Why Liverpool will welcome back Joe Gomez - and the ongoing problem with Roberto Firmino

liverpool premier league jurgen klopp

Entering the final stretch of an arduous season, Liverpool remain very much in the hunt for glory at home and abroad.

Jurgen Klopp's side have moved two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table - albeit it having played a game more - and are preparing for a Champions League quarter-final against Porto.

The Reds, then, have understandably been pretty impressive, even if there was the obvious disappointment of early exits from both domestic cup competitions.

The ECHO has been rating Liverpool's players after every performance, and here's the average for each player who has made at least 10 scoring appearances in a match.

How Liverpool have rated so far

Virgil van Dijk – 7.24

Fabinho – 7.18

Joe Gomez – 7.06

Sadio Mane – 7.00

Mohamed Salah – 6.97

Gini Wijnaldum – 6.92

Xherdan Shaqiri – 6.90

Andy Robertson – 6.89

Joel Matip – 6.88

Alisson Becker – 6.79

James Milner – 6.64

Roberto Firmino – 6.59

Dejan Lovren – 6.55

Jordan Henderson – 6.52

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6.50

Naby Keita – 6.33

Adam Lallana – 6.30

Daniel Sturridge – 6.08

Van Dijk leads the way

There's undoubtedly no surprise to see Van Dijk on top of the rankings after an impressively consistent campaign, which has in recent weeks edged the Dutchman ahead of Fabinho.

Joe Gomez's contribution before his injury in December continues to be recognised, although Joel Matip has steadily moved up the table with solid performances during the past few months.

Mohamed Salah had been Liverpool's best-performing forward for much of the campaign until some recent indifferent displays have allowed Sadio Mane to move ahead, while Gini Wijnaldum has been a steady influence in midfield.

Xherdan Shaqiri also scores highly, but that his most recent ratings have been 5-6-6-5-5-5 underlines why the Swiss has barely been spotted in recent weeks.

Both Alexander-Arnold and Henderson are still seeking their consistent best form, neither helped by injuries although the former has started to improve notably of late.

The travails of Keita are also shown with his relatively low score - not helped by a run of games being ended by injury last month - while Firmino's up-and-down campaign is underlined by his continued average placing.

Now, though, is the time for Liverpool's players to produce their best.

2019-03-25 12:51:58

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