Can anyone tell me honestly..... Does anyone think that our defence has actually improved with carragher coming in? I am wondering as i think from a purely goals conceded point of view we are no better. It was said to be for organisation but i don't see it that much in terms of results or goals but i can see that the talk is better of course.... nothing against carra's abilities. Thats one half of my thought... the other is this; Glen Johnson has gone backwards in form by miles since this change. There could be two reasons... one is the toe injury he is said to have.... the other is he's not confident in going forward with carragher back there. Thoughts? I'd like to hear what you guys in the know think of both?
Statistically, we have won more games with Carragher than without. However, we are still leaking goals (including silly goals), however our attack has been a lot more clinical - although I do believe this has improved massively since Coutinho and Sturridge have come in. Therefore, I would say that our defence hasn't improved that much however our attack has helped us win more games. Johnson has been very poor in almost every aspect - going forward and defensively. He is struggling to pass and beat his man but what annoys me is his inability to win the aerial battles - for a guy of his stature, he should be doing a lot better. Johnson is a decent player but I have always had my reservations about him in terms of his defending and whilst he has improved, I don't think he's top 4 quality. However, his attacking ability (when on form) is brilliant and is top 4 quality.
I think you may have hit the nail on the head there, MITO. Thinking about it, I think Carra does has a negative effect on Johnson's game. Not his fault of course but he is the type of centre back that has been taught, and is suited, to playing in a classic back four where the full backs do not push on as much and make sure they never get caught high up the pitch. That means when he's played with someone like Johnson he leaves too much space for the opposition down the sides as he is used to playing quite narrow and he also doesn't have the pace that modern centre backs need to cover the space the full back leaves. That results in Johnson being conscious of the fact that if he loses the ball while high up the pitch he will be leaving the right hand side exposed which makes him nervous in possession and means he isn't playing with the same freedom he used to when Skrtel was alongside him. Good thread and point well made. Another selection issue at the moment for me is the combination of Suarez, Coutinho & Sturridge. Is it possible to play all 3 at the same time? I don't think 4-3-3 with the 3 is an option as Sturridge or Suarez won't want to play wide long term and Coutinho just doesn't seem the type of player you'd want wide in a 4-4-2. Its a tough one for Rodgers but depth is always good, until the players who aren't in favour start moaning that is.
For all the criticism Skrtel got, he was fantastic at running across and covering the right side of defense when Johnson was too far upfield. He had the pace to get across and no-nonsense just put it out of play with a slide tackle. He did that alot. Carra doesn't. Maybe he holds back a bit in attack knowing that he has to get back to fill his position. Skrtel wasn't playing any worse than Agger was. We all know he was dropped because Carra needs to have a run of games in his last half season. It was sentimental. Our defense isn't any better and the improvement in goals scored certainly has more to do with buying Sturridge and Coutinho along with the return of Lucas allowing Gerrard further upfield. Maybe that's a bit kind to Johno, but there's some truth to it imo
Better organised? Yes. Better defence? No. Would I swap it back? No. Would I consider playing Skrtel instead? No. He's a **** and a **** one to boot! Would I ask a second player to sit alongside Lucas? 100% yes!
