The release of everybody’s favourite football management game is imminent and RealSport has the latest scoop on Liverpool’s player ratings based on the Beta download.
Football fans across the globe will be keen to prove they’re as competent as Jürgen Klopp when it comes to management, but will they be able to compete with the same resources as the extroverted German?
RealSport breaks down FM17’s Liverpool squad.
Philippe Coutinho, unsurprisingly, has the highest ‘current ability’ rating of four stars out of an available five.
Following from Liverpool’s star playmaker, Coutinho, all of Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Sadio Mané Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne and Daniel Sturridge are all rated as 3.5/5 stars. Both Mané and Firmino, however, have the potential to reach four-star ability and this is, naturally, accurately reflective of their standing in the real world. These are the players Liverpool managers on FM17 should be looking out for and pinning their immediate hopes on.
As you can see, both Mané and Firmino would be a good player to have in your ranks. They're both extremely versatile and are adept at playing anywhere along the front three and up front. If you want to play in the same vein as Liverpool do currently, with a roving 'false nine' and a fluid front three, these players, obviously, fit the bill.
Interestingly, Lallana has been given 18/20 ratings for both his technique and his first touch, though his stamina, arguably one of his most important attributes given the amount of ground Klopp requires him to cover on a weekly basis, is only 12/20.
In terms of the future, Liverpool managers could look towards Emre Can and Marko Grujic. The former is already a known prospect, though Grujic, whilst on the radar of a number of top European teams, was little heard of. He was signed for roughly £5million pounds in January 2016 before being loaned back to Red Star Belgrade.
As I mentioned, Can is already a known quantity and, thus, is rated 3.5/5 stars, whereas Grujic is only rated 2.5/5. However, both have the same potential and could see their star-rating rise to four-star if nurtured correctly. Joe Gomez, moreover, has a four star potential ability.
Another prospect for the future that could cause some serious damage after a season or two of extra development is Divock Origi. He’s already been making an impact at Anfield this season, but with a potential ability of 3.5 stars, he could be a future star in the Football Manager world. Moreover, he has a further star ‘blacked out,’ which suggests that given the right nurture, he could exceed his potential even further.
Simon Mignolet has had some serious question marks hanging over his Liverpool future and over his position as their number one, and for good reason. FM17 suggest that Klopp is right to persist with summer signing Loris Karius as, although both initially are rated 3/5 stars, Karius has the potential to rise to 3.5 stars.
Although Mignolet boasts a strong 18 for his reflexes, his command of his area is only rated 10. Given that command of your area is such an important attribute for a ‘keeper, Liverpool managers should drop him right away.
If we’ve missed any players’ stats that you’d like to see, click HERE to view the full squad.
Do you think these ratings are fair? Let us know in the comments below!