Our Centre Backs

[Guest TK-421]

I think Skrtel and Carragher will keep their places, and the new CB will have to wait for injury or for one of them to be dropped to stake a claim for the first team. The LB will be Enrique, or whoever else is signed, and Johson will revert to starting at RB.

[Hades]

Some lads will never rate Martin, even if he would play whole season as good as Vidic during his best spells. It´s trendy to call him " disaster waiting to happen" or " giving away needless fouls".

 

He is one of the best CBs in the league and that is a fact.;)

 

I know you're joking but the bolded part is bollocks.

 

Most don't rate him because even when playing well he doesn't look commanding. He's "mistake-free" at best. Maybe we'd rate him more if he was an organizer and brave like Carra but he isn't that either.

[buffaloboy]

Skrtel is good sometimes, never outstanding. He isn't commanding and particurlarly good at his positioning. He is nowhere close to as good a defender as Vidic. That guy is top drawer. He plays with Ferdinand, Evans and Smalling and still holds the defence together. I knew Barca with Villa and Messi would destroy Vidic but there's no shame in that. They would take Carragher and Skrtel apart too.

 

Vidic is the player Skrtel would like to be but I don't see it will ever happen. Skrtel is not even as good as Hyypia was 10 years ago when Hyypia was just a little older than Skrtel is now. Yes there are many worse centre backs in the Premier League than Skrtel but for Liverpool he isn't the quality we should have.

[sir roger]

Not even as good as Sami ?

 

That's a strange comment right there BuffaloBoy.

 

Skrtel has been very good this season & certainly deserves to stay at this juncture.

[buffaloboy]

Not as good as Sami in my view no. Sami had a presence and a calm assurance about him. I don't think Skrtel does. Sir Roger, you are telling me that if we could buy Sami Hyypia of 10 or 11 years ago or keep Skrtel then you would pick Skrtel?

[WaltonRed]

I think we'll see the back 3 we saw early in Kennys reign come back in some matches

[Il Fenomeno]

Not as good as Sami in my view no. Sami had a presence and a calm assurance about him. I don't think Skrtel does. Sir Roger, you are telling me that if we could buy Sami Hyypia of 10 or 11 years ago or keep Skrtel then you would pick Skrtel?

 

I think it was the use of the word "even".

 

Makes it sound as though there are hundreds of CB's who were better than Sami was at that age, when infact he's been our finest centre back in 20 years or something.

[sir roger]

Not as good as Sami in my view no. Sami had a presence and a calm assurance about him. I don't think Skrtel does. Sir Roger, you are telling me that if we could buy Sami Hyypia of 10 or 11 years ago or keep Skrtel then you would pick Skrtel?

 

You've got me completely the wrong way round BB.

 

You made it sound like Sami was run of the mill.

 

I don't know of many better than him in the last 15 years & certainly not Martin although I like him.

[WaltonRed]

Lets remember Oldham had Sami on trial and binned him off as not good enough, it took him a while to develop in to the monalith he became.

[buffaloboy]

You've got me completely the wrong way round BB.

 

You made it sound like Sami was run of the mill.

 

I don't know of many better than him in the last 15 years & certainly not Martin although I like him.

 

My apologies, I read the post and took it wrong. Oh no I don't think Sami was run of the mill at all. Yes he was for sure the best buy Houllier ever made. Wonderful player.

 

Ok then I will put it that Skrtel is not as good a centre back as Henchoz was either. We will keep Hyypia out of this and say he is without question above comparisons to Skrtel.

[buffaloboy]

Lets remember Oldham had Sami on trial and binned him off as not good enough, it took him a while to develop in to the monalith he became.

 

Also wasn't the story of how LFC bought Hyypia along the lines of the scouts were there to watch a different player in the same game and Sami just stood out. They weren't even there to watch him! That is pretty much unheard of in today's game.

[TheHowieLama]

Lets remember Oldham had Sami on trial and binned him off as not good enough, it took him a while to develop in to the monalith he became.

 

To come full circle, bring it back to all the talk of Wilson the other day on here- he is 3 years younger than the Hyppia you have pointed out was passed on by two English clubs as still being a little green. The part in bold is more true of CD's than any position on the field.

[Phoenix]

Also wasn't the story of how LFC bought Hyypia along the lines of the scouts were there to watch a different player in the same game and Sami just stood out. They weren't even there to watch him! That is pretty much unheard of in today's game.

 

No it was a cameraman who spotted him and told Peter robinson

[Dracco]

Skrtel is good sometimes, never outstanding. He isn't commanding and particurlarly good at his positioning. He is nowhere close to as good a defender as Vidic. That guy is top drawer. He plays with Ferdinand, Evans and Smalling and still holds the defence together. I knew Barca with Villa and Messi would destroy Vidic but there's no shame in that. They would take Carragher and Skrtel apart too.

