The 31 year old has not been at his best this season
Martin Skrtel – The big Slovak has long struggled to really nail down the fan’s confidence and faith in him, despite being the second longest serving player currently at the club.
Having played North of 310 games for the club, you’d think he’d be considered the perfect replacement for Mamadou Sakho but many fans appear to have lost all confidence in the 31 year old after a shaky season, which culminated in his absolute horror show against Southampton.
In terms of stats he rates quite highly (via Squawka) for pass completion, comparing favourably with Sakho, averaging about 86% in 21 Europa League and Premier League games this season. However, he rates just 42.5%, in terms of overall defensive duels (tackling, heading, etc.), whilst over 70% of Skrtel’s defensive actions are clearances – a worrying trend and one that does not seem to play to the strengths that Klopp is after.
On the face of it, Skrtel is a solid international defender, one that would grace most Premier League sides but he seems to not fit the mould that Liverpool are looking for these days and it’s unlikely he’ll get the nod tonight.
