Ratings:
Mignolet: Conceded to the only shot on target so didn't have a save to make in the match other than that really. Thought his distribution was painfully slow and wayward but on the positive side he did punch twice very impressively. Second time i was more impressed as he'd took a knock on the first one and to come out again so soon showed a touch more bravery than I've seen in Migs in the past. 6/10
Milner: Got his positioning completely wrong against Gray, so much so that they were basically just getting the ball and feeding it inside Milner every single time for the first 10 or 15 minutes and we weren't coping with it at all. Goes far too early when we don't have controlled possession and the gamble clearly isn't worth it because when he does get ahead of the game he has to check back on to the right foot nearly every time. Crossing was poor and his set pieces were poor, think he managed 1 decent cross all game. Lost his man so badly on one of the set pieces that he had 5 yards of clear space on the back stick to nod it back across with, thankfully Klavan bailed him out of that one 4.5/10
Klavan: Started shakily but to be fair to him he had no support on the outside and was also let down by Can who also started the game slowly. Warmed to his task though and did one tremendous block when it fell to one of their lads after Milner's error. I thought it was a steady enough performance that got much better after the first 15 minutes. 6.5/10
Matip: Fantastic display, aerially dominant and bailed Clyne out time and time again. He must have felt alone on the right hand side of our defence as the fella beside him had a joke of a game. Without this lad putting in a performance like he did we could have been really punished. Give him some better players around him who he can have some confidence in and I think he's right up there with the best CBs in the league. 8/10 Easily MotM
Clyne: One of the worst full-back performances you'll see. He was so bad you'd almost be forgiven for not noticing and what I mean by that is that he did nothing of what he is expected to do but was so far away from doing it that you'd almost look around and think it's someone else's role in the side. Every player that got it on our left had a free cross into the box, everyone that ran Clyne was not watching our offside traps and was playing them on. He'd go narrow when the lad went straight and giving him free run and then when it comes to heading the ball he doesn't even compete. That's all before we even get on to his diabolical display in attack. Doesn't have a clue how to cross a ball, when he gets the right, which are so few and far between I'm confident it's pure luck. He just hits them in there and if there's someone close to it then that's a bonus but it's going in there regardless of what shape we look like. He struggles with simple 5-10 yard passes and we were so often dispossessed when he got involved that it infuriated me again. 3/10 TAA to start as soon as possible.
Can: Woeful first 20-30 minutes, gave the ball away all over the place and really did seem to struggle to get to the pace of the game. He's done this previously though and once he has warmed up that old engine of his (23 years old
) it seems to tick along nicely and even show real glimpses of promise. One of the cross-field passes he hit to Clyne even Stevie G would have been proud of, of course Clyne took it down and from being in 10 yards of space managed to lose the ball within 2 touches. His goal was sublime, right in the corner and if he can continue to strike them with that kind of accuracy then he can become a real threat on the edge of the box. 6.5/10
Wijnaldum: Don't think he helped Can enough but did well for his goal, very composed just when we needed it. Another goal at home but a crucial one without doubt. Nice to see him chipping in because I thought our attack was going to need some help and he provided it. Mustn't forget his defensive responsibilities though, even though it was only Burnley he should have noticed we were getting bullied too much early and adjusted to suit. As it was he sat too far up and allowed that to continue for too long. 6/10
Lallana: A couple of nice turns and some decent passing but I thought this was a big drop off from the Arsenal game. Don't think he was helped by such poor play around him and it was clear with Origi and Coutinho playing so poorly that our fluidity just wasn't there today. So much of that can't be levelled at Adam who tried to instigate the moves but when you only get to give and don't receive it back then you're not going to shine. 6.5/10
Coutinho: Shocking display, didn't look interested at all in the game. He was receiving the ball half asleep which is totally against his style, almost always he'll take a touch into space but instead he was either waiting for the ball to come to him and getting it robbed instantly or just meandering nowhere and again getting dispossessed. Worst display I've seen from him in a long, long time. 4/10
Mane: Our only real threat and ball carrier in the first 30 minutes, tried to do everything himself and I don't think the ref gave him a fair rub of the green. They were hacking at him a lot during that period and for the first time I saw him back out and try to toe poke at balls for almost fear of getting hurt. Usually he'll take the tackle and commit his body, but after the way the ref had let a few go I could understand it. Drifted out of the game a bit in the second half, even still he was more of a threat than Origi or Coutinho but by his standards not what we expect. 6/10
Origi: I know he got an assist and produced the best cross in doing so but beyond that he was pretty hopeless on the day. His movement wasn't there, ball carrying and retention seemed alien to him and honestly he looked a bit of a fish out of water. Not a good game for Divock 4.5/10
Woodburn: Thought he did well with the time he had, you can certainly see the talent is there and I'm enjoying watching him progress. Much more effective than Coutinho in the time he played, well done Ben.
Jürgen: Think we set up to purposely play longer balls and utilise Origi. Matip nearly got him in a couple of times but Divock wasn't aggressive enough and got frustrated with himself. Needs to learn to impose himself earlier and then he wont frustrate himself and us. As it was the tactic seemed like it would work if we had a more imposing centre forward because Burnley left the gaps they just weren't exploited or capitalised enough. At the back I think Jürgen has real work to do this Summer and while I know he's a loyal fella I hope TAA's progress is giving him enough reason to make a clear, required change. 6.5/10
Overall 3 points and that's job done but we must be better going forward.
