Martin Skrtel

[G]

Yeah we've been playing well enough with the 3 CB's and starting to get results. No way well go to a back 4 just cos Skrtel is out. Straight swap Toure for Skrtel.

[Exiled_red]

Thought he was poor again, might have got Bony offside if he wasn't so **** scared he has to go and hug Mignolet every time a team attacks. This is little things that piss me off about him :





Whats he doing?! Nothing, he's just a body standing there doing **** all. Sakho got stitched up here really, Hendo and Skrtel were much closer to Bony, Skrtel should be 2 yards further forward, moving over to help Hendo who didnt cover himself in glory either leaving Bony and not getting near Sig. All the pointing and bossing others around is fine if you arent just using it to duck responsibility, he did nothing, nothing on Bony, nothing on the follow up from Sigurddson.

Similar story later in the game, he's helping play Gomis onside with a little help from Moreno.



And still doesnt get near him! Thankfully there was no damage done.



We hardly ever seem to catch teams offside, it's not really surprising when you see stuff like this is it? Annoying he's like this at one end yet if it was the other end he'd fling himself over anyone to get a touch on the ball. Very weird!

I know that this isn't going to be a popular opinion so before I say it I am going to point out that I am not particularly a big fan of Skrtel but I think some of the criticism of him is perhaps overly harsh.

From the pictures of the first incident you post it looks as though Skrtel has taken up and "interesting" position and obviously is playing Bony onside, however and it's quite difficult to tell without watching the video when the ball is played. But if you assume the ball is about to be played in the second picture, Can and Skrtel are between the ball and the goal, and Bony, Sakho and another 2 LFC players (Lucas and Henderson?) are all about level, so IMO even if Skrtel were to have pushed out there was IMO no chance of an offside. There are another couple of questions though about how you defend in such a situation, firstly would you want to try and play offside in such circumstances? I would say no, secondly, in marking Bony would you prefer to have your defenders running in with Bony facing their own goal and having to clear the ball? Again I would probably say no. So for that one while Skrtel's position may be a little deep I am not convinced he is doing the wrong thing.

The second incident for me is more the situation you might be looking at playing offside, a through ball in behind the defence, but we have (in recent years) never been a side keen to try and catch people offside, so it isn't entirely surprising that we don't. With reverting to 3 at the back and assuming we aren't really keen to play an offside trap I suspect that Skrtel as the middle of the 3 CBs has probably been to ensure that he is the last man.

I think that it is quite likely that the incidents you mention are probably the result of the system we play rather than individual errors by Skrtel. It will be interesting to see what the middle centre back does when Skrtel is suspended in the next game.

[danperkins]

I know that this isn't going to be a popular opinion so before I say it I am going to point out that I am not particularly a big fan of Skrtel but I think some of the criticism of him is perhaps overly harsh.

From the pictures of the first incident you post it looks as though Skrtel has taken up and "interesting" position and obviously is playing Bony onside, however and it's quite difficult to tell without watching the video when the ball is played. But if you assume the ball is about to be played in the second picture, Can and Skrtel are between the ball and the goal, and Bony, Sakho and another 2 LFC players (Lucas and Henderson?) are all about level, so IMO even if Skrtel were to have pushed out there was IMO no chance of an offside. There are another couple of questions though about how you defend in such a situation, firstly would you want to try and play offside in such circumstances? I would say no, secondly, in marking Bony would you prefer to have your defenders running in with Bony facing their own goal and having to clear the ball? Again I would probably say no. So for that one while Skrtel's position may be a little deep I am not convinced he is doing the wrong thing.

The second incident for me is more the situation you might be looking at playing offside, a through ball in behind the defence, but we have (in recent years) never been a side keen to try and catch people offside, so it isn't entirely surprising that we don't. With reverting to 3 at the back and assuming we aren't really keen to play an offside trap I suspect that Skrtel as the middle of the 3 CBs has probably been to ensure that he is the last man.

I think that it is quite likely that the incidents you mention are probably the result of the system we play rather than individual errors by Skrtel. It will be interesting to see what the middle centre back does when Skrtel is suspended in the next game.

ah yes a balanced post.

I was in the middle of a post very similar to yours but i'm glad someone else said it ... as apparently i'm a Skrtel super fan.

Skrtel has some issues absolutely no doubts as in he couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, but the stick he gets from literally the same people ever time is pretty blatant.

I have no problem with anyone criticising a player for a ****ty performance or bad form i'm pretty vocal like that. But when someone has a good game.. just say he's a had a good game ffs even if it's through gritted teeth.

He is a decent CB, but it is very apparent that he needs an organiser beside him. He is no leader and switches off at times but he's good in the air, quick enough, decent on the deck & he has a bit of balls about him. I've seen better but I've seen a hell of alot worse.

[baitman]

i'm a Skrtel super fan.

just set it as your sig. you know it makes sense mate

[danperkins]

just set it as your sig. you know it makes sense mate

I don't want to tempt fate, he'll probably score about 14 own goals this season

[Chris]

I know that this isn't going to be a popular opinion so before I say it I am going to point out that I am not particularly a big fan of Skrtel but I think some of the criticism of him is perhaps overly harsh.

