Liverpool Banter Archive March 05 2015

05 Mar 2015 15:17:42
Watch the palace game last season with skrtl in defence. A crack in an aquarium can lead to an in building tsunami. If we want to win the league skrtl has to be dropped next season. He has had too many years to show he's not good enough.
This summer should be about the defence and goalkeeper. Moreno and Flanagan are potentially solid and we have loris to come back, toure, Sakho who has the ability to be top class and lovren who showed last season he could be top class. He needs another season but skrtl and Johnson who does look like leaving have never shown the ability to be good enough defensively.
If we want to challenge, we have to have as good as defence as forwards. Criminal we scored soo many goals last season and our defence leaked half as many. Can is a midfielder who should be given the chance next season to cement his place beside henderson.

05 Mar 2015 16:22:40
His name is Ilori with a capital i at the beginning, too many people get his name wrong on here, it's frustrating

05 Mar 2015 16:48:38
Not sure if you've been watching the same Liverpool side I have but Skrtel has been our best CB this season, with Sakho just behind

05 Mar 2015 17:09:01
I have been Skrtels biggest critic, the past 3 years I've wanted him sold because his positioning or lack of, means his partners often have to pick up the slack and we concede goals but in the back 3 he works better, he can play to his strengths whilst still leaving two centre backs to defend.

He has turned it around for me, I would still like to see a back 3 of Sakho, Lovren and Wisdom/Ilori going forward as I think Cans future is further up the field but Skrtel has done enough to stay the club.

05 Mar 2015 19:46:38
I have never thought of Skrtl as a good defender, but he has been very good this season and getting rid of him now would be a crazy move.

05 Mar 2015 20:36:53
I think Skrtel has played well the last 10 games or so but he is still so frustrating to watch. His lack of movement when we have the ball is appalling which often leaves either Mignolet or his other team mates around him without an easy option to pass to him. Kolo is the same. Emre Chan on the other hand is constantly moving into space to receive the ball and has instrumental in our improved form.

05 Mar 2015 21:01:05
I don't think you can sell him now.
This formation of 3 at the back really seems to suit him.
so if next season Brendan is thinking about 3 at the back, he has to keep him.
If he is planing on going 4 at the back then would he have full trust in lovren and sakho? I don't think so. It would be a huge and unacceptable risk after lovrens early form.
So he seems to have forced his way into the first team, I would be unwilling to change what seems to be working quite well. If it's not broken then you don't try and fix it (listening Brendan).
Johnson and Enrique need to be sold off though.

05 Mar 2015 21:16:12
So what if he had a stinker against Palace last season? It would be foolish to sell him now, except if you want another season in transition.

05 Mar 2015 23:12:11
Big Al what a joker you are my friend. I suggest you have a look at our games again an watch the graft skirtel put in.

06 Mar 2015 01:03:29
Skrtel's one of those defenders who will have an absolute cracker of a game or 2 and then the next game have an absolute nightmare. His positional sense is abysmal but he does do well when we actually have the ball.

Personally I'm not comfortable with any of our defenders but they seem to be doing well as a trio. My concern is what we're going to do next season. Buy another Lovren type player to replace Can and shove him further upfield or trust Lovren, Sakho and Skrtel, OR go 4 at the back?

I think Rodgers plan has always been to have the 4-3-3 formation and next season I fear he's going to forget that we've been brilliant with 3-5-2 and buy players with 4-3-3 in mind, like he did before this season.

06 Mar 2015 02:06:03
hes good in the centre of a 3 man back-line. he can't play in our back 4 though. unless we sit deep, he's going to be in trouble.

