Liverpool opened their Europa League campaign on Thursday night with an away fixture against Bordeaux, with notable absentees such as Clyne, Milner, Skrtel and Benteke all left at home for the trip to France’s west coast. Following damaging defeats at the hands of West Ham and Man United, Rodgers was badly in need of a positive result. Bordeaux are by no means pushovers as they showed with a 2-2 draw against PSG recently, but with a 1-0 lead thanks to Lallana’s superbly taken goal, it was thoroughly disappointing to see the 3 points disappear from Liverpool’s grasp with 10 minutes to go as Bordeaux found a late equaliser. A draw in a European away game in the group stages is hardly a disaster (especially when fielding so many youngsters), but despite a marginally improved level of performance, the result left Liverpool fans feeling rather underwhelmed. Here’s how I rated our players on the night.
Simon Mignolet- 6/10
A lack of communication resulted in Mignolet clumsily clashing with Kolo Toure when collecting a high ball, leaving the Ivorian defender with a dead leg with eventually resulted in his departure from the action. Mignolet was forced into making a few saves, showing safe hands to collect an awkwardly deflected free kick in the first half. He made a sharp stop to deny a curling Bordeaux effort in the second half, but was left helpless for the equalising goal.
Joe Gomez- 6/10
Playing in his favoured central defensive position, Gomez put in a decent performance. He read the danger well, cleared his lines when necessary and showed his composure on the ball. However, he was often found going for the same ball as Emre Can which resulted in several chances for Bordeaux, one of which led to the equalising goal.
Kolo Toure- N/A
Toure endured a brief and uncomfortable evening, lasting just 28 minutes before being replaced by Pedro Chirivella after his collision with Mignolet caused him a dead leg. He had already picked up a booking for a clumsy challenge, bringing down a Bordeaux attacker on the break.
Mamadou Sakho- 8/10
The standout performer on the night- he didn’t put a foot wrong. Wearing the armband in his home country, Sakho finally started his first game of the season to the delight of Liverpool fans. His passing was crisp and accurate, often opening up space with a clever through ball rather than taking the easy sideways option. He won numerous important headers, whilst demonstrating his immense physical strength on multiple occasions. Rodgers rightly praised Sakho as ‘outstanding’ after the match and suggested he will come into consideration for the Norwich game on Sunday. It’s a mystery why Sakho needs to prove himself over Lovren and Skrtel in the first place- he’s clearly on another level and deserves to start every week.
Jordon Ibe- 4/10
This isn’t the same fearless, exuberant Jordon Ibe we saw last season. Right now, Ibe looks devoid of confidence and afraid to take on his man. Too many times he received the ball in space, but was too predictable in his movement and lost the ball far too easily, unable to find a proper end product. Playing in a wing back role, he was also caught out of position too high up the pitch, allowing Bordeaux to cause problems down the left. However he can consider himself unfortunate not to have won a penalty early on as he was brought down in the area having beaten his full back.
Emre Can- 6/10
Starting the game in midfield, Can was robust and energetic, making some intelligent forward runs. Following Toure’s injury, he dropped back into defence, filling the right sided centre back position where he built his reputation last season. Overall he was calm and assured, but like Gomez, a lack of communication led to him competing for the same ball as his team mates, causing confusion which lead to the Bordeaux goal.
Jordan Rossiter- 6/10
Making his European debut for his hometown club, Rossiter impressed with a cool and composed display in central midfield. He used the ball wisely, making simple but accurate passes, never afraid to show for the ball. His intensity to press and the aggression he showed to win the ball back were excellent to see- it’s encouraging to see another young Scouser coming through the academy into the first team.
Alberto Moreno- 7/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
I was impressed by Moreno in this game. Playing in the left wing back role, he got forward into some excellent positions, but at times his team mates didn’t pick the right pass and opted to shoot instead. He was a constant outlet on the wing, offering the pace and width which Liverpool have been lacking recently. He tracked back well to make some excellent recovery tackles and he provided the pass from which Lallana went on to score and also tested the keeper himself with a powerful effort from long range.
Philippe Coutinho- 6/10
Returning from suspension, Coutinho had one of his quieter performances, lacking a degree of sharpness. However, he was involved in some slick passing moves with Lallana and was Liverpool’s most creative player as usual. He almost added another vintage long range strike with a driven effort which hit the post just before half time, but his influence on the game gradually declined in the second half.
Adam Lallana- 6/10
Having recovered from a thigh problem which ruled him out of the past 3 matches, Lallana returned to the starting lineup with a point to prove. He has been rightly criticised for not making enough of an impact in games, and the first half showcased why Liverpool fans have become frustrated with the player who cost us £25 million, as he failed to take advantage of a clear sight at goal by spending too much time on the ball. In the second half, a moment of individual brilliance saw Lallana open the scoring after a superb nutmeg, rolling a controlled finish into the bottom corner. It was a wonderful piece of skill, and this is exactly the kind of contribution Lallana needs to make on a more consistent basis.
Divock Origi- 3/10
Making his first start for Liverpool, it was a thoroughly disappointing night for the Belgian forward. He struggled to get involved in the game throughout, and when put through on goal in the first half by Moreno’s pass, he dragged his finish wide only to see the flag go up for offside. Too often he was dragged towards the ball instead of making darting runs behind Bordeaux’s defence. His impact on the game was minimal, giving the ball away several times as Ings replaced him for the final 20 minutes.
Substitutes
Pedro Chirivella- 6/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
The young Spaniard made his Liverpool debut, replacing Toure midway through the first half. He joined Rossiter in a youthful central midfield duo, and his first pass was wayward, straight to a Bordeaux player. After initially looking understandably nervous and perhaps a little out of his depth, he grew into the game impressively, making some intelligent passes and breaking up play to good effect. A promising first impression by the 18 year old.
Danny Ings- N/A
Replacing the ineffective Origi after 73 minutes, Ings almost made a terrific immediate impact, bringing down a lofted through ball with a superb first touch, taking the ball past the Bordeaux defender before seeing his low shot well saved by the keeper. Otherwise, Ings’ involvement was somewhat limited but he offered more in this brief cameo than Origi had done all evening.
Cameron Brannagan- N/A
Another academy graduate making his Liverpool debut, Brannagan only had time for a brief 10 minute taster of first team football and had a few nice touches in the short time he was on the field.
Red Regista
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