Skrtel is looking likely to jump straight into our defence which would be a change. Lovren and Sakho have struggled slightly but you cannot build a defence/understanding if you're chopping and changing every few games. Not sure I fancy Lallana in a deeper role alongside Hendo. Would probably stick with Coutinho who is far better in that role despite his form.
Sakho hasn't done much wrong, but he looks wrong to me. He never looks comfortable with the ball, his feet never seem quite sorted and I'm expecting him to just randomly fall over at any moment. Skrtel divides opinion on here, but I'm one of those who thinks he's better than he's given credit for. Plus, we're back to looking harmless again when we have a corner or a set-piece.
The problem I have with Skrtel is his positioning and his intelligence. He's naturally a reactive, 'defensive' type of defender - in the sense that whenever there is pressure/danger, he will drop back a few yards causing us more problems leaving a big space between defence and midfield. When you see his big challenges/headers and last ditch tackles, it all looks good and this is what people see/remember. I'm not a Lovren fan but at least he's proactive just like the rest of the defence which means they will all be in sync and more likely to step out together and play the high line. Neither Skrtel/Lovren can read the game that well. Sakho does look clumsy but he's anything but and his passing is superb (drilled accurate passes which bypass lines). Not only that - he reads the game well. He noticed that Lovren is an aggressive defender as well who likes to go for every ball. Sakho adapts his game and becomes a bit more defensive and covers for Lovren. Again, this is something that fans won't nice because it's not as visible nor do the UK media actually like to highlight anything that is educational on tactics. Compare that to Skrtel and Lovren, and Skrtel will just keep doing what he does as normal. Again, I'm not saying any of our centre backs are perfect, including Sakho - but I really would like to keep Lovren and Sakho because they are more suited to playing the high line
Don't get me wrong, Sakho is our man and I want all our players (even GJ, ffs) to do well. I really hope Sakho proves me wrong and goes on to realise the potential he undoubtedly has. It's just that he looks ungainly and that means I have my heart in my mouth whenever he's under pressure. Lovren has been a bit more vulnerable than I'd hoped, but as I said on another thread, you can't make wholesale changes and expect them to all fit straight away. This is especially true in defence where mutual understanding and organisation are equally, if not more, important attributes than individual skill.
I knew it wouldn't be too long before he did something stupid again. please log in to view this image
Have we scored yet? Seriously, if we don't win... with or without Studge- do we deserve a CL spot! Rodgers says it will take until 2nd half of season before we are consistent again!