From the pictures of the first incident you post it looks as though Skrtel has taken up and "interesting" position and obviously is playing Bony onside, however and it's quite difficult to tell without watching the video when the ball is played. But if you assume the ball is about to be played in the second picture, Can and Skrtel are between the ball and the goal, and Bony, Sakho and another 2 LFC players (Lucas and Henderson?) are all about level, so IMO even if Skrtel were to have pushed out there was IMO no chance of an offside. There are another couple of questions though about how you defend in such a situation, firstly would you want to try and play offside in such circumstances? I would say no, secondly, in marking Bony would you prefer to have your defenders running in with Bony facing their own goal and having to clear the ball? Again I would probably say no. So for that one while Skrtel's position may be a little deep I am not convinced he is doing the wrong thing.

The second incident for me is more the situation you might be looking at playing offside, a through ball in behind the defence, but we have (in recent years) never been a side keen to try and catch people offside, so it isn't entirely surprising that we don't. With reverting to 3 at the back and assuming we aren't really keen to play an offside trap I suspect that Skrtel as the middle of the 3 CBs has probably been to ensure that he is the last man.

I think that it is quite likely that the incidents you mention are probably the result of the system we play rather than individual errors by Skrtel. It will be interesting to see what the middle centre back does when Skrtel is suspended in the next game.

I'd love to believe it was a system thing as thats fixable but he's doing the same as he's always been, 4 4 2, 4 3 3, 3 4 3, it doesnt matter, he plays exactly the same. Look at Hull away last season and the 3rd goal, backs off and off and off and off and it ends up with him putting it in his own goal, Stoke away Charlie Adam goes at him, he backs off, and off and off before finally throwing out a half hearted stop but it's too late as the good long range shooter blasts it straight through him and in to our goal. I could list loads of other examples, it's the way he plays.

Carra was criticising his role in the goal too, it was poor. He's doing nothing, he might aswell not even be on the pitch!!

Yeah you're right, we dont play offside, probably because we have to carry him and his style. He's played 17 of 19 league games but guess the league game where we caught a team offside the most? Spurs away when he wasnt playing. It might just be a coincidence, it's just 1 game after all but I dont think it is.

[G]

We'll find out Thursday.

[BigChief]

This ban isnt good for us.

I guess we could be playing a back 4 of Manq, Can, Sahko, Moreno

Man Can Suck On Moreno?

Is that the subtlest hint you can give of your true desires?

[Exiled_red]

I'd love to believe it was a system thing as thats fixable but he's doing the same as he's always been, 4 4 2, 4 3 3, 3 4 3, it doesnt matter, he plays exactly the same. Look at Hull away last season and the 3rd goal, backs off and off and off and off and it ends up with him putting it in his own goal, Stoke away Charlie Adam goes at him, he backs off, and off and off before finally throwing out a half hearted stop but it's too late as the good long range shooter blasts it straight through him and in to our goal. I could list loads of other examples, it's the way he plays.

Carra was criticising his role in the goal too, it was poor. He's doing nothing, he might aswell not even be on the pitch!!

Yeah you're right, we dont play offside, probably because we have to carry him and his style. He's played 17 of 19 league games but guess the league game where we caught a team offside the most? Spurs away when he wasnt playing. It might just be a coincidence, it's just 1 game after all but I dont think it is.

Like I said the post I commented on was relating to the two incidents shown in the pictures, there are times where he has defended well and where he has defended badly. Whether it is a system thing or due to individual players is open to debate.

My view is that if Rodgers really wanted to play a defence with an offside trap and one member of the defence was incapable of doing it they would be replaced with someone who could, the fact that we haven't replaced him and tried to play with an offside trap suggests to me that that isn't something the manager wants to do.

I think that playing with a back three makes it more difficult to play an offside, the issue with a back three is that the middle centre back has to be the one who controls the defence and in some situations it may make sense for him to ensure that he is the deepest.

The biggest issues with our defence IMO is a lack of communication and organisation, more so than any problems with individuals.

[Muddled]

Id just like to say it's great to read interesting debate from both sides rather than posters labelling somebody as '****ing ****e' and that be the end of it.

[G]

He's ****ing ****e

[Muddled]

[Tatterdemalion]

It would appear Toure and Lovren were in full training today

Kolo clearly isn't fit to play. For starters he's only got one leg and as if that wasn't bad enough some-one has nicked his walking stick.

[ChesterDave]

Solid enough tonight despite what some in the Match Thread would have you believe.

Mind you, the ones that tried to create that impression were awfully quiet when Can was being woeful and even quieter in the second half.

[BootRoom]

Solid enough tonight despite what some in the Match Thread would have you believe.

Mind you, the ones that tried to create that impression were awfully quiet when Can was being woeful and even quieter in the second half.

Got some good blocks and headers in.