We agree then. Didn't get what you exactly meant by the word aggressor initially. Confusing word, let's stick to counterattacking vs possession. If possession is required, we need Allen certainly IMO. The stupid thing we did today was NOT play like against Arsenal and Everton. Our gallant shape today was meant to work slowly and patiently spaces, yet can't do that without Allen.
I agree. In games when we're the ones doing the attackers, we need Allen/Lucas in midfield Else we will be exposed. Going back to the defence - they all need replacing bar Sakho.
Interesting to see who Sakho would be better partnered with. When fit, Sakho is good both positionally and reactively and could be complemented well either by a reactive (Skrtel) or zonal defender (Agger). Agger and Skrtl often bring out the worst out of one another. Koscielny (man-to-man, reactive) and Mertesacker (zonal, positional) have been quite successful, but I suppose different styles don't necessarily mean understanding. In fact, if they don't click, they're calamitous. Maybe Skrtel and Agger are doomed as a partnership as there is too little overlap in their defensive skills. i.e. Agger positively refuses to mark his man sometimes, while Skrtel frequently refuses to think 2 moves ahead. Good thing for us that Sakho can do both.
I disagree with your points about Agger and Skrtel so much that I don't know where to start. We'll have to agree to disagree. I rate Agger and don't rate Skrtel as much but I think they both have positives and negatives. Livtor has some good points about the partnerships and who Sakho is likely to choose. We will see how it works out.
Mark Lawrenson says it is to late in the season to change our defense as big changes in the team could back fire if we dont pull them off instantly. We are winning so we should just keep doing what we are doing and work on it in the summer. He has a point.
I agree that Agger is by far the better defender than Skrtel. Better positioning, more of a leader, organiser and better on the ball. Skrtel is a last ditch, no nonsense type. Problem is, Skrtel is one of those players who does more things that are easily noticeable fans - tackles etc. Off the ball, he is not that great i.e. positioning etc and this is where Agger shows his class. However, both are lacking physically and it;s become a massive problem. Cannot wait for Sakho to come back and I cannot wait to see who partners him ...
The only change we should make is bring Sakho back and leave Aly as the left back - he's the best we've got in that position (defensively).
Our defence have to do better than today against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle. Well done for holding on today....very scary.
I really fail to see what people see in Sakho. He is a liability, we need to spend £30m on a World Class defender like Varane
Our problem is not defending as a unit. Lucky to come back with a point yesterday. When we are three up we should sit back and let them come for us, then counter attack.
I still think he needs more time. He's young and think he's raw. He's also not had that much game time to be honest. I also think Reina organised our defence more than Mig does, which helps. I think Sakho would also be much better alongside a leader like Carra or Hyppia
Sakho is our best defender. Don;t forget, he;s only 23. As SR says, he needs a leader next to him. Skrtel is 29 but he still needs babysitting by someone like Agger. Skrtel is the one constant in our mediocre defence but still gets the plaudits. It's not a coincidence.
