Liverpool FC Forum

[only me]

I don't know - rub off his tattoos and let him grow some hair and Skertle is just another of the same....The problem with him that he just good enough in all aspects of defending but not very good...He isn't that dominent in the Air ,he isn't that quick ,he isn't smart - he is OK - he offers us almost no advantage in set plays as Big Sammy and Agger does - i fail to remember one header the guy connected all season - seems harsh but i yet to see his potential growing to something better then just OK.

[Number 9]

I don't know - rub off his tattoos and let him grow some hair and Skertle is just another of the same....The problem with him that he just good enough in all aspects of defending but not very good...He isn't that dominent in the Air ,he isn't that quick ,he isn't smart - he is OK - he offers us almost no advantage in set plays as Big Sammy and Agger does - i fail to remember one header the guy connected all season - seems harsh but i yet to see his potential growing to something better then just OK.

Both are a million miles off Carra and Hyypia!
if anyone cant see that they are daft!.Yeah they may improve but they will NEVER be as good as there predecessors.

Sorry but its true!

[JC_81]

I don't know - rub off his tattoos and let him grow some hair and Skertle is just another of the same....The problem with him that he just good enough in all aspects of defending but not very good...He isn't that dominent in the Air ,he isn't that quick ,he isn't smart - he is OK - he offers us almost no advantage in set plays as Big Sammy and Agger does - i fail to remember one header the guy connected all season - seems harsh but i yet to see his potential growing to something better then just OK.

Both are a million miles off Carra and Hyypia!
if anyone cant see that they are daft!.Yeah they may improve but they will NEVER be as good as there predecessors.

Sorry but its true!

Agree with you there Barry.

I see Agger and Skrtel as good defenders, certainly better than average Premier league defenders.  Both would walk into any team outside the top 4 imo.  But they're no Carra and Hyypia, who in their prime were top class defenders.  I'd keep both of them, I'm glad Agger's signing again, but if it came down to it, either of them are replaceable.

Both have struggled for fitness this season and subsequently their form has suffered.  They're certainly not bad defenders as some people are making out.  Both have potential and are relatively young for defenders at around 24.

I don't think the defence needs major surgery yet, we'll get away with what we have for another season imo as money would be better spent strengthening other areas, but summer 2010 I feel the time will be right to look at that area again and maybe bring someone in.

[Scottbot]

I voted neither, it isn't that I don't rate them, I like them both but right now i'd have Sami partner Carra for the rest of the season. Particularly with us looking a bit suspect at the back the last few games. The Big Fin should have played more this season and I really think we will lose him next year 

[HacksawJimDuggin]

Great news that Agger is likely to stay. I think he's an LFC captain of the future

[Number 9]

Great news that Agger is likely to stay. I think he's an LFC captain of the future

Explain Why..Is it his dedication?

[bigmick]

Firstly I 100% agree with Barry here which is probably as big a shock to him as it is to me as it doesn't happe too often However, if we look into it a bit deeper/take the chance to waffle on for a while, like many things in football, it depends.

I'm fairly sure that we are in the middle of a "seeing of the light mark II" at the moment as we are changing to a more expansive/atytacking style, and it's going to be permanent. In so doing, our tendency to effectively play with two holders and a back six has become a thing of the past, and our defensive line is becoming much more exposed that at any previous time under Rafa. I know some people think there hasn't been a change, that it's just coincidence that we drew 4-4 two games running but I don't agree with that. I think in the future our defenders are going to need to do some defending.

Now at the moment there are only two teams which come close to being as attacking as we are, and it's worth looking at how they're going. Man Utd lead the title race and unless they give it back to us (which I still think they might) they'll win it. Arsenal are in all likelyhood going to be fourth. Now I know it's a simplistic way of looking at things, but I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that if you stuck Vidic and Ferdinand in Arsenals team they'd win the league. My point being that if you are going to be expansive and by definition expose your underbelly, you need proper defenders who can repell attacks. I know many will point to us dismantling Man Utd at Old Trafford, but everyone has off days and in any case I can't actually remember if Ferdinand played that day or not. whether he did or not, I feel he is absolutely pivotal to their style.

Now out of the two young centre backs, Agger is obviously the better footballer (although in truth Skyrtel isn't a row Z merchant and cun run with it unusually well for a centre half) and Skyrtel is obviously the more combative defender. Neither though is a truly commanding centre half, the kind you'd back in a one and one to not get done if you're life depended on it. Neither mops up aerial delivery for breakfast, and in the case of Skyrtel he does have the defenders disease of ballwatching.

