Liverpool drew 0-0 at FC Augsburg in the Europa League on Thursday evening, and we look at how each Reds player performed on a forgettable night in Germany.
FC Augsburg 0-0 Liverpool
Europa League Last 32, First Leg – WWK Arena – Thursday 18th February 2016
Simon Mignolet (out of 10) – 6
A quiet night on the whole for the eternally under-fire Belgian.
He made one important save to deny the hosts shortly before half-time, although he also nearly gifted them a goal after dropping a harmless cross.
A tough night to properly assess the 27-year-old.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6
This was yet another game that pretty much sums up Clyne’s Liverpool career to date.
The right-back was dependable as ever defensively, barring one uncharacteristic lapse in the second-half, but he never quite offered enough attacking thrust.
It is hard to feel disappointed by Clyne, but it would be nice to see a little bit more from him.
Kolo Toure – 7
The Reds’ best player on the night, although admittedly nobody stood out whatsoever.
The veteran has been in impressive form of late, and he was strong in all facets of his game. He wasn’t exactly facing Barcelona’s front-three, however.
Mamadou Sakho – 6.5
Sakho looked more like the Sakho we saw before his injury, although like Toure, he wasn’t really tested too much at any point.
His use of the ball was decent, barring one sloppy pass, and he was strong aerially. Can still improve, without question.
Alberto Moreno – 5.5
There was some nice attacking play from the young Spaniard, including a well-struck long-range effort, but once again he failed to convince defensively.
You always feel a brain-freeze is imminent at some point in a game, with a couple of trademark lunges – he was booked for one of them – and a poor misjudgement of a cross all proof of his unpredictable nature.
Still sometimes hard to fathom that he is a full-back and not a winger.
Emre Can – 6
Can has been one of Liverpool’s better performers since Jurgen Klopp‘s arrival in October, but that doesn’t mean he is perfect.
The German was a mixed bag on Thursday evening, as is often the case, with a couple of poor readings of long balls but plenty of hard work in the middle of the park.
Passing a little aimless.
Jordan Henderson – 5
Henderson is clearly still being hampered by his much-publicised heel problem, and he just looks a shadow of the player we know he can be.
The usual endeavour was there for all to see, but he lacked quality in the final third and just didn’t look the physical specimen he is when fully fit.
James Milner – 5.5
Like almost every Reds player on the night, Milner’s performance was fairly forgettable.
The England international had a dreadful start to the game, losing the ball consistently and looking horribly average, but he did improve after the break.
The 30-year-old sent in two or three very inviting crosses – the most underrated part of his game by far.
It is great to have Coutinho back in the team, but he failed to hit the heights of his performance against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Brazilian produced some typically eye-catching tricks and flicks here and there, and linked up beautifully with Moreno on one occasion, but he still lacked top quality end product.
One of the few who did at least look like opening up the Augsburg defence.
Roberto Firmino – 5
A very quiet evening for Firmino, who looked more like the pre-Klopp player who struggled to make an impact in matches.
The 24-year-old was subtly effective on occasions, threading harder-than-they-look passes and generally oozing class, but he still looked a little off the pace, and was robbed of possession a few times.
Daniel Sturridge – 5
Perhaps we all expected Sturridge to look superb in every game now, but it is easy to forget just how much playing time he has missed this season.
The striker looked very rusty throughout his 67 minutes on the pitch, and he was very tentative in the tackle on more than one occasion. Missed a glorious second-half chance too.
It will take time before we consistently see Sturridge at his world-class best, with much patience required.
Substitutes
Divock Origi (on for Sturridge 68′) – 6
The Belgian almost got on the end of a Milner cross, but was otherwise unnoticed.
Jordon Ibe (on for Milner 80′) – 4
A short but woeful cameo from Ibe, who did virtually nothing right. Doubts remain over just how good he is.
Jurgen Klopp – 7
Klopp did exactly the right thing in picking his strongest available starting line-up, but unfortunately, the players just didn’t do enough to earn the win.
It was a disciplined performance from Liverpool, though, and Klopp deserves credit for making them keep an away clean-sheet in Europe.
His substitutions made sense, but didn’t make a difference.
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