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Brendan Rodgers recently spoke about being concerned at a lack of leadership and a vocal presence in the side after the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford. He responded by recalling Jamie Carragher to the starting line up at the expense of Martin Skrtel for the Norwich game and the side kept a clean sheet in a 5-0 success. With big games coming up at Arsenal and Manchester City, should Rodgers retain the experience and leadership of Carragher, or revert to his regular first choice pairing of Skrtel and Agger? Three TLW contributors, Paul Natton, Alex Woo and 'Liverpool Lad' have their say... It'll hardly be a surprise to anyone who's ever read anything by me that I'd go for Carra in this scenario. After Kenny, he's my favourite ever Red and I also think he's the most under-rated player we've ever had. It's right that, with his 35th birthday imminent, he's no longer regarded as the automatic first choice for Liverpool. However, unlike many who share that view, it's not because I think he's no longer up to the task; rather, I advocate using him sparingly in order to facilitate some much needed succession planning at centre half and also because I believe we need to have him fit and ready for these big matches. For the two seasons preceding this one, Martin Skrtel has been bettered at centre half in England only by Vincent Kompany, in my view. However, it's been quite obvious that he's had a significant decline in form under Brendan Rodgers. From the confusion against City, to his part in the shambles at Old Trafford via his utter humiliation at the hands of Christian Benteke, the player's season has been worryingly poor and form alone therefore demands Carra's inclusion at his expense. However, of far greater import in my opinion is the view recently espoused by the manager - and emphatically shared by me - about the need for his character and leadership in the team. When Brendan Rodgers talked about game intelligence and the need for experienced players to manage on the pitch, who better fits that profile than Carra? People will bemoan his lack of pace against Arsenal while ignoring the fact that he's never been fast, but I prefer to recognise his class, intelligence and character in the context of picking him over Skrtel for this eminently winnable match. For me, Carra has to play; the lack of credible alternatives demands it. Moreover though, he should also get a 12 month contract as soon as possible. And not because of any sentimental reasons either, but simply because this very young team desperately needs his significant influence bringing to bear upon it with greater regularity in competitive situations. Paul Natton ************************************************** I’ll take any excuse I can get to talk about how much I love Jamie Carragher. The man is such an underrated player and has been a brilliant ambassador for the club and city. He’s still got plenty to offer the team and I hope this isn’t his final season at Liverpool. From his fantastic attitude to his organisational skills, having someone as experienced as him in such a young squad is vital; if there is any criticism I have of our current first choice centre-back pairing it’s that they’re not particularly vocal. That said, there’s a reason Carra is no longer first choice: Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger have, for the most part, been an excellent centre-back pairing. Few would deny that Skrtel is not having the best of seasons, but I certainly don’t think he has been a liability, and I think the last thing we need to do is start chopping and changing on the back of a few iffy away results, especially. The problem has been a continual questionable midfield selection and lack of physicality throughout the side more than anything. A lot of the problems our defence has faced this season stem from a lack of protection from the midfield; too often have opposition players been given a free run at the defence. It’s no surprise that we’ve looked far more solid since the return of Lucas, and before the unfortunate injury to José Enrique the back four was playing extremely well as a unit. For the past two seasons Skrtel has been a model of consistency and one of the top centre-backs in the league, so I think he has earned the right to play his way back to top form. I’d have started Carra against Oldham, as a scrappy away cup tie with a young defence is the exact sort of game we needed him in, and his exclusion was certainly a shock to most fans. However, Arsenal away is the type of game I’d definitely pick Skrtel over Carra for. Had the fixture been at Anfield then I’d be comfortable with Carra starting, but I think Skrtel’s mobility gives him the edge against Walcott, Cazorla et al. Alex Woo ************************************************** Over the previous 18 months Agger and Skrtel have become the mainstay of the Liverpool defence with Carragher now our third choice centre half, spending more and more time on the bench. The only reason this question has arisen is that there have been some error prone displays this season from Skrtel. This seems a choice between young and old, between the influence and nous of Jamie Carragher in a game against a lively Arsenal side where his lack of pace could be exposed, against Martin Skrtel who hasn’t been living up to his own high standards. Much has been made of Carragher’s declining pace, not that he has ever been blisteringly quick, but he has always had the awareness and intelligence to compensate for this. When Carragher was Skrtel’s age he was playing some of the best football of his career, due to his own ability and determination, and partly due to personnel that complimented his style of defending perfectly, such as defensive and deep lying midfielders like Alonso, Hamann and Mascherano. I believe the choice between Carragher and Skrtel shouldn’t be framed as narrowly as the aging professional versus his younger counterpart going through a patchy spell, but with consideration for the personnel they will have around them should they start against Arsenal. Games such as Arsenal at home, Aston Villa, Manchester United and to an extent West Brom have shown us to have a soft centre, with the fluidity of the midfield working well with the ball but not always as well without and not offering the protection they should. With a midfield still adapting to Rodgers’ philosophy, surely the defence can be afforded the same luxury. Whilst there are signs of improvement with in this area it is by no means the finished article. With this in mind and three games in a week, I would like to have seen Carragher playing at Oldham with his experience invaluable for the younger players, and for us to stick with Martin Skrtel for the Arsenal game. Then against City at the weekend, Rodgers should opt for the three at the back to stifle them as he tried at Stamford Bridge this season. Liverpool Lad