A Ball Playing Center Back

[anfieldanfield]

Is not a luxury, it is essential.

Basically, Daniel Agger needs to come back into the team.

I don't neccessarily buy the "a defender's job is to defend" mantra.

The amount of times last night Carragher and Martin had time and space on the ball and did absolutely nothing with it was ridiculous. The ability to bring it forward ten or twenty yards and pick a pass is invaluable in a center half and allows the entire team to attack higher up the pitch, which is especially useful if you have slow 'wingers', like we do.

Please Rafa, give Agger a start. If not on Saturday, then definitely on Tuesday when we have absolutely nothing to lose in the return leg.

[BFG]

I don't personally see how one poor performance after one of the best runs we've had maybe ever means that we need to make wholesale changes to the team.

Carra and Skrtel are both excellent players as they showed against Madrid x2, Utd, Villa and Fulham. They are good enough to play against Chelsea and be part of a winning team. We just didn't play well.

[Montana]

I don't personally see how one poor performance after one of the best runs we've had maybe ever means that we need to make wholesale changes to the team.

Carra and Skrtel are both excellent players as they showed against Madrid x2, Utd, Villa and Fulham. They are good enough to play against Chelsea and be part of a winning team. We just didn't play well.

[BobTheCharmer]

Skrtel is an accident waiting to happen for me. Everybody is allowed a bad game but one of his main attributes is his strength, last night he was even losing 50/50 tackles ffs. This man mountain should take ball, player the lot if necessary.

He panics and kicks air at times, his marking isn't the best and he rarely looks a threat at the other end.

Perhaps he just needs a rest. Personally I'd play a fit Agger alongside Carra everyday.

Oh well, we'll just have to win 4-1. Its not impossible.

[The Birdman]

Agger's problem is he can't seem to stay fit, first the broken foot then calf (I think) and back injuries this year.
Rafa can't play him if he has no faith in his fitness from week to week.
My personal opinion is that if Agger could stay fit then he would be a 1st choice but at the moment injuries mean it isn't happening.

[cream]

How about a centre-back that can actually defend?

[Darkon]

Is not a luxury, it is essential.

Basically, Daniel Agger needs to come back into the team.

I don't neccessarily buy the "a defender's job is to defend" mantra.

The amount of times last night Carragher and Martin had time and space on the ball and did absolutely nothing with it was ridiculous. The ability to bring it forward ten or twenty yards and pick a pass is invaluable in a center half and allows the entire team to attack higher up the pitch, which is especially useful if you have slow 'wingers', like we do.

Please Rafa, give Agger a start. If not on Saturday, then definitely on Tuesday when we have absolutely nothing to lose in the return leg.

I completely agree with you, we need a ball playing centerback in our team.

This was very well highlighted yesterday, that when Gerrard is taken out of the game, the gap between Alonso and the front men is to big. Neither Carra nor Skrtel can take the ball forward, leaving alonso to go to far back to pick up the ball.

And it doesn't help that Aurelio played like pants and threw everything away, further reducing our chances of pushing the ball further up pitch.

And about the wingers, we where not helped by the fact that Kuyt can't create anything on his own and Riera did not have the best of games.

[BobTheCharmer]

How about a centre-back that can actually defend?

We have 3 of those.

[Craig_H]

I don't personally see how one poor performance after one of the best runs we've had maybe ever means that we need to make wholesale changes to the team.

Carra and Skrtel are both excellent players as they showed against Madrid x2, Utd, Villa and Fulham. They are good enough to play against Chelsea and be part of a winning team. We just didn't play well.

He wasnt suggesting wholesale changes though was he?

[cream]

We have 3 of those.

Shame they weren't playing last night.

[Charlie_B]

Skrtel is an accident waiting to happen for me. Everybody is allowed a bad game but one of his main attributes is his strength, last night he was even losing 50/50 tackles ffs. This man mountain should take ball, player the lot if necessary.

He panics and kicks air at times, his marking isn't the best and he rarely looks a threat at the other end.

Perhaps he just needs a rest. Personally I'd play a fit Agger alongside Carra everyday.

Oh well, we'll just have to win 4-1. Its not impossible.

Couldn't agree more. Agger is a QUALITY defender. 2 years ago he was run ragged by Drogba, the return leg he had him in his pocket. He's young and he will make mistakes. He has the potential to be better than Carragher or Skrtel could ever be, and thus, needs to start getting games. I understand that his fitness could be a problem, but Skrtel is no where near the defender Agger is. Like you say; Skrtel's better attributes are his ability to win a tackle and his strength; he looked like he'd never played a PL match last night.

Don't get me wrong, not a single player came out of that match with any credit, but he was particularly poor.

[Matt]

I don't like to kick Skittles when he's down, and certainly if I ever met him in real life I'd probably run away but he's been in a mess since the England friendly. When you've got 4 quality centre backs at a club there's no excuse not to make a change if one of the starting 2 is underperforming.

Agger offers different qualities and it would certainly up the tempo of the side a bit. Watching the Fulham game last weekend when we were 0-0 and watching Carra and Skrtel playing pass to each other was a bit painful.

[DannyMan2006]

I don't like to kick Skittles when he's down, and certainly if I ever met him in real life I'd probably run away but he's been in a mess since the England friendly. When you've got 4 quality centre backs at a club there's no excuse not to make a change if one of the starting 2 is underperforming.

Agger offers different qualities and it would certainly up the tempo of the side a bit. Watching the Fulham game last weekend when we were 0-0 and watching Carra and Skrtel playing pass to each other was a bit painful.

Good point that.

Sometimes it's best to take a player out of the firing line. Especially when you have someone as good as Daniel Agger to replace him. Plus the return to the starting XI could sway Aggers decision to stay.

[UncleBob]

How about a centre-back that can actually defend?

One that can win a header might suffice.

[DannyMan2006]

Maybe you should all remember that last night our defenders came up against a player that is at time unplayable. He has made our defence look fragile before, including ones with Danny Agger in. Only Hyypia can cope with his strength, but then Sami gets took apart by his pace. Last night was the Drogba of old, the one who was the best striker in the world at times.