This Pairing Has To Be Allowed To Prosper in Upcoming Games

Within just minutes of the final whistle on Sunday we saw what was promising to be another fairly disappointing end to a good Reds performance turn to jubilation, as Glen Johnson showed the attacking players around him how it’s done by scoring a breath-taking goal.  I had literally just sent off a text, detailing what I thought of our attacking players for their deer-in-headlights impressions in front of the opposition goal this season (Dirk Kuyt’s effort late on being the final straw) before Johnson came out of nowhere with a moment of unexpected class.  For one weekend, at least, we can forget about our inability to finish off a great performance with 3 points and bask in glory.

But while we’ll all spend the next 7 days praying for a similar performance and result against City next weekend, we can at least rest assured that our defence currently seems to be one of the safest and most tight around.  For the first 6-7 games of the season we spent a lot of time looking shaky, particularly at the centre of our defence but (and I have to say: not surprisingly) with Jamie Carragher’s recent injury and absence from the first team Martin Skrtel and Dan Agger have come on light-years.  It has been too long since we’ve been able to be confident and comfortable with our back line and it showed in the confidence and verve in our display against Chelsea yesterday; you won’t see many teams go to Stamford Bridge and play like the home team this season.

[ad_pod id=”unruly-video” align=”center”]

You see, what Skrtel and Agger offer us is all the things you would hope for from a top class defensive partnership: strength, leadership, confidence, aerial ability, pace, tackling and what we are now seeing develop, which is the beginnings of an understanding that is required for any great partnership.  They provide the men alongside them at the back and those directly in front with a solid base and strong foundation to move forward and means that players like Lucas and Charlie Adam don’t constantly have to track back to cover and cracks.  You couldn’t have asked for a more resounding testament to this than the fact that Charlie Adam was rated as man of the match for most people, with Lucas not far behind.

The reason for that has a lot to do with the fact that, with Skrtel and Agger behind them both midfielders are seeing more of the ball.  Previously, the have spent as much time craning their necks as the ball sailed over their heads from Carragher’s boot as they have with the ball at their feet but yesterday the tricky, quick passing game we played on the floor let both midfielders flourish.

I think that, with that in mind and after yesterday’s performance, we should really be seeing Agger, Skrtel and Lucas being allowed to continue their defensive triangle over the course of the season and give the club the basis from which to build another successful side with those steady foundations.

Get Football, Rewards and More with a brand new free app Qustodian Sports. Click the banner below to download for free! 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

How does Qustodian Sports work?

[youtube bu14CjolAgE]

Follow us on twitter @live4Liverpool or like us on Facebook

Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com