rate he's been doing for the past four years or so. He set a career high in successful pass percentage at 84.1%, he still posted a 1.11 chance created per 90, and was only dribbled past by 0.82 per 90, his career average is 0.73. We'll probably never see the kind of season he had when he was 25, but it's a contract season for the soon-to-be 30-year-old, so we should him at his possible best.
Some other players come to mind, but the aforementioned are the most crucial. If Jose Enrique returns to his form of the previous year and avoids injury, he'll be fine. Joe Allen will probably stay as long as he wants to be a bit part of a much bigger picture, ditto for Lucas, though the Brazilian, if he is still around come September, will certainly see more pitch time than the Welshman. It should be business as usual for all else.
No one seems sure as to whether Rodgers will give Reina a chance to compete for the starting job this season or is just waiting for and/or weighing the best offer for the soon-to-be 32-year-old. The Spanish International made the trip across the pond as part of the squad for the US tour, but so did Borini. I think he should be able to stay and fight for the top spot, there's nothing more healthy than a little competition and after last year, Mignolet should know his spot is far from safe.
The 26-year-old Belgian was fifth worst in giving up 50 goals last season and his 93% cross claim percentage was 28th in the league. The demeanor of Mignolet was what worried me most, he didn't seem too concerned with taking control on defence and a seeming lack of communication between him and his defenders cost us a few goals last year, possibly the league as well. Personally, if he doesn't show the form that lead us to buy him for £9m from Sunderland last summer, I say start looking for his replacement.
Sakho
The more and more I looked into Sakho's performance last season, the more discouraged I became. Whenever he was on the pitch, our defence was as fragile as a United fan's confidence, one remote slight and it would collapse. The biggest piece of the puzzle is what the 24-year-old French centre back did to warrant a -0.52 goals on pitch difference, by far the worst among club regulars. His statistical output otherwise was good to excellent (92.5% passing success rate), which leaves unquantifiable solutions such as positioning and communication. No matter what, if he continues the path he is on, which may have been due to game-style adjustment, he shouldn't be in a Liverpool kit by the end of next summer.
Martin Kelly & Glen Johnson
Oh Martin Kelly, too many injuries, too little time, what could have been? And now the clock nears the stroke of your LFC career end. It's too bad the freshly-turned 24-year-old has not been able to put together a decent amount of appearances since his first team debut in 2009. He needs a huge season to justify him staying even though his contract is until summer 2017. I've always thought he had the talent, maybe he simply lacks the physicality to survive English top flight football.
Despite reports of his imminent demise, Glen Johnson did the same things at the same rate he's been doing for the past four years or so. He set a career high in successful pass percentage at 84.1%, he still posted a 1.11 chance created per 90, and was only dribbled past by 0.82 per 90, his career average is 0.73. We'll probably never see the kind of season he had when he was 25, but it's a contract season for the soon-to-be 30-year-old, so we should him at his possible best.
Some other players come to mind, but the aforementioned are the most crucial. If Jose Enrique returns to his form of the previous year and avoids injury, he'll be fine. Joe Allen will probably stay as long as he wants to be a bit part of a much bigger picture, ditto for Lucas, though the Brazilian, if he is still around come September, will certainly see more pitch time than the Welshman. It should be business as usual for all else.
Friday, July 18, 2014
The transfer rubbish bin: Vidal, Pogba, the Pope & Santa Claus
The latest slop to come from the transfer pig trough is Liverpool's interest in Juventus midfielders Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba. The chance of such rumours coming to fruition are like Kate Upton having my love child.
Arturo Vidal is a man-beast. Unfortunately, Liverpool have no interest nor room for the 27-year-old Chilean International. With Can, Henderson, Gerrard, & Lucas, minutes would be sparse, and his lack of 'specialization' would only hurt his chances of pitch time.
Vidal is an all-round good midfielder, but does nothing great. Here are his stats from last season:
If he hadn't scored 11 goals and had 5 assists, he'd be a poor man's Lucas. If he didn't post such defensive numbers, he'd be a slightly passing inferior Jordan Henderson. Either way, he pales in comparison to a 33-year-old Gerrard.
Pogba falls under the same problem, he's also a box-to-box whom would probably be great at being either an attacking or defensive midfielder if he just concentrated his efforts towards being one or the other. He does seem to be better on the ball than Vidal though.
