Mamadou Sakho

[DannyMan2006]

Not enough games played with that pairing to know how good or bad a partnership they would be, but if you are basing your opinion of them on the handful of games that they have played as the CB pairing, then they have the lowest goals conceded average of the three pairings you names and by some distance.

What cannot help is the fact we have only recently started to have a set back line in terms of personnel so there has been no real time to gel. Plus we have three of the back five being young players who only moved to England this summer and Sakho despite being at the club for 1.5 years has never really been a regular first team starter. So nowhere near being a settled back line that is used to working as a unit.

Throw it a midfield that, although much improved of late, has been quite poor at times this season in it's own defensive duties and it is no wonder we look shaky when under pressure.

Many of the same flaws were there last season and although Sakho played in games he was hardly a regular starter for most of the season. Our amazing front two covered a lot of cracks last season but I would argue that possibly more of the cracks were in midfield than in the back line and by not bringing in any real quality in the centre during the summer those cracks have only gotten a big bigger.

I don't know what partnership you refer to as I'm on Tapatalk, but I wasn't impressed with any of them. I accept a settled backline with protection from midfield would be much better. It's what we've lacked for sometime and as you rightly point out we've looked better since we've had that.

I'm seeing partnerships all over the pitch of late and no doubt that's why we are getting results.

[sambirken]

Possibly (although wiki has a few cm gap), but never as classy.

Aly Cissokho | Fever for the Flava | 13/14 Season Highlights on Vimeo

Fantastic video

[Pablo]

Absolutely love him. Some of the tackles he goes in for make you wince, yet he normally comes out with the ball. He has elastic legs

I wish was he was a bit more vocal though, he seems to mostly keep his mouth shut.

The progression of the defence since he came back into the team has been undeniable, he's a beast

[Scratch]

Anyone got any Sakho stats I can use as evidence...got a couple of work colleagues who still believe the "clumsy", "weak link" and "can't pass and even if he can it's only sidewats to Skrtel" bollocks that the papers keep spouting so am trying to educate them?

[Reece]

What was the goal he setup recently where he played a firm pass down the left wing to Moreno (I think) that led to the goal?

Just show them that.

[Shaggy]

Anyone got any Sakho stats I can use as evidence...got a couple of work colleagues who still believe the "clumsy", "weak link" and "can't pass and even if he can it's only sidewats to Skrtel" bollocks that the papers keep spouting so am trying to educate them?

http://www.squawka.com/players/mamadou-sakho/stats#performance-score#liverpool-(current)#english-barclays-premier-league#8#season-2013/2014#64#all-matches#1-38#by-match

http://www.squawka.com/players/mamadou-sakho/stats#performance-score#liverpool-(current)#english-barclays-premier-league#8#season-2014/2015#126#all-matches#1-22#by-match

Great pass completion, higher than average pass length, etc.

[dom9]

Pass length is an actual stat?

[Shaggy]

Yeah, quite useful I think. Some players do just roll it 5 yards and keep the pass completion stats up. Sakho pings it an average of 20m

[Scratch]

Thanks Shaggy, top effort.

[Tee]

Sakho is ****ing awesome, couldn't care less about his ungainly style. No CB is perfect, they all make little mistakes, and right now Sakho is our best CB by a country mile. Another potential future Captain.

[SB]

He's a BEAST.

[RedReet]

He was excellent first half last night.

His ability to pick out a pass and play the ball forward is great for a CB and I don't care if it results in the odd mistake or wasted ball here or there.

His wee back heel flicks are becoming as common as the Suarez nutmeg too.

[Gibbo]

Our best centre back.

It's actually starting to grow on me how he looks like Bambi on ice and then pulls out an amazing pass.

[G]

A ball playing centre half

He's brilliant.

[DannyMan2006]

Sakho is an effective passer. He just makes one daft stray pass a game that suddenly has the opposition right on top of us. Still very young and learning though.