06 Mar 2015 03:29:40
I don't agree when people say martin's positional sense if wrong. It's not. He lacks pace so he makes up for it by correctly positioning himself deeper. He would be WRONG to stay tight to speedy attackers as they would just turn and run in behind with ease. Look at Patos goal a few years back with AC Milan. Yes it leaves a gap between the opposition forward and the midfield and let's the attacking midfielder have more space, but it is the defensive midfielders job to cover those spots. Gerrard didn't do it, that's why Martin has looked so good behind Lucas. Wrong positioning is when lovren decides to leave massive gaps between the fullback and the center back. That leaves a gap and either allows the opposition forward a 1v1 or let's the opposition striker to run between the full back and center back. That's a much harder problem to tackle. Tell the fullback to pinch in, risk leaving the opposition fullback free. Let lovren close his gaps, leave the striker in a one on one with the center back. All potentially bad problems. So it's wrong to say Martin is our worst defender, when it's truly dejan that is currently. I do wish both the best though.

06 Mar 2015 09:29:58
People have disliked you post al because they are forgetting the beginning of the season. He was terrible for the 1st half of the season.He's playing well not because we've pretty much gota 5 man defense, with Can or Sakho as the ball player rather than himself.
Sakho forces him up the pitch and communicates with him where he needs to be and who he is picking up, you can see him doing this on tv and at anfield. I believe if we revert to a 4 man defense again we'll look terrible, this is exactly what happened vs Besiktas and Martin panicked in defense and sat deep.

A lot of his last ditch challenges are often of his own making for poor positioning defensively by not getting over quick enough to cover. He's simply NOT good enough to take the club forward

06 Mar 2015 10:52:52
Skrtel is always going to split people because so often he digs us out of holes and plays exceptionally well on TV, but he's always constantly out of position and constantly tiptoeing the line between challenge and assault. He needs to have at least one defender with an eye on him at all times, preferably constant instruction from the GK as well. The idea of him as a captain candidate is laughable. But with that set-up around him, in most games he can be boss.

So I guess the question is are we better off with someone who needs managing for the entire game by his colleagues but is great when managed, or do we need someone who isn't as good at their best but is much more self sufficient and can be trusted to make the right choice on their own a lot more? Wouldn't like to make that call but considering out current team, I'd say get rid after a good season where he's worth something. If we got a particularly commanding keeper then that would change though

06 Mar 2015 12:39:29
Skrtl is a good no nonsense defender, I would argue that having Gerrard as the defensive midfielder in front of you offers very little in the way of protection meaning that he was constantly exposed.

Look how he has played when either Lucas was playing in front of the defence or when Gerrard hasn't been playing in Centre Midfield, the stats are very telling. Personally I would keep him as he is still in good nick, he is combative and loves a battle.

Behind an effective midfield he is a good defender, behind an ineffective midfield it puts too much on him, which is the same for any centre back.

06 Mar 2015 14:15:16
Staying deep is not being out of position. It is compensating for lack of pace

06 Mar 2015 15:29:27
Anfield, he's too afraid to get close to his man unless it's a big striker. sitting deep so that sakho and the other do too. Allowing pressure. trying to get the rest of the defense to form the line and restrict the offence to shooting outside the 18, it's why at the beginning of the season, teams were having a ludicrous amount of shots on target at Mignolet.
He doesn't cover Johnson well at all, he's too afraid of going to far right, because he doesn't talk to Lovren or Sakho and tell them to come across to close the gap, and we conceded ground down the wing.This is all poor positioning.
He's often too slow to get close to his man, and allows attackers to turn with ease far to often.

06 Mar 2015 20:22:46
Incorrect. Bad positioning would be staying tight to a man who will turn him with ease. Big strikers don't turn and sprint in behind do they bob? You basically reinforced what I said. The gaps left between the defence and the midfield, where the opposition takes shots from, are supposed to be covered by the defensive midfielders. Look at Matic or our very own Lucas. He is a very good defender and it pains me how people seem to think its okay to spew feces on martin's name. ESPECIALLY when the insults are incorrect. How can you blame him for the influx of shots when his position requires him to be INSIDE the box where the majority of attempts on goal are via the noggin(which he is very good at winning).