Arturo Vidal is a man-beast. Unfortunately, Liverpool have no interest nor room for the 27-year-old Chilean International. With Can, Henderson, Gerrard, & Lucas, minutes would be sparse, and his lack of 'specialization' would only hurt his chances of pitch time.
Vidal is an all-round good midfielder, but does nothing great. Here are his stats from last season:
| npgp90 | gcp90 | ccp90 | ap90 | ccv |
| 0.33 | 0.59 | 1.73 | 0.18 | 10.6 |
| pass% | bp% | sacc% | shot% | TTI90 |
| 83.7 | 40.9 | 33.3 | 19.3 | 13.2 |
| gsp90 | gap90 | gop90 | tgop | gopd90 |
| 2.21 | 0.74 | 1.47 | 1.5 | -0.03 |
| intp90 | drbp90 | tp90 | tack% | adw% |
| 1.44 | 1.99 | 4.8 | 43.2 | 53.8 |
If he hadn't scored 11 goals and had 5 assists, he'd be a poor man's Lucas. If he didn't post such defensive numbers, he'd be a slightly passing inferior Jordan Henderson. Either way, he pales in comparison to a 33-year-old Gerrard.
Pogba falls under the same problem, he's also a box-to-box whom would probably be great at being either an attacking or defensive midfielder if he just concentrated his efforts towards being one or the other. He does seem to be better on the ball than Vidal though.
| npgp90 | gcp90 | ccp90 | ap90 | ccv |
| 0.21 | 0.41 | 1.41 | 0.21 | 14.6 |
| pass% | bp% | sacc% | shot% | TTI90 |
| 83.8 | 39.7 | 39.7 | 9.6 | 11.3 |
| gsp90 | gap90 | gop90 | tgop | gopd90 |
| 2.14 | 0.59 | 1.55 | 1.5 | 0.05 |
| intp90 | clrp90 | tp90 | tack% | adw% |
| 1.06 | 1.14 | 2.46 | 40.6 | 58.4 |
They are very similar players which is probably why Juventus are shopping both, but will probably only sell one. Unfortunately, there is no reason to buy either, Henderson is just as good, Gerrard is better, Lucas is a far superior holding midfielder, and Can has all the assets to compete for minutes.
The Pope is great at crosses and saves, but do we really need a winger/keeper?
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
The transfer terrorists and their sneaky, little dirty bombs
If you are like me, you are already tired of all the speculations and half-fabrications pertaining to potential transfers involving our beloved club. The silly season is upon us and since my two pence is worth at least one-fiftieth quid, I figure I'll have a go at deciphering through this radioactive mess. I don't claim to have an advantage of who we may bring in, but I can at least give my thoughts on who is 'surplus to the cause'.
Lucas Leiva
I'm really on the fence about Lucas. As much as I think we should keep him, part of me thinks the Lucas of three seasons ago is gone and he shan't return. His injuries have become too frequent and though his passing and ball-handling skills have improved, he appears slower than ever and that's saying a lot considering pace was never one of his strengths. At least now, with the addition of Can, we won't have to rely on him as much.
Daniel Agger
Absolutely not, losing Agger would be a greater loss than losing Suarez. He was our best centre back last year and unless Sakho proves his worth early on next season, Agger should be around for a few more years.
Iago Aspas
Here's an interesting stat concerning Aspas... oh wait, there are no interesting stats concerning him. Give'em a ticket and say bon voyage.
Fabio Borini
Even without the addition of Rickie Lambert, Borini should be shipped out. In 2692 Premiership minutes, playing for Sunderland, Liverpool, and Chelsea, he has scored 8 goals, 3 of which are penalties, and assisted on 3 more. For a comparison, he scored 9 goals in 1680 minutes for Roma in Serie A. He doesn't have the pace nor the technical ability to make up for the lack of pace to make it in the Prem. I say sell him to Sunderland or use him as bait to get a versatile defender like Federico Fazio.
Ousama Assaidi
Assaidi had a decent spell at Stoke last season, but not enough to really consider keeping him. His ccp90 of 1.53, shooting accuracy of 45%, shot % of 20%, and a TTI90 of 8.6 are all respectable numbers, but he'll be 26 in August. If he was 23, I'd say keep him around for another season, but it's time to cut ties and try to get back at least some of what we paid for him.