As defenders, even now IMHO neither of them is anywhere near Carragher. Stick one of them beside a really top quality defender, and you'd get away with it even with our expansive style, but together IMHO would be a mile away from where you want to be. If we are going to continue to be expansive (which I hope we are) then IMHO we need a top quality centre half. If we don't buy one, my guess is that by Christmas next season we'll be bemoaning the fact that the reason we aren't up there with a rejuvenated Arsenal and Chelsea, and obviously Man Utd is that our defence isn't strong enough.

[Fowler_E7]

Agger is a far better player than Skretel IMO, though like some other posters have said, neither are in the class of Carragher and Hyypia, though i beleive Agger is a good defender who is deffo worth keeping for the forseeable future. As for Skretl, i dont rate him at all and i would say he's pretty average if im honest. He's qutie clumsly, ball watches and has a touch of the Djimi Traores about him, meaning that he always looks like a mistake is around the corner, although of course he is no way near as bad as traore

[loopyliverpool]

I went with Skrtel. I like them both but he gets my vote. Having said this though I would have dropped him recently and given Agger his chance. For me when a player isn't performing or making costly errors you make it plain and simple that it wont be tolerated  by putting him on the bench etc. As 'defenders' Skrtel just gets my vote cos he has more pace, Agger is a better 'footballer'. I do feel for Agger as he hasn't the manager's confidence to play him as often as I would certainly like. I feel Carragher has played too much and looks jaded and Rafa has chosen to deploy the legend that is Sami whenever he's wanted to rejig it. At the end of the day they are all Liverpool players and it's up to the manager to play them whenever he deems it appropriate. I think at the back of Rafa's mind is the 'partnership' thing between centrebacks and for the greater part of the season we have been solid. Recently when chasing games we have been exposed. Bar the Manc's two and Carvallio I can't think of too many better defenders than the ones we have at our club and for that we should be thankful!

[Lando_Griffin]

What wouldn't we give to have a 20 year old Hyypia on the bench...

[Toffeehater]

Before his injury and the england game he was easily our best defender , skrtel . He's never looked the same since downing ran riot at him a couple of weeks back . Every defender/player goes through a rough patch of form once in a while .

Agger , offers something unique , brings the ball forward , has a great left foot and can pick out his man from the back . I think both agger and skrtel next season will be our preferred center back pairing as carragher is getting on a bit and not the player he was 3 or 4 seasons back

[Toffeehater]

Great news that Agger is likely to stay. I think he's an LFC captain of the future

Explain Why..Is it his dedication?

We have much better canadities for captain when stevie retires , masch , torres , reina all before agger i reckon

[RobinHood6969]

Great news that Agger is likely to stay. I think he's an LFC captain of the future

Explain Why..Is it his dedication?

We have much better canadities for captain when stevie retires , masch , torres , reina all before agger i reckon

Stevie retiring is light years away    Y think about that.. i would say once carra retires the second captain would be masche or kuyt

[Owzat]

All rubbing yer crystal balls when we simply don't know who will still be here when Gerrard retires. When Carra stops playing for us for whatever reason, we'll certainly replace him and when Gerrard isn't here him too, so there's two players you won't know who will be replacing them (who could be captain)

woof - nice wisearse response, sorry to say that the question is open enough to interpretation that your point is moot. I asked plenty of questions in my initial post, but the fact is the question asks "who do you prefer" and at no point do I suggest they are like for like in "styles of play" or any way whatsoever. The fact is Skrtel is playing more than Agger, I'm asking if people prefer Skrtel or Agger, simple enough question. You are perfectly free to base your call on who they play alongside, that is why BOTH is an option as is NEITHER. If you feel the question leans towards pairing the options with Carra or even Hyypia then do that, but the essential question is :-

"Agger or skrtel?, Who would you prefer in the side?

Relatively open ended question with room for interpretation towards your answer. The only reference to Carra is actually a tongue in cheek reference to the "Carra manager" thread and the fact that fergie will be retiring sometime soon.

[Owzat]

If you look at the options which include Agger then there are 29 votes, only 12 that include Skrtel. In an outright vs contest, Agger leads 20-3 thus far, but Rafa seems to prefer Skrtel for some reason. If I could vote it would be 21-3