Increased competition helping Skrtel

Our best back three for me is Toure and Sakho either side of Agger.  I'd give Agger licence to bring the ball out and step into midfield when we have possession.

 

That said, I'm a big believer in rewarding the man in possession of the shirt if he's playing well, and Skrtel doesn't deserve to be dropped right now.  I'd lean towards keeping Skrtel in and telling Agger to wait for his chance, but I can see the merit in being ruthless and just picking the best players for the job.

That's exactly my view. The only big concern for me is whether Agger gets jittery at not playing.

A far lesser concern, but one that's in my mind, is that Ilori needs some games too if hoe's not to be yet another big young talent who stagnates on the bench.

 

A far lesser concern, but one that's in my mind, is that Ilori needs some games too if hoe's not to be yet another big young talent who stagnates on the bench.

I agree, i can't help but thinking we've got another Dudek/Kirkland type situation on our hands there. With Ilori we've splashed out a significant chunk for someone who, could play/feature in maybe 5 games at most for us this season. 

Having said that I also think that Toure's injury put paid to Skrtel moving on in August, which would have had Ilori a further rung up the pecking order and more chance of playing and developing. I'd say him being loaned out in January is almost a certainty - preferably to a team in this division to give him the exposure to the PL.

Ilori definitely needs out to get games. We should follow the continental model with younger players in the way Atletico did Costa for example, invest but let them develop elsewhere until they're ready for first-team competition. Buying potential only to let it rust is madness.

There's a secondary problem though with our current approach to transfers. Our squad is so shallow we can't necessarily do this. At their ages Alberto and Sterling should be playing every week, but represent a huge chunk of our limited attacking options, despite one not being ready and the other remaining at least largely untested.

They're caught between two stools, and as a result of us not having the depth to let them out on loan, club and player stand to suffer.

While I believe that first paragraph to strongly be the case, reading it's just depressing. Like talking about stocks and shares. Fucking modern football.

Ilori needs games. Coates needed games. Ince needed games. Nemeth needed games. Kaca needed games.

Makes you think that we need to come up with a way of getting young kids meaningful competitive games that will stretch them. But instead we talk about it, invest millions in undeveloped kids, and then wait for them to stagnate or piss off.

I mean surely it's obvious if you don't have the means to develop kids between 18-21, don't buy them, put the millions towards the finished article.

I agree that Agger is possibly our best CB on paper and on his day....But i can remember last "his day" somewhere in 2007.

 

07/08 he was warming the bench behind Skrtel/Carra

08/09 he was warming bench behind Skrtel/Carra...bar injuries

09/10 he was carried y Carra

10/11 he was bwhind Soto in Roys packong order and then behind Skrtel/Carra

11/12 he had solid season, but Skrtel ha d season of his life so Danny was carried by

12/13 his worst season, directly culpable for 12 goals between december and March...but Brendan stood by him even if hr was in worst shape I  can remember him

13/14....two clean shhets with Kolo, but Kolo was saving his ass throughout the two games + Mignolet

ten outperformed by Skrtel who started after six months (credit to Danny he did not make howler against the mancs)

....Then fucked up the Soton goal....

 

....And about jis offensive qualities...he had 1 goal assist in last 3 seasons...and his last last "trademark" shot was against Blackburn in april 2009....

 

So open your eyes fuckers

Haha 

I remember Skrtel getting his arse handed to him by a non-league striker on his debut and the same with a League 2 striker at Oldham last year. he has been culpable for more goals than Agger has, especially at set pieces (even though Agger has done himself no favours when he has played this season)

Agger is the better player Dracco, but Skrtel, who for me is always an accident waiting to happen (like Enrique) has performed well this season. 

No-one can pull off the vertical header quite like Skrtel can.

Not even Jovanovic?

Oh no he misses free headers when unmarked in the middle of the pitch.

 I dont get this form thing people are talking about as an argument for not getting Agger straight back in. 

Agger got injured, then he came back in when not fit and had to go off again, its not been like he's been out fo form even if some people who dont understand the basics about defending likes to blame him for goals when players leave his zone and go on to score in someone elses zone unchallenged because they dont pick him up.

I believe we should play our best players and there is nothing wrong with Aggers form.

In the three games when Agger played 90 minutes we conceded 0 goals this season, in the five games he has played at all we have conceded 2.

In the other 3 games when he's not been involved we have conceded 5 goals.

Points taken with Agger playing 90 minutes, 9 out of 9, in the games he has been involved 12 out of 15.

In the games he's not played 5 out of 9.

Agger may be better than Skrtel, but Toure is better than both of them. And Sakho is likely to be the best of the lot. I'd play Toure and Sakho, loan out ilori, and play Skrtel or Agger when a third CB is called for (I'm not convinced we'll play 3 at the back every game)

 I dont get this form thing people are talking about as an argument for not getting Agger straight back in. 

 

Agger got injured, then he came back in when not fit and had to go off again, its not been like he's been out fo form even if some people who dont understand the basics about defending likes to blame him for goals when players leave his zone and go on to score in someone elses zone unchallenged because they dont pick him up.

 

I believe we should play our best players and there is nothing wrong with Aggers form.

 

In the three games when Agger played 90 minutes we conceded 0 goals this season, in the five games he has played at all we have conceded 2.

 

In the other 3 games when he's not been involved we have conceded 5 goals.

 

Points taken with Agger playing 90 minutes, 9 out of 9, in the games he has been involved 12 out of 15.

 

In the games he's not played 5 out of 9.

I'm kind of with you on this one - I think Agger is the best defender that we have - but, on the zonal marking point, Rodgers is on record recently as saying that, after trying that approach early last season, he switched to man to man marking for set pieces.

Lovren's goal against us was clearly a result of him very easily losing his marker, and his marker for that set piece was Agger. Watch it back again. Lovren is not running into anybody else's zone. Agger is caught flat footed and is then unable to make up the lost ground. It was his responsibility. Anyway, I don't want to be caning Daniel Agger as he's a great player, but he has certainly not been without responsibility for goals conceded this season.

I would say Agger should be played just because of his ball-playing ability that will help the midfield a lot if 3-4-1-2 is the formation to go. None of the other 3 guys are that willing and comfortable to carry a ball into the midfield (Toure maybe).

Its a bit like the Alonso-Mascherano discussion this for me.

Haha 

 

I remember Skrtel getting his arse handed to him by a non-league striker on his debut and the same with a League 2 striker at Oldham last year. he has been culpable for more goals than Agger has, especially at set pieces (even though Agger has done himself no favours when he has played this season)

 

Agger is the better player Dracco, but Skrtel, who for me is always an accident waiting to happen (like Enrique) has performed well this season. 

There is no way Skrtel was culpable for more goals last season than Agger mate.....And regarding set pieces, even people who don´t rate Skrtel have to agree, tahat Danny is responsible for far more set piece goals than Martin is (or was last season).