Everyone seems to have something to say about Liverpool FC and its players. Whether its fans of rivals, media pundits, or even the club's own supporters, there's always a take about how everyone's playing.
Sometimes, the scales don't quite properly balance when it comes to praise versus critiques, so let's talk about the most underrated Liverpool players this season
Honorable Mention: Darwin Núñez
Yes, there are some issues with Darwin's finishing in terms of consistency, but the ability is there and he's been an absolutely pivotal part of Liverpool's attack.
It's also worth noting that he's been the victim of poor luck at times- his nine woodwork hits, tops in the league by a serious margin over Ollie Watkins's four, is just unfathomably fluky, and a number that should regress favorably going forward.
Even with the finishing issues, which are of course very real, Darwin has been a tremendous producer for the Reds with 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.
Even more than the numbers, his pace and explosiveness open up important space for the rest of the attack to flow into, and while it is frustrating to see him seemingly so close to unlocking even more potential, the derision with which his performances are often met is largely unwarranted.
4. Mohamed Salah
Salah underrated? It's a bit of a stretch in some ways, but even though the footballing world has begrudgingly admitted that Salah is no one-season wonder, it has yet to acknowledge what he truly is; one of the inner-circle all-time greats of the Premier League.
The Egyptian King has missed a good amount of time this season, but is just two goals and one assist away from the league lead in both categories.
In all competitions, he is approaching 300 goals + assists for Liverpool, a truly staggering figure in just under seven seasons.
In terms of league-wide records, he's just recently entered the top-10 of the all-time Premier League goal scoring list, and joined Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer with his seventh PL season with at least 25 goals and assists.
Even more than any statistic, Salah's influence is clear if you watch Liverpool with any consistency; when he exits the pitch, the entire team loses its danger and struggles to keep the ball up in attacking areas. He's credited as a solid player, but not recognized nearly enough for what he is; the very engine of Liverpool's entire squad, and one of the the three or so greatest Premier League players of all time.
3. Dominik Szoboszlai
This isn't to say that Szoboszlai is one of the very best Liverpool players this year, but a few recent challenging outings have taken the shine off of what has been a really solid start to his career in Red.
Szoboszlai's versatility allows him to play all over the midfield and even on the wing, a really valuable trait given the issues Liverpool have had when it comes to fielding a healthy squad.
Of course, Szoboszlai's own injury issues have been a part of the issue, but none of that changes the fact that he's been a very important contributor this year. His average match rating from FotMob in league play is a strong 7.36, right behind the 7.53 for the much more-praised Alexis Mac Allister and well beyond Wataru Endo's 6.95.
Szoboszlai hasn't recently been on the score sheet with the frequency of Mac Allister, but after a bit of a quiet outing against Manchester City and a few rough moments in the FA Cup against United, he came back from a magnificent international break for Hungary with a very strong showing against Brighton. Hopefully, he'll carry his strong form forward as Liverpool seek to complete a title push.
2. Jarell Quansah
It says so much about Quansah's performance this season that so few people are talking about it. When a major player like Ibrahima Konaté is injured, the shortcomings of his replacement can be talked about to no end, and even when the fill-ins do well enough- like the iconic duo of Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips back in 2021- they're visibly below-standard to the point that it's a continuous storyline.
No such tension or anxiety has characterized the early stages of Quansah's senior tenure with Liverpool.
Of course, he does have the benefit of playing alongside Virgil van Dijk, whereas Phillips and Williams only had one another, but we've seen much more veteran players struggle even with the big Dutch centre-back to help out.
It's not to say that bad things have been said about Quansah, or that the things said haven't been positive enough- just that not enough has been said, compared to the likes of Conor Bradley, who has played a similar part.
Quansah is a 21-year-old player who was on loan in League One last season, yet is now playing a crucial role in Liverpool's title push- and doing quite well with the opportunity. The sky is absolutely the limit for Jarell Quansah, and he deserves to be much more of a center of attention than he has been thus far.
1. Harvey Elliott
Harvey Elliott playing with England's U21 team over the recent international break perfectly encapsulates why he's in the top spot on this list.
Somehow, this integral player in Liverpool's squad, who has been impressing at the top level for what seems like awhile, is still just 20 years of age, and somehow, despite his major contributions for the Premier League's best side, he's so disrespected that he can't even crack England's senior squad as a reserve.
He doesn't always find himself on the scoresheet, so his impact often goes under the radar, but Harvey has cracked the plateau of 40 first-team appearances for Liverpool this year.
They say availability is the best ability, and this year, that has certainly been true; his reliable presence and skillset that allows him to play both centrally and on the wing have been absolutely vital as Jürgen Klopp continues to cobble together lineups in the direst of situations.
It should only be a matter of time before Harvey gets the Three Lions call-up he so clearly deserves, but until then, we'll settle for his top-tier performances to be focused solely towards helping Liverpool regain control of England.
He wasn't here for the Champions League win in 2019, and hardly played a part in the iconic 2020 Premier League-winning campaign, but if all goes well, he'll have an incredibly well-deserved medal before long.