As the end of 2022 comes into view, it’s time for you to vote for who you think has been Liverpool's footballer of the year.
It’s been a rollercoaster 12 months for the Reds after challenging for an unprecedented quadruple last season - and falling agonisingly short in the Premier League and the Champions League - followed by an inconsistent start to this campaign.
Nevertheless there have been some bright brilliant moments on the pitch and Liverpool supporter Phil Blundell , a regular contributor to The Anfield Wrap, has assessed the claims of the four contenders for Fans' Footballer of the Year award and decided where his vote is going.
Thiago Alcantara
For me, there have been fewer better players to watch than Thiago at Liverpool over the past few years. You can count on one hand the number of people who can manipulate a ball the way he does and watching him is a real pleasure. The only shame with him is the regular injuries. Without them he’d potentially be a shoo-in for this award. As it is, he’s only a contender. He’s had a very fine year, but just not quite been available enough to be the man who wins this. Will go down as one of the finest technicians to grace the club. He's a 7/10 for his performances over the past 12 months.
Mohamed Salah
In terms of 2022, it hasn’t been a classic by Salah’s high standards. His goalscoring level dropped ever so slightly towards the end of last season and I think Salah would have been disappointed. So I think even he would find it difficult to put himself forward as the clear winner for this award, even though he's won it twice before. He continues to break records and there are still regular ‘Only Mo Salah’ football statistics knocking round, but without having a bad year, he hasn’t had his best one. Great to see him sign a new contract and hopefully 2023 sees his level go from ‘really good’ back up to ‘exceptional’. Overall, he's been a 7/10 over the course of the last year.
Luis Diaz
For a player who wasn’t even here on the 28th of January, Luis Diaz’s rise has been extraordinary. Arguably the best player in both domestic cup finals, he gave Liverpool the extra boost they needed to contend on four fronts in the Spring. He’s continued that level into the new season and has been much missed after that injury against Arsenal in early October. A genuine edge-of-the-seat footballer and a joy to watch. And this is with half a season without any integration with his team-mates and limited ability to communicate with them. Imagine what he’ll look like in two years! It’s hard to envisage Liverpool’s 2021-22 season ending anywhere close to the way it did without him. He's been a impressive 8/10 for 2022.
Alisson Becker
The best goalkeeper in the world? I don’t think it’s so much a question as much as a perfectly straightforward, inarguable sentence. Alisson's 2022 has been nothing short of exceptional, and he gets my vote for Liverpool’s Fans' Footballer of the Year. For him to do this in a season where Jordan Henderson has lifted two trophies, the side played in a Champions League final, and also achieved 92 points in the Premier League, says so much about his level between the posts. Current favourite for the Golden Gloves at the World Cup, but this would obviously be the biggest accolade he can win this December! A quite superb 9/10 for the past 12 months.
Do you agree with Phil's choice as Liverpool Fans' Footballer of the Year? To vote for your favourite, simply click on the form above and make your selection.
Who did you pick and why? Let us know in the comments section below!
