Liverpool Player Ratings Vs Rubin Kazan
It was Jurgen Klopp’s first home game as the Liverpool manager and the result was not the one the fans wanted. Liverpool’s third European game this season vs Rubin Kazan ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw. The visitors took the lead through Marko Devic’s nice finish, but things changed when Rubin Kazan captain Oleg Kuzmin got booked twice and was sent off. Liverpool equalized from the resulting free kick. It was Emre Can who equalised for the reds. Liverpool fired 35 shots and only 6 of them were on target.
Who played well for Liverpool and who didn’t. Here is our Liverpool player ratings for their performances against Rubin Kazan.
Simon Mignolet – 6
The Belgian shot stopper had nothing much to do. He made a good save to deny the visitors from doubling their lead. He was completely helpless for Rubin Kazan’s goal. He had nothing else to do in the game.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6.5
It was Clyne’s one of the best-attacking performances in Liverpool colours. He linked very well with his former Southampton teammate Adam Lallana. He put in some crosses. He had nothing much to do defensively, but could have done slightly better to stop Deric from scoring.
Martin Skrtel – 6
He had nothing much to do as the game was mostly with Liverpool. He did nothing wrong, but he should be more solid in the Liverpool defense. He looked rusty at times. He could not have done anything to prevent Deric from scoring. He was booked for preventing a counter-attack.
Mamadou Sakho – 7.5 (Man Of the Match)
Liverpool’s best defender at the moment. He was solid at the back. He won most of the aerial duels he went for. His passing was good. He did not let the Rubin Kazan attackers trick him and he had nothing much to do defensively. He even dribbled the ball to the opponent half quite well. He received a huge applause from the fans after the game and his name was being changed.
Alberto Moreno – 6.5
A confident display from the young Spaniard. He was very much involved in the match. He was good both at attacking and defending. He made some good crosses and linked well with Lallana and Coutinho. He tracked the opponents very well and made some very good tackles.
Joe Allen – 5.5 (Subbed at half time)
Even though he was very calm and confident with the ball on his feet, his game was ineffective. He was booked. He completed his passes well, but those passes did not result in even one chance. He is expected to create chances from the centre of the midfield. There was no much movement in his game. Was subbed at half time for Lucas.
James Milner – 5.5
Milner is a player who has not been able to get results for his efforts. His work rate could be seen in the game, but his efforts did not yield any end result. He linked very well with Clyne at times. He is Liverpool’s most working player and also is currently the captain of the team, so more is expected from him. He was more involved and was better in the second half. There was a good link between the English trio of Clyne, Milner and Lallana.
Emre Can – 7
He was amazing defensively, he was very much involved in Liverpool’s attacking moves, he fired a couple of good shots from outside the box and he scored the equalizer for Liverpool. His effort was massive and he looks very confident when he plays in his natural CM position. Worked tirelessly throughout the game. He tracked the opponents very well. But he gets caught too often with possession in midfield. Klopp will be very impressed by his game.
Adam Lallana – 7
Another player who is not able to get results for his efforts. Lallana, who is Liverpool’s top scorer in Europa League played his 50th match for the club. He linked very well with Clyne and was good with the ball on his feet. He had a very good role in the 35 shots taken by Liverpool. He was Liverpool’s best attacker in the game.
Philippe Coutinho – 5.5 (Subbed at 63 mins for Benteke)
The Brazilian began the season with a goal, but now his form has gone down. He looked rusty at times and his passing was not always effective. He was not able to use his creativity throughout the game. The effort was there but was not able to get results. He was subbed off for Christian Benteke.
Divock Origi – 5.5 (Subbed at 74 mins for Roberto Firmino)
The young Belgian striker did not have much of the ball on his feet. His heat map would look pathetic. He is a piece of uncut diamond. He looked better when Benteke came on in the second half but was soon subbed off for Roberto Firmino. He played a role in Can’s equalizer by heading the ball down to Can, but it looked like the ball came off the opposition defender.
Substitutes:
Lucas Leiva – 6.5 (Subbed on at half time)
He looked like a huge upgrade on Allen. He had nothing much to do defensively. His movement and passing were good. He played the ball to the wings and hence created crosses and chances. He even fired a couple of shots. One resulted in a corner and the other went just wide.
Christian Benteke – 6.5 (Subbed On at 63 mins)
The main highlight of his game was when he hit the post from a Lallana pass. He could have done better to score from a Clyne cross, instead his shot went above the post. He had heading chances and he was able to get a corner out of one of them. He looked dangerous when he was on the pitch.
Roberto Firmino – 6 (Subbed on at 74 mins)
He did not have much time to get into the game, but he was involved in the final few minutes of the game. He looked rusty, probably because he was out due to injury. But still he and Lallana linked well to create some chances, but Liverpool could not find the back of the net. He fired a few shots, one of his best efforts went out for a corner.
Final Verdict:
It was not a good result for Liverpool, but there are positives to take from it. Performances of Emre Can, Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho and Adam Lallana were very encouraging. Liverpool’s expensive summer signings Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke is back from injury, and they are hopeful that their key man Daniel Sturridge will be available for Sunday’s Premier League match versus Southampton. Liverpool are yet to find a win in the Europa League.
