Liverpool FC Forum

i dont think we should be signing another defender in the summer and would rather we adressed the real problem in the team which is offensively.
we have agger and skyrtel with coates as back up and he should be given every chance to play when possible.kelly is decent at right back but should be moved into the centre to replace carra.what happened to wilson and is he another one that needs to be wrote off? or brought back as cover.
johnson and enrique are good choice wing backs and flanno and robinson are good enough to deputise for them when needed.
our defence has been one of the best in the league right up till christmas but when your forwards struggle to score and win games then the lack of belief spreads throughout the team and drags confidence down and thats why our defence has been creaking of late because we are underperforming everywhere else.

the midfield on is where our problems lie and thats what we should be addressing in the summer as if you cant score goals you will always be under pressure to keep them out.

agger and johnson are due back which is a huge boost. i don't think it's a coincidence that skrtel's form has dipped since agger has been out the side.

Agger may be made of glas but he is probably the most skillfull defender in the world.

bumping this as i feel it's relevant. how do you feel the defence has performed in general this season?

agger and skrtel's form has been up and down but they have generally been good. ok they get bullied a lot more in the air at times but they essentially kept us in it at times yesterday. it can't be easy for them as i think the way we play exposes them to one on one situations a lot more. i'm also not sure if we work at a defensive system in training anymore as rodgers strikes me as a guy who works more on attacking play.

no problem with glen johnson as he's been one of our best players. the fullback areas have been a joke though as we've had so many combinations it's untrue. a big shout out to wisdom aswell who i thought was excellent yesterday and was wise beyond his years. like kelly he'll probably end up being a centre back long term though.

if we're going to primarily use enrique as a midfielder long term then we'll need a left back in the summer unless we're going to promote robinson.

we got off to a shaky start but that wasnt down to the players but more the new system that they had to adopt.
everything is worked from the back and often fails to get beyond the half way line when we get closed down and our players have to make dodgy 30 and 40 yd passes back to reina or our centre halfs which is uncomfortable to watch.
we have conceeded a few through this approach.
we seem to play a lot with 2 holding players but they seem to follow the defense in and leave acres of space behind for players to move into for the cutback and a free pop at reina which has also cost us a few goals.
another thing to consider is whats on the wings. downing is a sh!thouse who simply refuses to tackle for the ball and will never change, sterling is another who is very slight and just gets brushed aside too easily and they arent a great help when the opposition has the ball and are on the counter.
our back 4 when fit is one of the best in the league and atm i think its the system that has us conceeding more than we should rather than the players.

agger and skrtel are both top class centerbacks but they can be bullied and neither of of them is particularly dominant in the air.
last season carroll won a hell of a lot of corners/free kicks in defensive positions and he tended to mark the oppositions best man in the air (i.e fellaini, terry, vidic etc), this season with him not there we`ve looked a bit shaky defending set pieces imo.
bog standard players like carlton cole, jon walters and shane long have had us rattled this season when their teams went direct.
what doesnt help is that if there`s one weakness in reina`s game it`s coming for crosses and looking at the average height of our forwards and mids our CB`s arent going to get much help there either.
i dont think it merits a major overhaul but it`s definately a weakness in our game, united`s second goal yesterday being a case in point.

Its baffling that we have one of the best young South American defenders and voted as such when he played in the Copa America ,yet we still prefer
Carragher on the bench ,rather than a player capable of proving a menace at set pieces as well as a towering presence in our back four.

Why ?

the fact we've hardly used coates has been a mystery. to be fair he'd benefit in going out on loan to another premiership side for the rest of the season so he can get some game time.

what i've give to have steve clarke back at the club aswell. maybe we'll be looking at making carra a defensive coach down the line.

stmichael » Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:46 pm wrote:the fact we've hardly used coates has been a mystery. to be fair he'd benefit in going out on loan to another premiership side for the rest of the season so he can get some game time.

what i've give to have steve clarke back at the club aswell. maybe we'll be looking at making carra a defensive coach down the line.

We need to use the lad soon ,he's spending his days on twitter and roaming around Liverpool One with his hood up 

RED BEERGOGGLES » Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:42 pm wrote:Its baffling that we have one of the best young South American defenders and voted as such when he played in the Copa America ,yet we still prefer
Carragher on the bench ,rather than a player capable of proving a menace at set pieces as well as a towering presence in our back four.

Why ?

plain and simple  rodgers just doesnt rate the lad which is a shame.
this notion of playing carra till he passes a milestone is all well and good but its hampering the progress of coates. we have enough games where carra can be brought on for the last 10 when we are winning but he should not be ahead in the pecking order.
i expect coates to be sent out on loan to never return and we will replace him with a player that rodgers does want.

i'd give wisdom a couple of runouts at centre back before the end of the season. kid is a beast in the air and never hides.

red till i die!! » Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:57 pm wrote:

RED BEERGOGGLES » Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:42 pm wrote:Its baffling that we have one of the best young South American defenders and voted as such when he played in the Copa America ,yet we still prefer
Carragher on the bench ,rather than a player capable of proving a menace at set pieces as well as a towering presence in our back four.

Why ?

plain and simple  rodgers just doesnt rate the lad which is a shame.
this notion of playing carra till he passes a milestone is all well and good but its hampering the progress of coates. we have enough games where carra can be brought on for the last 10 when we are winning but he should not be ahead in the pecking order.
i expect coates to be sent out on loan to never return and we will replace him with a player that rodgers does want.

It is a genuine shame ,because albeit from some naivety (which I'm sure could be ironed out with more game time ) then the lad has never failed to impress
I thought in some games he's played he has been the impetus for urging us forward whilst playing it confidently enough at the back .

I thought Rodgers wanted players capable and confident enough of bringing the ball out of defence ,I thought this was a prerequisite for how he wanted
his defenders to play .

i tell you what i'd probably take riise back as backup. he's still probably better than anything we've got a left back if we plan on using enrique further forward. hangelaand is on a free in the summer aswell.

I would take Hangelaand in a heartbeat! Experienced, great height, great on the ball and has aerial strength. I would definitely get him for the short term, maybe get him to coach Coates too.

Though, I can't see that happening especially that FSG are looking at much younger players.

stmichael » Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:35 pm wrote:i tell you what i'd probably take riise back as backup. he's still probably better than anything we've got a left back if we plan on using enrique further forward. hangelaand is on a free in the summer aswell.

Hangelaand is a good shout ,although forget the comparisons he will never be as classy as Sami  ,but definitely quality cover for Martin and Dan.