07 Mar 2015 21:15:29
well if you truly think Martin Skrtel is a top notch defender andthat he doesn't do what I say, then go along your merry way

05 Mar 2015 11:28:46
We haven't heard much from blue nose Davey for a long while have we lads, hope its nothing serious, just a severe case of the blues!

05 Mar 2015 11:59:17
I remember earlier in the season he was telling us we were in relegation fight lol.

05 Mar 2015 23:07:58
He`s prolly still running his mouth BUT none of us can hear him from way up here, sitting high in 5th place and 25 points ahead.

05 Mar 2015 10:29:01
Next 3 games swansea utd arsenal if we got 7 points out of that top 3 is a very big possibility that would be an unbelievable turnaround for us and as usual the utd fans I know r still not taking us seriously 1 of them even had the cheek to say to me we r due a few bad results.

05 Mar 2015 10:56:18
Not even being bias when I say the team due a few bad games is United.
It's already been a big turnaround but top 4 I still going to be tough.

05 Mar 2015 13:06:19
Mikey1985 are you having a laugh? With the team we have and the games left it should not be tough to get in the top 4. Man Utd at this moment in time are a poor poor team. Arsenal and Man City are so inconsistent we should be aiming to catch them and not worry about just getting into the top 4

05 Mar 2015 14:50:02
Archie, I do know where Mikey is coming from. We're on a great run of form, no doubt, and that adds to the confidence in us fans and the players, but I'm in no way counting any chickens yet. Hendo's red card last year (which imo was the pivotal moment in the run in for us) shows how we could only be a few seconds away from an anti-climax (something my wife knows only too well. ;-))

05 Mar 2015 15:42:43
Red Archie you shouldn't be so over confident.
Just because we have been flying and United have been poor does not mean we can't hit a bad patch and United hit a purple patch, United can't exactly get any worse can they? and they are still a couple points better off than us.

05 Mar 2015 16:09:03
I think we can get 9 points out of those games, that's not an unrealistic aim, as long as BR doesn't do anything stupid like change the line up to fit Gerrard in to it as it would disrupt the balance of the team.

05 Mar 2015 23:14:02
Nobody thought we could get 13 of 15 points from this busy schedule not even me and we did. The boys seem up for the challenge and the confidence is up big time which is why IMO, many fans of other teams around us are starting to really worry and they should. They all thought we would finish midtable and now they are all scared that they will be the ones we overhaul as we have overhauled Spurs, the Saints and soon to be Utd and Arsenal by actually beating them. One game at a time is the key and we will have a chance to affect their results because we play them and there will b nowhere to hide. YNWA!

05 Mar 2015 08:37:20
Just to say I think it was a great game against Burnley, not absolute vintage in terms of excitement, but solid and very professional all round, with the requisite flashed of brilliance to score when required. Job well done & with the ease worthy of a top 4 side.

Most pleasing for me was Allen and Hendo owning midfield again. Hendo stepping up into a really top player/captain now and the regularity of goals and assists climbing rapidly. Can was solid and looked like a Mercedes Benz cruising through the opposition at will, Sterling and Sturridge a little sharper again, and looking more dangerous all the time (just in time for the crunch games hopefully). Llalana continuing to get better all the time, I believe he will be a great player for us for years. Coutinho looked sharp but didn't have to force things too much with others playing well around him. Skrtel a rock. Well done lads!

05 Mar 2015 07:50:15
Did anybody else think Henderson's goal last night had a touch of the Gerrard half volley vs Olympiakos about 10 years ago? A rising ball beautifully controlled by hitting across it is order to send it right into the bottom right with too much power to get near it.

Hendo now has 5 goals and 12 assists this season. I think only Sterling has been a more effective player in the final 3rd For us.

Hendo probably still has his doubters, but I never have been and never will be one of them.

05 Mar 2015 11:07:05
I'm glad he's learnt to shoot in a straight line finally it was a big piece missing from his game.
He seems to be loving the reaponsibilty of captain and the freedom he's got not covering for Gerrard all the time.

