Must admit have been very impressed with Skrtel this season If we can keep Agger fit and Skrtel playing the majority of the time as his partner with Cara then Coates as back up and include Glen and Enrique as the full backs you would have to very confident in our defence as a defence and attacking unit. Skrtel's winning over 85% of the Aerial combats and just 94% of his tackles , plus your nearly guaranteed he is fit for every game. Also surprised how comfortable he seems to be bringing the ball out of defence and getting forward into the opposition half at the same time as Agger http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/first-team/statistics
Fair play Rocco.Have to say I agree he has been very good this season and seems to have cut out the mistakes and is starting to look the preferred choice as centre back.Maybe it's agger playing alongside him or Enrique's fantastic work rate but I think he looks very assured.
Aggers a big factor IMO , thought Skrtel was at his best yesterday Think playing Cara less will also bring the best out of Cara when he plays , that's if Kenny sticks with Agger/Skrtel City next will be another big test and give us a better indication of how good the partnership potentially could be?
Fully aggree, as long as Agger can stay fit , skrtel/agger partnership will only get stronger with time, also with the choice of johnson and kelly for right back that pretty much sums up that side of the pitch
Largely been very impressed with him this season but the problem is you know you're never too far away from a stupid,rash tackle (spurs) or a lapse in concentration (losing Hernandez from the corner for the manc equaliser-a game he was otherwise superb in.) As mentioned above,he has definitely been more comfortable with the ball at his feet this season.A very decent centre half but not quite top notch.
i dont think its any coinicdence he's playing his best football when carra isnt beside him...i know carras very vocal and people seem to think youhave to have an organiser back there etc etc but to be honest with you we look far more solid without him. ans also a lot of players dont react or respond positively to the barracking he gives during every match...esp when he's been making more mistakes himself in the past 2-3 seasons than any of the rest of the defenders (barring skertl himself). still not convinced 100% that he's the real deal long term but no way should he be dropped at the moment when his partneship with agger is solid and his confidence and concentration (always his weakest point) are high. i think of the positions taht i felt needed urgent fixing the centreback posn is becoming less of a priority than centre forward and creative wide/central midfielder...and fair dues to skertl for puttin in the graft...i have to admit he has looked good the last month or so
Based on this season he has been far from just avearge and to be fair to Skrtel he hasnt got enough game time with Agger to really judge the partnership and fcuk all time v top opposition Jury still out but I see huge potential Another point it shows is Our centre backs can be rotated just like other top sides and still produce results I'd like to see more of Coates as well , another CB with huge potential
I actually believe that if Carra finds himself outside of the starting 11 on an ongoing basis he will look to move on. I know he's local and loves the club but he's in the last few years of his career and I believe a competitor like him would never just earn his pound on the bench. That being said we look better without him, it's a very tough call and I don't envy Kenny having to make it!
I'm going by 2011-2012 , before this season I thought he was a liability to be honest , just giving him his fair credit for this season Still feel its to early to judge his partnership with Agger due to the lack of games together and mainly v top opposition . Chelsea game made me stand up and say maybe this lad has more to him than i thought , just hope its not a knee jerk reaction but i suppose most of us knee jerk with negativity do why not the opposite
I think he's been ropey at times this season but played very well the last few games. He was brilliant when he signed for us but struggled ever since he broke his jaw. Hopefully they can get him back to his best consistently again. I hope his recent form will help his confidence because that's what he lacks at times
He has been decent this season, a big improvement on last season, but he just makes me too nervous to have confidence in him.
IMO its just honest about Cara , doesn't mean we don't still love Cara but IMO still has a lot to offer if rested more also see us doing the same with Kuyt but I'd still have a lot of faith in Kuyt if playing up front regular and not on the wing
Skrtel is back to the form that he showed in his first two seasons and Agger is back to his 2007 form. I often wondered what would happen if both hit top form at the same time and now is as close to finding out as I think we're going to get. It could mean Jamie playing less games and he'd hate to miss out on games. But the professional in him will know that those playing at the top of their game deserve to keep their place, no more so than at centre half. It's a heck of a problem to have.
Carragher has 18 months left on his contract, I doubt he'll sign another one and will then retire. He's recently got his coaching badges and is already working with the youth teams, he'll be staying at the club on a coaching level. Skertl and Agger most certainly deserve to be the men in possession of the CB positions at the moment, it's up to Carra Coates and Kelly(RB) to win there place back if the chance arises.