Jack Robinson
Robinson's loan spell at Blackpool probably did more for his character development than it did for his skills. Blackpool started the season in decent form, sitting on 31 points 17 matches into the season, than the ship ran aground. They lost 20 of their remaining 29 matches, even bringing in Barry Ferguson as the manager did little to help their slide. Was Robinson integral to their fall? Not really. Despite picking up 3 red cards, 2 of which were in their first 17 matches, Robinson's output was respectable:
Lucas Leiva
I'm really on the fence about Lucas. As much as I think we should keep him, part of me thinks the Lucas of three seasons ago is gone and he shan't return. His injuries have become too frequent and though his passing and ball-handling skills have improved, he appears slower than ever and that's saying a lot considering pace was never one of his strengths. At least now, with the addition of Can, we won't have to rely on him as much.
Daniel Agger
Absolutely not, losing Agger would be a greater loss than losing Suarez. He was our best centre back last year and unless Sakho proves his worth early on next season, Agger should be around for a few more years.
Iago Aspas
Here's an interesting stat concerning Aspas... oh wait, there are no interesting stats concerning him. Give'em a ticket and say bon voyage.
Fabio Borini
Even without the addition of Rickie Lambert, Borini should be shipped out. In 2692 Premiership minutes, playing for Sunderland, Liverpool, and Chelsea, he has scored 8 goals, 3 of which are penalties, and assisted on 3 more. For a comparison, he scored 9 goals in 1680 minutes for Roma in Serie A. He doesn't have the pace nor the technical ability to make up for the lack of pace to make it in the Prem. I say sell him to Sunderland or use him as bait to get a versatile defender like Federico Fazio.
Ousama Assaidi
Assaidi had a decent spell at Stoke last season, but not enough to really consider keeping him. His ccp90 of 1.53, shooting accuracy of 45%, shot % of 20%, and a TTI90 of 8.6 are all respectable numbers, but he'll be 26 in August. If he was 23, I'd say keep him around for another season, but it's time to cut ties and try to get back at least some of what we paid for him.
Jack Robinson
Robinson's loan spell at Blackpool probably did more for his character development than it did for his skills. Blackpool started the season in decent form, sitting on 31 points 17 matches into the season, than the ship ran aground. They lost 20 of their remaining 29 matches, even bringing in Barry Ferguson as the manager did little to help their slide. Was Robinson integral to their fall? Not really. Despite picking up 3 red cards, 2 of which were in their first 17 matches, Robinson's output was respectable:
| npgp90 | 0 | pass% | 71.7 | gap90 | 1.44 | intp90 | 2.27 |
| gcp90 | 0.1 | bp% | 37.3 | gsp90 | 0.83 | clrp90 | 5.3 |
| ccp90 | 0.77 | sacc% | 8.3 | gop90 | -0.61 | bsp90 | 0.35 |
| ap90 | 0.1 | shot% | 0 | tgop90 | -0.61 | adwp90 | 1.4 |
| ccv | 12.5 | TTI90 | 11.7 | tp90 | 1.95 | adwon% | 57.1 |
| tack % | 51.3 |
Ferguson even deployed Robinson at left mid for 4 matches with mixed results. Being only 20, I expect him to be loaned out again and hopefully show more promise than last season.
As for Suso, Wisdom, Kelly, Coady, Yesil, and Ibe, unless they vehemently demand to leave, we should hold on to them. The first three can contribute now, while the latter three probably need seasoning at a Championship side to improve their game.
