Liverpool FC Forum

[Bad Bob]

It's a slow work day and I'm in an inquisitive mood, so I'm wondering which players have surprised people this season? 

Think back to the expectations you had about particular players in August.  Now, over 8 months on, some have done precisely what you've expected while others have over- or under-performed.  So...

Who has been unexpectedly good?
Who has been strangely poor?

[Alonso14]

Morientes, I thought he would of shined. I was expecting 10-12 goals, with some assists and some better link up play.

I had just got to the point where i finally believed kewel was use less. But he turned around and has made his place in the first 11.

Otherwise not too many other shocks.

[BLANDY]

THE KID CARRAGHER HAS BEEN A REVELATION AFTER THE SEASON HE HAD LAST YEAR        

[stmichael]

the obvious nice shock is the form of kewell, especially since christmas. a lot of people (myself included) had pretty much written his liverpool career off after his "performance" in the champions league final last season. whilst i never had doubts about his ability i had doubts as to whether he would ever regain the confidence needed that would ever let him get back to somewhere near the form he showed at leeds.

it's great testament to what a great manager that rafa is that he stuck by kewell through thick and thin, and to a lesser extent crouch aswell. remember crouch's confidence was also at rock bottom when he couldn't buy a goal and was getting booed by both opposition and england fans. i was one who said from day one that crouch would be a good signing for this football club and i've been proved right. anyone who thought he was brought in to score 20 goals just wasn't being realistic.

shock disappointment has to be morientes. i stood by this guy aswell claiming the old cliche "form is temporary, class is permenant" but it just hasn't happened. i bow to bigmick on this one.

[Alonso14]

I was also suprised by how long it took Peter Crouch to get off the mark, but even more supprised how good his feet actully are. But overall perfomace has been as expexted, Not a huge amoutn of goals, but some nice touchs. What i thought Morientes would of given us.

[Bad Bob]

I'd like to add Gerrard to the 'good surprises' column for two reasons:

1) His ability to put the whole Chelsea transfer saga behind him immediately in July and go about the business of leading the club into the CL Group Stages.  It was like that whole sordid affair was just an unpleasant dream the moment he led the lads out against TNS.  Remember all of those debates about his mentality and his worthiness as captain?  Don't hear those questions anymore.

2) His willingness to switch to the right for the sake of the team.  This goes beyond his ability to play there--most of us figured he had that in his locker.  Rather, it speaks to his maturity and awareness that he was willing to put the team first and forego his favourite position for a role out wide.  Other players of Stevie's calibre--i.e. World Class, 'build-the-team-around-him' players--would have been far more stroppy about being played 'out of position' for much of the season.

I've always loved Stevie but I've developed a new level of respect for him this season!

[ivor_the_injun]

Kewell's been a really pleasant surprise - I genuinely thought he was a player permanently on the wane, but some of his performances have been first rate this year.

Also Sissoko. For a month or two I thought he was far from the finished article, diving in and fallling over at every opportunity. Something seemed to click just prior to Christmas however, as his performances since then have in the main been exceptionally mature.

To a certain extent Rafa's been a surprise package this year. He doesn't seem to be on the same wavelength as most of the supporters as regards who constitutes our best left back, and at times I've shook my head in disbelief when I've seen Traore picked ahead of a fit Riise or Warnock. But on the flipside he stunned me in a fantastic way by doing what I wished for 2 years that he would in signing Fowler.

[RichardLFC1]

Although this is his first season sissoko didnt think he would shine as much as he has done and glad i was proved wrong

[48-1119859832]

There have been four or five players I have been pleasantly surprised by but I will just pick two and they are Momo Sissoko and Peter Crouch.

When I first heard we were signing Peter Crouch I thought to myself this has to be mindless media speculation surely. The recently crowned Champions of Europe should not be linked with a player who was in a team that got relegated. And then I heard Southampton wanted £7million for a player who I just regarded as a beanpole who got lucky and broke into double figures on the goalscoring tally, in my eyes he wasn't worth £1.5million nevermind £7million. I also rattled my brain cells to try and figure out:

A) Why we would sign a Championship bound striker for £7million.

B) What would he offer us?

And he came and he went about seventeen matches without a goal and during this period, I figured out just why we signed Crouchy. He offers us a lot in attack in terms of holding up the ball, his creativity seemed to be very good. His work ethic was unquestionable and certainly seemed better than that of his counterparts Cisse and Morientes. It was his lack of goals that got to me somewhat and then I gradually realised that Crouch wasn't a twenty goals a season striker and he was bought in to give the team more options. But he can also score and he's scored 11/12 in total. Not bad considering I didn't think much of him and branded him a "one season wonder!".

Momo Sissoko, I remember when we signed him, I was reading the sport section of the Guardian. I sat there in a silent daze and said "who the (f)uck is Sissoko". Then I read he was a 19 year old Mali player who had just turned down Everton for us and we signed him from Valencia. I didn't expect to see him feature much and just thought he's gonna spend a season or two in our reserves like most of Benitez's young signings and I thought Hamann would still keep his place.

How I was wrong and Sissoko has looked a promising talent ever since day one. I was back then surprised to hear Benitez branding him the "next Viera" and whilst many fans were building him up without knowing and many ppl chose to build him up and I thought that the ppl doing that would be in for a big let down but I have to eat humble pie on this one (granted I don't think he's as good as Patrick or should be branded the next this and that), he's been an exceptional player, he's over-come a serious injury which could of affected him for the rest of his life nevermind his footballing career. He bosses the midfield, is extremely good at breaking down the oppositions play and we've dearly missed him when he hasn't been present, he's already in 8 short months become an instrumental figure head in our starting eleven.

He's shown what a real class act he is and he's getting better and better with every game that passes! I've also learnt from the signing of Crouch and Sissoko that you don't have to sign the Zidane's and the Shevchenko's of this world, you just have to sign the right players with the right attributes and the right mentalities.

[H_K_LFC]

Surprise players have to be Kewell who has transformed into a regular first team 11 and Sissoko who has been amazing this season even with the eye injury.

[RAFABENITEZ]

Kewell for the good.
Morientes for the bad.

[D-VARD]

Kewell hes really clinched that place!!!

[anti-hero]

Who surprised me most has to be Peter Crouch and Sissoko.

Having never heard of them before, it certainly raised the question in my head, "Has Benitez lost his mind?" My next thought immeadietly was, "We're champions of Europe, surely we would have got someone better.." I'm sure some of you may have thought similarly but I have to say Rafa did good snagging these two. Both are very bright prospects for the future and I would say that Rafa really knows what he's doing.

The club's in good hands.

But as always there's always the good and the bad and I really thought Morientes and Cisse would have improved by now. They're excellent strikers who just havent been able to find their feet in the Premiership. Its sad really, I expected so much more from them.

[Mark 23]

traore - he just doesn't improve or mature, he is still .

On a more serious note, I think that Momo and Crouch have been really good surprises, the resurgence of Kewell have been really good surprises.

As for Morientes and Cisse, Cisse for me is just a moaning , whilst I still expect nando to be at Liverpool next season, because have the Chilean on the left, and hopefully a real right winger on the right (no offence Stevie, you've done well there but it's not were we want you).  If nando is with two decent wingers then there is no hope for him, and he will be gone next season.  Bookmark this page becuase I think he will get 10-12 next season if he is still here.  His ratio will be better than the 1 in 5 he has now

[bng89]

Kewell. Aussie boy has come good