05 Mar 2015 12:02:31
Go back two years and he was getting pelters on here.
That 16 million looks good value now.

05 Mar 2015 12:20:31
Read an interesting stat this morning on Yahoo Sport or something (haven't checked it though). 'Whilst wearing the captain’s armband, Henderson has played 12, won 10 and drawn two matches.' Amazing stat if its true.

05 Mar 2015 13:55:14
Seen a few stats lately. Barely lost when sakho has played, Lucas speaks for itself and our win % when coutinho plays is vastly different as to when he doesn't. All key players.

05 Mar 2015 16:56:38
EMS you never doubted Henderson? Just like everyone else who wanted to keep him in his first season, oh wait. Next you'll be saying you never doubted BR

05 Mar 2015 20:51:39
A player becomes a class act when he consistently plays well. Henderson seems to be having his own purple patch and that's helping the team. I hope we get to see similar performances from him regularly

05 Mar 2015 23:21:12
When he just got here, he was scared and played scared to the point the he actually used to hide during games and would not tough the ball atimes for certain periods during games. Complete change in attitude and commitment. He has grown a backbone and taken on the challenge that was b4 him, rising to the point of us not being able to play w/o him and potential rise to be captain of an institution that is LFC. Credit to him and a role model for kids that shows what you can achieve if you work hard, don`t give up and wait your turn because your time will come and when it does, TAKE IT!!

05 Mar 2015 02:08:07
Was at the game tonight and I sit in the Paddock towards the away end where the subs warm up. Balotelli looked so damned miserable and only "warmed up" for a few minutes. Mario might have thrived against the Burnley defence in a pretty lacklustre second half. if only for the last 20 minutes but wasn't used once again. I fully expect Liverpool to seek an exit for Balo in the Summer though I don't know if the player won't do a "Borini" and settle for being on top wages for little football and even littler return. Why on earth do we buy players from the Italian League when few, if any, cut the mustard with us?
That aside, we are playing really well at the moment and our defence is looking very solid. Even Mignolet is looking dependable but Emre Can, Phillipe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson are performing particularly well. Adam Lallana is also showing glimpses of being a top player and Martin Skrtel is on a really good run of form.
When Jordan Ibe and Lucas Leiva return we'll be even stronger but we need to utilise the squad well in the few matches that remain. In my opinion, that means not using Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique, Steven Gerrard or Fabio Borini unless it's absolutely neccessary. Again, just my personal opinion.
I think it's too early to apologize for my previous criticism of BR but I'm ready to do just that if he doesn't blow the dozen or so match run-in we have. A not too difficult set of fixtures and up against teams no better than us with us being on a run of form and a very small gap to close. An easy "bye" to the FA Cup semis and nothing else to worry about should provide Rodgers with no excuses. Champions League qualification SHOULD be a given. The FA Cup will be a bonus and it would look good on BR's CV if we could win it. could be handy if we don't get Champions League!!
ANFIELDPETE

05 Mar 2015 09:27:14
Coutinho could have been taken off with 20mins to go and Sterling too.

Burnley weren't at the races at all so I think Rodgers should have used the bench earlier. Fair enough I'd have left Sturridge on to build up his match fitness, as Rodgers did, but Coutinho/Sterling could have come off earlier.

05 Mar 2015 20:48:06
Agree with that Sean
What was the point in Lambert getting a couple of minutes?
Why not put the young lad Jordan Williams on for 10 mins at the end, this was the perfect opportunity as we were under very little pressure and never looked like losing control of the game.

05 Mar 2015 23:29:04
Arrow, I have never understood why BR doesn`t give the youth a chance after a game has been on. We should have done that last season after teams had been soundly beaten yet did not. Not having a go at BR but just saying where he can improve and get better at introducing youth to the PL. And then many will say if he doesn`t play them, it means they are not ready. BS!! A 3-minute cameo will not hurt them and this is why a DOF is needed because if he is left to his own guise, NO academy player will play except BR is ORDERED to do so like he was for Ibe.