Coutinho, Sterling, & Agger all had higher gopds than Suarez last year
The winner of 'goals on pitch difference' for Liverpool last season was Coutinho with Sterling and Agger coming up 2nd and 3rd respectively. Similar to +/- that is used in basketball, gopd measures the amount of goals a team scored against amount allowed while that player is on the pitch. Here are the results for relevant LFC players from last season:
| mins | pp90 | ga | gap90 | gs | gsp90 | diff | |
| Coutinho | 2323 | 25.8 | 37 | 1.43 | 78 | 3.02 | 1.59 |
| Sterling | 2220 | 24.7 | 31 | 1.26 | 69 | 2.80 | 1.54 |
| Agger | 1421 | 15.8 | 18 | 1.14 | 42 | 2.66 | 1.52 |
| Suarez | 2962 | 32.9 | 47 | 1.43 | 96 | 2.92 | 1.49 |
| Sturridge | 2267 | 25.2 | 31 | 1.23 | 68 | 2.70 | 1.47 |
| Johnson | 2515 | 27.9 | 38 | 1.36 | 79 | 2.83 | 1.47 |
| Henderson | 3129 | 34.8 | 42 | 1.21 | 93 | 2.67 | 1.47 |
| Allen | 1443 | 16.0 | 21 | 1.31 | 44 | 2.75 | 1.44 |
| Skrtel | 3221 | 35.8 | 50 | 1.40 | 99 | 2.77 | 1.37 |
| Gerrard | 2895 | 32.2 | 44 | 1.37 | 86 | 2.67 | 1.30 |
| Flanagan | 1890 | 21.0 | 38 | 1.81 | 63 | 3.00 | 1.19 |
| Lucas | 1896 | 21.1 | 27 | 1.28 | 49 | 2.32 | 1.04 |
| Toure | 1443 | 16.0 | 20 | 1.25 | 36 | 2.25 | 1.00 |
| Sakho | 1478 | 16.4 | 25 | 1.52 | 38 | 2.32 | 0.79 |
The gopd average for Liverpool was 1.33 per match, which does not bode well for Gerrard and anyone else below him on the table. Flanagan is particularly dreadful being his 3 goal scored per 90 is second highest, but his 1.81 goals allowed is worst. I'm at a loss for words when it comes to Sakho, maybe he just isn't that good, and if you would have asked me last week if selling Lucas was a good idea, I would have said absolutely not, but now I'm beginning to wonder if he's no longer of much value.
I'm not surprised by any of the players in the top five except for maybe Agger, who we should truly not sell, but Johnson at sixth is perplexing. I figured he'd be much worse. Maybe we should hold on to him for a little bit longer.
By the way, of all players who played at least 1000 league minutes last season, Aly Cissokho had the highest goal scored per 90 at 3.05 and highest gopd at 1.73. Go figure.
I'm not surprised by any of the players in the top five except for maybe Agger, who we should truly not sell, but Johnson at sixth is perplexing. I figured he'd be much worse. Maybe we should hold on to him for a little bit longer.
By the way, of all players who played at least 1000 league minutes last season, Aly Cissokho had the highest goal scored per 90 at 3.05 and highest gopd at 1.73. Go figure.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Jordan Henderson, the would-be King
Jordan Henderson has come a long way since his Sunderland days. When Dalglish bought him in June of 2011 for a staggering £16m, I was more than a bit skeptical. Paying that much for a relatively unproven soon-to-be 21-year-old, was quite the risk. Henderson displayed flashes of brilliance here and there, but was wholly inconsistent, not uncommon for a player his age. Fortunately he has proven to be a skilled, versatile midfielder, who can and is willing to do what is ever needed to make Liverpool a better side.
| year | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
| age | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| app (sub) | 23(10) | 37 | 31(6) | 16(14) | 35 |
| mins | 2187 | 3210 | 2658 | 1535 | 3129 |
| p90 | 24.3 | 35.7 | 29.5 | 17.1 | 34.8 |
| goals | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| assists | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| chances | 28 | 45 | 40 | 33 | 62 |
| npg90 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.29 | 0.11 |
| gcp90 | 0.25 | 0.20 | 0.10 | 0.29 | 0.32 |
| ccp90 | 1.15 | 1.26 | 1.36 | 1.90 | 1.78 |
| ap90 | 0.21 | 0.11 | 0.03 | 0.23 | 0.20 |
| ccv | 18.3 | 8.7 | 2.2 | 12.1 | 11.2 |
| pass % | 68.4 | 81.2 | 83.9 | 84.5 | 87.1 |
| bp % | - | - | - | 43.4 | 41.2 |
| sacc % | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0.15 |
| shot % | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.12 |
| TTI90 | 15.9 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 9.7 |
His progression over the past five years has been impressive to say the least, especially his passing. What's most impressive though, is how valuable he has become on defence. Last season, he became our most valuable midfielder when it comes to preventing goals. His goals on pitch per 90 average was 1.18, considerably better than Gerrard (1.37), Lucas (1.28), or Allen (1.31).
