Agger and skrtel – a rushed reunion?

http://thebibtheorists.com/2013/11/28/agger-and-skrtel-a-rushed-reunion/
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Shrugging off Glen Johnson with ease, Romelu Lukaku leapt to send a towering header crashing into the back of Simon Mignolet’s net. Having been repeatedly denied by his Belgium teammate, Lukaku finally got the better of the despairing goalkeeper and had seemingly provided Everton with a late winner in their biggest game of the season. Although Daniel Sturridge later denied the Red’s Merseyside rivals a win they so desperately craved, the number of clear-cut chances Liverpool conceded throughout the game provided much food for thought for their manager.

Following such an exciting game of football, most fans are simply relieved that their team wasn’t the one to lose, however, both coaches would have left the derby with plenty to contemplate, with defensive concerns now surely an unavoidable issue for the Brendan Rodgers.
His decision to revert to a back four against Fulham saw the return of Liverpool’s elegant Danish centre back Daniel Agger, and the reformation of a defensive partnership that in 2011 had been considered one of the best in the league.

Having been committed to the club for over six years, both Martin Skrtel and Agger comprehend the demands of being a Liverpool player, experiencing both the highs and lows that their team has gone through in recent years.
Both international captains, at first glance Liverpool’s seasoned defensive pairing are seemingly a perfect match for each other with Agger’s ball playing arrogance complimented by Skrtel’s love for a hard tackling, robust style of defending.

Yet, after being voted Liverpool’s player of the season for his outstanding form throughout the 2011-12 season, Skrtel struggled to adapt to the new demands Rodgers placed upon his defensive unit.

Rodgers’ ideal tactical set up will nearly always include the implementation of a high defensive line, something Skrtel has always struggled with, preferring instead to drop deep and defend at all costs. Though Agger has always been comfortable receiving and playing the ball under pressure, Skrtel’s duties had previously never included such responsibilities.

Following a number of mental lapses and his emasculation at the hands of Oldham’s 6ft 6in Matt Smith, Skrtel was dropped in favour of the scouse stalwart Jamie Carragher and failed to regain his place in the team for the rest of the 2012/13 season.

After such a spectacular fall from grace, many Red’s fans simply assumed that the Slovakian’s career at Liverpool was over, with the Merseyside outfit waiting on a good enough offer to let the player move on. Throughout the summer the defender was linked with a move away from the club, with a reunion with former red’s manager Rafa Benitez at Napoli heavily touted.

Yet despite such persistent rumours and Liverpool’s acquirement of both Kolo Toure and Mahmadou Sakho, the window closed and Skrtel somehow, remained. However, had the impressive Kolo Toure not picked up an injury before this season’s home game against Manchester Utd, it’s unclear whether Skrtel would ever have gotten another opportunity to prove himself again in the league under Rodgers.

Nevertheless, in his first start for eight months Skrtel proved that he possessed enough defensive qualities to elongate his stay in the Liverpool team, if only on a temporary basis.

With Liverpool scoring early and electing to see the game out, Skrtel thrived in a team that was continually dropping deep and required all out defending in favour of the ball playing high line, with which the Slovak often struggles.

While Skrtel’s performances have been fairly consistent this season, it’s important to contextualise them in terms of the system the Slovak has been a part of.
Following the injuries to Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique, Rodgers’ was forced to set his team up in a 3-5-2 formation, with a defence composed of Toure, Skrtel and Sakho. Skrtel flourished in such a system as being partnered by two defenders who are comfortable with distributing the ball relieved him of such uncomfortable duties, thus leaving him to focus purely on clearing up behind the advanced two.

However, with Johnson’s fitness now permitting a return to a back four, Rodgers decided to reunite the club’s most experienced defensive pairing of Skrtel and Agger for the home match against an abysmal Fulham side. Although Liverpool achieved their first clean sheet since September, it’s difficult to draw any concrete conclusions about the pair’s defensive performance as the level of opposition was embarrassingly non-existent.

Leading up to the Merseyside Derby, many fans were rightly concerned about the threat Everton’s on loan striker Romelu Lukaku posed to their defence, having seen the Belgium striker twice embarrass their side when leading the line for West Brom last season.

If Fulham had proved an insufficient test to truly judge Skrtel and Agger, a Lukaku led Everton side would surely provide the pair with the sternest of examinations.
Prior to the game, the consensus amongst Liverpool fans was that fresh from his two goal heroics for France, new signing and lover of aerial battles Mahmadou Sakho should partner Agger in defence to help the Dane combat Lukaku’s physical presence.

Despite such consensus, Rodgers elected to retain the partnership of Skrtel and Agger, perhaps as an opportunity to examine how well the pair would cope when faced with a truly formidable forward.

Throughout the first half it was clear that Rodgers had instructed his defence to be touch tight to the Belgian striker, as they were pressing high and preventing Lukaku from rolling them in order to face Liverpool’s goal. Such tactics to neutralise Lukaku’s individual influence on the game worked fairly well with the on loan striker struggling to have any sort of attacking impact in the first 45 minutes.

Yet although Lukaku’s individual impact may have been lessened, Agger and Skrtel both showed their fear of the striker, often impeding each other in their attempts to win an aerial battle, which ultimately resulted in Everton causing havoc from set pieces.

The second half saw the striker break free of his defensive shadows to score two goals, despite the very best efforts of the impressive Simon Mignolet. Although Agger nor Skrtel were directly responsible for either goal, the extent to which Liverpool struggled to deal with set pieces emphasised how confusing a decision it was not to start the powerful Mahmadou Sakho.

Though fans and analysts grow weary of highlighting it, Liverpool’s main problem against Everton was their now infamously weak midfield, which Ross Barkley and James McCarthy strolled through with a worrying ease. Such midfield paucity meant that Liverpool’s defence was put under often relentless spells of pressure, meaning that however well they played mistakes were simply inevitable.

As Rodgers seemingly cannot adequately solve his midfield headache until January, he must decide upon his preferred centre back pairing and his decision must be made without any concern for the reputations or pride of any individual player.

Though Sakho is young and his robust style of defending can prove his undoing at times, he’s undoubtedly the strongest aerially, he is also quick on the turn and possesses a composure on the ball similar to that of Daniel Agger. Not only is his style of play seemingly tailor made for the ideal system Rodgers desires, the French international possesses the leadership qualities that could prove crucial throughout the course of a season.

Likewise, when you mention leadership it is impossible not to mention the influence Kolo Toure had upon Liverpool’s defence following his introduction to the side in August. Toure boasts a wealth of experience, is composed on the ball, but he no stranger to a firm challenge and he exudes a positivity and confidence that could prove essential to maintaining Liverpool’s top four challenge this season.

Despite Skrtel’s commendable performances as part of a back three, the Slovakian still has a tendency to drop too deep. He is inconsistent aerially and despite his imposing frame, is often bullied by strong attackers. Agger meanwhile, though imperious at his best, has developed a chronic lack of concentration of late and seems to be struggling to maintain a high level of consistency in the way he marks during set pieces.

With Rodgers seemingly reluctant to pair two left footed players in Sakho and Agger, the defensive pair that would seemingly give fans the greatest confidence would be composed of the French international and the experienced Kolo Toure. Both comfortable on the ball and quick enough to play a high line, such a centre back pairing would also provide leadership, enthusiasm and a style of defending that imposes pressure, not invites it.

 

Sakho