Glen Johnson or Martin Kelly? Imo Martin Kelly is by far the better of the two players so dont understand why Johnson starts as many as he does Similar to Richardson for us, has some pace but not a lot defensively Also, who still thinks Henderson will become worth the £20 mil you bought him for?
As we are lacking delivery from the right, Johnson plugs that gap. Once we get a decent winger I'd have Kelly straigh in. Im a flat back four man, not keen on fullbacks as they usually cannot defend well. Johsnon is a good option depending on the opponent and has been playing well.
Johnson for me as he has considerably improved defensively since Steve Clarke's been coach. To be honest though, there's not much in it as Kelly is a top RB (considering he learnt his trade as a CB). Like bf4 said, once we get someone decent on the RW Kelly might just edge it - in terms of his defensive ability. On the Henderson question - I thought it was more like 16mil (not 100% sure). Either way he's showing good signs and I see him having a very bright future at our club. Good bit of business I reckon
Johnson definitely And in 2 years time I reckon no one will be questioning whether Henderson was worth 16 mil. It'll be a yes. 16 mil really isn't a lot of money to be honest. City, Chelsea, and Manutd are littered with players at that price or more who aren't starters.
Glen Johnson. If you look out for pace and power then I can see why you'd prefer Kelly. If you judge players by actual footballing ability then it's Johnson every time. Defensively I'd say Johnson is only slightly better but he is improving that area of his game. Kelly was poor in defence last weekend against Arsenal, he was caught out of position far too often and was too slow to react. If that had been Johnson he would've been slaughtered for it. Kelly's still very young for a defender though and I can see him becoming a quality a player for us in the future. I'm not even sure what position he'll end up playing as he seems like he could be more suited to centre back. As for Henderson, he's got everything it takes to make it here. Just needs to start believing in himself a bit more and be a bit more selfish.
I agree with most on here, Johnson right now but once we have a decent RW then I think it will become Kelly as he is stronger defensively, plus he will get better with age so even though it is close now, Johnson won't get much better so Kelly is bound to become the better play given time. As for Henderson, I don't really care whether it was £20m, £16m, £40m or even £1m, he joine dus and I believe he has the stamina and work ethic to succeed. I keep saying it but he reminds me of when Lucas joined, he is being playing in an unfamiliar position but digs in and never gives up. Liverpool fans appreciate effort.
Johnson is actually a very underrated player a and he's often our 'scape goat'. He is prone to the odd error and his positional sense isn't to great but he is actually a very good defender, no penaltys or silly freekicks are really given away by him and it often goes unnoticed. Kelly is a good defender but doesn't offer much going forward, he's a CB in the making and hopefully he'll end up there in the near future.
I agree with your Johnson analysis, I think he is actually an excellent tackler who rarely gets beaten. However, he does stand of his opponent allowing them time and space to get crosses in.
Yep absolutely, and that's something Enrique actually does really well in that he never gives his man space and time to get the ball in
A graph looking at some Premier League full-backs. please log in to view this image Johnson has improved massively since Steve Clarke came into the club and i'm happy with Johnson at right-back. Like someone else has said, I can see Kelly moving into centre-back as that is where he started out. Great to have competition and we've still got Flanagan to put into the equation as well!
Enrique also has been acceleration and speed so can afford to get closer to his man. IMO, Johnson is not very quick on either account.
That could be slightly mis-leading, would be more impressive if it was based on percentages of headers, tackles etc won. Who is to say that Johnson has not faced twice as many encounters as the others? For example, if you check the Barcelona full backs stats, their figures would probably be much lower than these but that is purely because they have so much possession and hardly ever have defensive duties to take care of.
These are the stats for last season that make up the graph I just posted. Also includes some attacking stats. please log in to view this image
Both. Squad depth is imperative. Pick either player depending on the strengths of the opposition and want kind of game we want to impliment
He has deserved some of the flak coming his way, he's been terrible at times, but credit where due he's improved a lot.
Johnson for me,although Kelly is a very promising youngster. Some of the media peddle this urban myth that Johnson 'can't defend'. Absolute rubbish,as the stat's supplied by Chris show.Of course he will make the odd mistake,every player does from time to time. I don't think there is a better right back in the prem. As Paul Tomkins says 'criminally under-rated' Kelly has pace,strength and is versatile.He will only get better. Oh,and quite happy with Henderson's progress. £16 million well spent!
I wouldn't say he is the best in the league as organic red suggests. I'd rather have Richards personally, but Johnson has improved so much this season he certainly deserves recognition (as does Steve Clarke). For me the top 3 RB's are: Richards Johnson Walker