 

Vidic is the player Skrtel would like to be but I don't see it will ever happen. Skrtel is not even as good as Hyypia was 10 years ago when Hyypia was just a little older than Skrtel is now. Yes there are many worse centre backs in the Premier League than Skrtel but for Liverpool he isn't the quality we should have.

 

I didn´t say Martin is as good as Vidic. I´ve said even if he would be some of you would still criticize. He is very underrated and many people focus on his mistakes, and when he makes one then talk about it for weeks.

 

But the same people never give him credit for when he plays well, they just disappear from topic and come back again when he has some bad game.

 

That is what I was talking about.

[sir roger]

My apologies, I read the post and took it wrong. Oh no I don't think Sami was run of the mill at all. Yes he was for sure the best buy Houllier ever made. Wonderful player.

 

Ok then I will put it that Skrtel is not as good a centre back as Henchoz was either. We will keep Hyypia out of this and say he is without question above comparisons to Skrtel.

 

Different players for me BB & we have also had the benefit of seeing Stephane's whole career whereas Martin is relatively young in central defender terms.

 

I would say that Henchoz was the better player but that Martin would have looked a lot better playing beside Sami as he would have taken all of the first headers, which is an area that Skrtel is improving in but needs to continue with.

[Dracco]

My post Nr. 1000. ;)

 

Most of them were about Skrtel :eek: so I have to finish it again with him.

 

Just to let you know , that Martin expects first baby, his girfriend is in 5th month of preganancy and it will be a boy. He is one of the few first teamers that still haven´t got baby so big congrats to your little Skrtelator.

 

;)

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

My post Nr. 1000. ;)

 

Most of them were about Skrtel :eek: so I have to finish it again with him.

 

Just to let you know , that Martin expects first baby, his girfriend is in 5th month of preganancy and it will be a boy. He is one of the few first teamers that still haven´t got baby so big congrats to your little Skrtelator.

 

;)

 

Hello Dracco old friend! I'm probably one of the people you're referring to further up, so I just wanted to say that I acknowledge that Skrtel played reasonably well the last 3-4 months of last season. I also admit that my previous statement that he is an average Championship player was a bit over the top.

 

I maintain however that he is nowhere near the quality we should expect if we want to be a top team. Extremely limited player, his main strength if you ask me is dragging opponents to the ground and getting away with it most times.

 

I fully expect you to tell me I'm clueless, and that Skrtel is a world class defender. Please go ahead, as we obviously disagree 100% on this topic.

 

Also, out of curiosity and if you want to share, just what is it with you and Martin Skrtel? Close friend, relative, coincidence or is it just his footballing brilliance that facinates you so much?

[Dracco]

Hello Dracco old friend! I'm probably one of the people you're referring to further up, so I just wanted to say that I acknowledge that Skrtel played reasonably well the last 3-4 months of last season. I also admit that my previous statement that he is an average Championship player was a bit over the top.

 

I maintain however that he is nowhere near the quality we should expect if we want to be a top team. Extremely limited player, his main strength if you ask me is dragging opponents to the ground and getting away with it most times.

 

I fully expect you to tell me I'm clueless, and that Skrtel is a world class defender. Please go ahead, as we obviously disagree 100% on this topic.

 

Also, out of curiosity and if you want to share, just what is it with you and Martin Skrtel? Close friend, relative, coincidence or is it just his footballing brilliance that facinates you so much?

 

I don´t have special relationship with him, bar the fact that we are both Slovaks so I have a weak spot for him and have a need to defend him often because I think he is not treated as some other players. ;)

 

You say that he played reasonably well second half of the season and in the next sentence you say that his main strength is dragging people down....So during those months he was probably dragging them better than never and never got caught....that is why he was good.

 

I don´t think he is world class, but he is strong defender, with pace, excellent tackler, with good positioning and reading of the game, with solid skills on the ball and passing. His weaknesses are heading ( improved a lot recently), rashness at times, and lapses of concentration sometimes ( he can be beast for 89 minutes and then makes one stupid thing which he is remebered for ).

[shaunstrudwick]

for me Scott Dann is not better than Skrtel and we should be looking for someone of a higher calibre

[TheHowieLama]

Skrtel is an excellent 3rd choice CB. He is not the problem, Agger is.

[Dracco]

Skrtel is an excellent 3rd choice CB. He is not the problem, Agger is.

 

Skrtel is at club for 3 and half seasons. He was 3rd choice for maybe 3 months during those years.

[moof]

Skrtel is 1st choice and rightly so.

[TheHowieLama]

I understand he has been 1st choice, my point is he is a quality third choice CB. This whole thread is about needing someone who is better. If Agger was healthy this whole time do you think we would be talking about Skrtels inadequacies? Do you really think he would be picked regularly ahead of truly fit Agger or Carra?

[moof]

He has been in the past so why not?

[TheHowieLama]

He has been in the past so why not?

 

when?