To see how truly far Henderson has come I wanted to compare his stats from last season with his contemporaries, players who are of similar age (23-25) and play a similar position. I went through each squad and found all the players that fit the criteria, they are Joe Allen, Nemanja Matic, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph, Sandro, Steven N'Zonzi, Ki Sung-Yeong, Victor Wanyama, Jake Livermore, and Vurnon Anita. The stat comparison table is below.
The top 5 overall ranking:
1. Jordan Henderson 4.73
2. Morgan Schneiderlin 5.00
3. Nemanja Matic 5.33
4. Ashley Westwood 5.67
5. Fabian Delph 5.87
Not only was he top overall, Henderson was in the top five in eleven of the fifteen categories. Among his peers, he is already king and if he continues his current progression, who knows how good he could become.
| Henderson | Matic | Schneiderlin | Westwood | Delph | Sandro | |
| age | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| app(sub) | 35 | 15(2) | 31(2) | 35 | 33(1) | 10(7) |
| mins | 3129 | 1365 | 2765 | 3077 | 3004 | 828 |
| p90 | 34.8 | 15.2 | 30.7 | 34.2 | 33.4 | 9.2 |
| goals | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| assists | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| chances | 62 | 23 | 30 | 63 | 28 | 7 |
| npg90 | 0.11 | 0 | 0.07 | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.11 |
| gcp90 | 0.32 | 0.26 | 0.1 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.11 |
| ccp90 | 1.78 | 1.51 | 0.98 | 1.84 | 0.83 | 0.76 |
| ap90 | 0.20 | 0.26 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0 |
| ccv | 11.2 | 17.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 7.2 | 0 |
| pass % | 87.1 | 84.8 | 89.3 | 82.9 | 83.7 | 84.4 |
| bp % | 41.2 | 31 | 35.6 | 28.3 | 38.3 | 29.6 |
| sacc % | 32.7 | 15.3 | 25.8 | 25 | 25 | 23.5 |
| shot % | 8.2 | 0 | 6.5 | 10.7 | 8.3 | 5.9 |
| TTI90 | 9.7 | 12.5 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 10.5 | 10.8 |
| intp90 | 1 | 2 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| clrp90 | 2 | 4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| tp90 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 3 | 2.6 |
| ts% | 42.8 | 41.5 | 47.8 | 47.6 | 49.4 | 42.6 |
| gap90 | 0.86 | 0.46 | 1.14 | 1.64 | 1.62 | 1.63 |
| N'Zonzi | Sung-Yeong | Wanyama | Livermore | Anita | Allen | |
| age | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 |
| app (sub) | 34(2) | 25(2) | 19(4) | 34(2) | 28(6) | 15(9) |
| mins | 3041 | 2196 | 1659 | 3054 | 2457 | 1443 |
| p90 | 33.8 | 24.4 | 18.4 | 33.9 | 27.3 | 16 |
| goals | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| assists | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| chances | 32 | 28 | 7 | 34 | 38 | 18 |
| npg90 | 0.06 | 0.08 | 0 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.06 |
| gcp90 | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0 | 0.21 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| ccp90 | 0.95 | 1.15 | 0.38 | 1 | 1.39 | 1.13 |
| ap90 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0 | 0.12 | 0.04 | 0 |
| ccv | 3.2 | 3.6 | 0 | 11.8 | 2.9 | 0 |
| pass % | 87.2 | 90.7 | 84.3 | 83 | 83.8 | 86.7 |
| bp % | 36.8 | 42.1 | 38.9 | 38.9 | 30.7 | 38 |
| sacc % | 19.4 | 35 | 12.5 | 17.9 | 19 | 42.1 |
| shot % | 6.5 | 7.5 | 0 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 5.3 |
| TTI90 | 10.7 | 7.2 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| intp90 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| clrp90 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1 | 1.3 |
| tp90 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 2 | 1.8 | 4.2 |
| ts% | 47.6 | 55.6 | 48.2 | 45.8 | 45 | 56 |
| gap90 | 1.33 | 1.72 | 0.76 | 1.36 | 1.65 | 1.31 |
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