Origi can become good but it depends on your save and if you give him enough game time to develop. If you can't spare Origi the game time, I'd suggest you buy Munir as your Striker of the future. In most people's saves he becomes a top class striker. I don't know what makes him good, his only outstanding stat appears to be agility and determination but it works for him. (Just untrain his takes long shots PPM)
Does anyone try out Origi in the second season? And Emre Can? I always have a tendency to bring in my own wonderkid if the current one is not English so I was wondering whether I should sell Origi and bring in another wonderkid striker. Emre Can played 15 games as a starter and 9 as a sub in the first season, but he doesn't leave an impression whatsoever.
Unlike real life, where he plays like rubbish, Balotelli is a great striker in FM. He can be your #1 or #2 striker easily. And Sturridge plays extremely well when he's not injured.
Is it just me or does Balotelli go completely off in everybody's save? He's going on 14 goals in 7 games so far as a Target Man/ Complete Forward. Average rating of 9.14 last 5 games, and got 3 against River and 4 against Leon in my Club World Championship DB.
EDIT: And he just scored a hat trick against Tottenham. This is unfair.
My Keeper players for Liverpool are:
Raheem Sterling - has become world class in two different saves for me
Jordan Henderson - can become your workhorse at CM whether it is a traditional role or AP role.
Mario Balotelli - Surprisingly good in FM. His powerful striking allows him to score simply inspirational goals. And you can count on him to stay healthy longer than Sturridge.
IMO - Must upgrade positions
GK - Mignolet is as rubbish in the game as real life.
CM - Get a high upside guy to partner next to Henderson. Allen is mediocre and should be your 3rd string player at best.
DC - Acquire an athletic, young defender with upside. Although your basic DCs are solid, they are not the quickest players.
Transfer Recommendations
GK- Rulli. Not a lot of people mention him but you can negotiate to buy him for around 25m in some saves. Usually cheaper than Ter Stegen but absolutely a classy 1st team capable keeper. He also has the better stats for shootouts because he excels in 1 on 1 situations.
DC - Balanta. So good it's not even funny. No brainer buy. Extremely athletic, dependable, and a rock to build your defense on. What's better he usually costs less than 7m pounds at start of the game.
MC - Lucas Romero. All-rounder who will make a very dependable partner for Henderson. Also can play the DM position. Also buyable for under 7m at the start of the game.
ST - Munir. He's simply a steal for 10.25m pounds. He will be better than Borini and he will be ready to play sooner than some of the other wonderkid strikers.
Winger - Sisto. 2.5m for this wonderkid is a bargain. Offers the versatility to cover both AML/AMR, or even the hard to fill ML/MR positions.
When you start the game, sell of your deadweight, and you should be able to afford the above mentioned players pretty easily. As for the rest, hire the best scout possible, trust your scouting, and add some youth and upside. You should be able to easily make top 4 in your first season without a lot of changes. And if your tactics are sound and you made wise purchases, you should contend for the PL championship and champions cup glory by season 2.