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Liverpool’s Centre Back Partnership: A DEBATE

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Carragher & Agger – This pairing has had great success in the past, and may well do over the next season or so if Roy sees the light over Daniel Agger’s talent. Played the majority of Rafa Benitez’s successful 2008/09 campaign and kept the side tight at the back for most of that season. Two worries about this partnership do arise though; Carragher’s current form suggests that this pair might not be as strong as they used to be together, with an additional problem that they are both not as strong as Skrtel or Soto in the air. Hodgson definitely prefers to have a commanding aerial presence at the back so the resurrection of this partnership looks unlikely at the moment.

Carragher & Skrtel – Looks to be Roy Hodgson’s first choice pairing, but with the statistics this season suggesting defensive weakness, Roy must reconsider whether this should be the preferred partnership. Like other partnerships, this suffers from a lack of pace allowing the opposition to get in behind our backline if Carra and Skrtel are caught square. Both are not in the greatest of form and I would implore Roy to change his mind.

Agger & Skrtel – Tipped as the next great Liverpool centre back pairing, both players have had problems at the start of this season. While Agger has been either injured or played out of position, Skrtel’s form has been less than perfect, giving away too many cheap free kicks in dangerous positions and being caught square on too many occasions. It is unlikely that we will see this partnership in the near future, unless there are injuries to other players.

Which partnership would you prefer? HAVE YOUR SAY

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20 comments

  • prince_1lfc says:

    i fully agree, soto and agger would be our best defensive pairing

  • danger mouse says:

    Yeah deffo the best partnership. Sotoaint gettingany younger though. Maybe we should go in for Mertersaker who’s almost out of contract, or Mexes who’s almost out of contract too.

  • Gano says:

    Soto and Agger with Carra RB and Johnson RW!!!!

  • mark gore says:

    Carra to stud now!

  • dj says:

    Agger and Skrtel for me, both are quick so we can play a higher line. Skrtel’s got that bit of fight in him and Agger is a real football player.

    These two at the back would then help bring out the best in Johnson and Aurelio because they are more mobile.

    Thats my back four.

  • hannah says:

    This would be my team

    Reina

    Carra/Kelly, Soto/Skrtle, Agger, Konchesky

    Johnson, Gerrard, Meirles/Cole, Kuyt/Jova/Babel

    Torres, Pacheco/N’gog

    Buy ashley young, fabio coentroa, fernando llorente n ibrahim afellay

    Johnson on RW wud work

    • Zahid says:

      I agree with your line up and like that you’ve put Johnson on the RW his best position, are you available to manage LFC, i bet even you could do a better job as Woy……YNWA

      • David says:

        we would get relagated if thats the team we played every week

        • Zahid says:

          I disagree but thats my opinion, we need width and to put Johnson on the Righ Wing would give thta free role and i can see him doing a Gareth Bale, he loves going forward, yes he cant defend but hed be an exciting player on the right.

  • A FINNIGAN says:

    we are weak down the left danny wilson is a good left back better than Konchesky anyway and ashley young at lw and a forward at 15m-20m
    fernando llorente or luis suerez from ajax

  • Daniel says:

    i’d like to see a back 4 of Carra Soto Skrtel and Konchesky/Agger,with johnson on the right wing.This would give us a back 4 that a lot of strikers would fear.And we’d have Johnson to cover for Carra’s lack of pace!

  • neil says:

    we need 6 new defenders before we will ever win the league
    SOTO – too slow and it will show but hes in good form but nowhere near good enough
    AGGER – too injury prone and probably always will be but i would hang on for a couple of years and give him games
    KONCHESKY – insua and aurelio are better and they arent good enough
    AURELIO – hes ok has never been good enough but at least he is consistently ok
    JOHNSON – play him at rwb with 3 cdfs or can only be played at right back with 2 holding midfielders because he cannot defend for toffee
    INSUA _ showed some talent i think we should try and have him play for us again and hes still young
    SKRTEL – i think could stay also
    CARRAGHER – hes toast
    ANY OTHER DEFENDER WE HAVE – crap crap crap

    i would like to see us bring in realistically hangeland, shawcross, wayne bridge and micah richards no untried foreigners who may not adapt to the premiership

  • Imran says:

    Agger is pure class and should be playing week in week out (injuries permitting of course).
    I rate him enough to consider him as a defensive midfielder in place of Poulsen if not in the centre of defence. He needs to be played, Agger is clearly a part of our best 11. YNWA

  • Dean Webb says:

    not only do we need a good defence but we need to support for Fernando torres ( someone who can score consistantly)rather than having him alone in the box

  • Steve linton says:

    Kyrgiakos on current form is looking good for my backing and his aerial threat is something we’ve been misssing since Sami left us.

    Unfortunately, as a ball player his skills are lacking and he seems to be a “long ball” man to say the least.

    I think when Agger is fit he should play with Kyrgiakos although it could be argued that the Skrtel, Kyrgiakos partnership should have a chance to prove itself. Personally, i’m getting a bit peaved with Carragher’s own goal scoring ability as well as the skill of constantly giving penalties away. He’s too slow and has to foul these days to stop a goal threat.

    Even though Soto’s slow, he provides a goal threat (something Carragher or Skrtel don’t have) and at the back he doesn’t lose anything in the air.

    In the last couple of games Soto’s been up there with our best players so give the guy a chance.

    Carragher has been a fantastic player over the years but I really do feel that he’s become somewhat of a liability in the last 2 years at centre-back. However, I’m not writing the guy off completely because I’d rather he played at right back than the hapless Glen Johnson, who seems more worried about his hair than defending!. What a waste of 18 million!!! Give me Arbeloa anyday.

  • Kenny says:

    Dan Agger began his career as a striker. He is not a defender. He has never made a tackle in his time at Liverpool and he is not fast enough as a centre-back, he is terrible in the air defensively. His ability on the ball and his shooting ability needs to be utilized in midfield. He is not going to score a goal 90 yards from the opposition goal. He needs to be deployed on the left wing, as an example of how effective he could be there I would refer to the goal he created for Kuyt in the 3-2 home win against Wigan in 2008 when he waltzed past Lee Cattermole into the Wigan penalty box and cut the ball back to Kuyt from the end line. He would also be an option to head back towards the penalty spot a cross from the right wing that goes beyond the far post for the likes of gerrard or torres to shoot past the opposition goalie as agger is surprisingly good in the air in the opposition penalty box. Kelly should be introduced now at right-back instead of carra as we need more height in the defence. Soto and Skyrtel should be the centre-backs until January until we can get someone better than Skyrtel such as Gary Cahill. Put Johnson right wing as he is able to both cut in field on his left or go ouside on his right.

  • juez says:

    I would prefer either Soto/Agger or Agger/Skrtel…
    either one of this is good..

  • Yunus says:

    I believe our back four should be Kelly , Soto , Agger , Aurelio , Johnson must move to right of Midfield , we have cover for the defence in Skrtl , Wilson & Konchesky

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