Written by David Tully from Live4Liverpool.com
The two goals shipped early in the second half in the Merseyside Derby this weekend took our league goals conceded tally up to 31 for the season already. This is four more than the entirety of 2008/09 season and only 4 behind the team that finished 7th last campaign. Another interesting fact is that we have conceded eight goals in our last four games while we only conceded 10 in 18 matches between January and May last season. Has our defensive line really changed that much? Here are my five reasons for our defensive demise.
No Established Centre Back Partnership – An important part of keeping it tight at the back relies on keeping the same personnel in the same positions so every knows what to expect from each other. This season has seen both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish utilise a number of centre back defensive partnerships. We started the season with Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher, we then had combinations of either Soto with Carra or Skrtel with Soto before Jamie’s injury left us with Skrtel and Kyrgiakos only fit. Needless to say this partnership was only going to end in tears as both players are neither fast nor have any ability on the ball. It led to both the team playing deeper and deeper, (as evidenced on Match of the Day 2 yesterday after Kyrgiakos replaced Agger) as well as a lack of ball being played out from the back.
The Form of Kyrgiakos – The Big Greek was on tremendous form last season, and he was a bargain buy by Rafa at a time when we needed an aerial presence at the back to replace the great Sami Hyypia. He also started this season pretty well, scoring his fair share of goals from corners as well as defending his own penalty area. He was however abject in Roy Hodgson’s last game in charge against Blackburn Rovers and was substituted at half time, and he was partly at fault for the second Everton goal yesterday when he was pulled out of position allowing Jermaine Beckford to get in behind with only Raul Meireles for company to stop him scoring. There was no coincidence that our defending became decidedly dodgier and our team started to play deeper once Soto came on for the ill Agger at half time.
The Form of Glen Johnson – Not much needs to be said about this, but when Glen is not playing well, his defensive displays are absolutely shocking. He can be fantastic going forward but his form at right back this season has not been up to the standard required. His worst display came against Blackpool earlier on in the season at Anfield when he was at fault for both goals. I am quite worried at the prospect of him playing out of position at left back, and although still a threat going forward, his defensive vulnerabilities still worry me. Perhaps a move to right wing could be in order?
No Left Back – The departure of Emiliano Insua on loan to be replaced by the equally mediocre Paul Konchesky was one of the biggest gripes of Roy Hodgson’s tenure as manager. Since his departure, Kenny Dalglish immediately replaced Konchesky with Fabio Aurelio against Manchester United, but mindful of his injury record, Kenny left Aurelio out against Blackpool and Everton, and he has had to put Johnson in an unnatural left side role. We are in desperate need this January for another left back. Marseille’s Taye Taiwo’s contract is up in the summer; perhaps a bid for the Nigerian could be a possibility?
Mascherano’s Absence – The departure of the Argentinean midfield destroyer was always going to be felt, and although Lucas had done admirably in his absence, the Brazilian is still finding his way in the game while Masch had the ability with his pace and tackling to break up opposition counter attacks, something Lucas doesn’t currently do as well. With Christian Poulsen not performing, and an average Jay Spearing playing against Everton, a proper replacement for Masch is needed to help the Liverpool backline keep clean sheets.
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completley agree I think Kelly look’s a better defendr than Johnson so play him right back and at least try Johnson right wing, two player’s who have fallen out of favour at their club’s and are out of contract in the summer are Lassana Diarra and Taye Taiwo both would help our defense hugely Diarra could solve the Mascherano problem and Taiwo the left back problem, I would also like to see Soto replaced in the summer by Gary Cahill or maybe Per Mertesacker both are equally dominant in the air as Sotot but much better defenders either one of these could partner Agger for the foreseeable future moving a little bit farther forward three players we keep being linked with this January and I hope we sign are Charlie Adam,Ashley Young and Luis Suarez so I know i’m probably dreaming but out-Jovanovic,Konchesky,Poulsen,Babel,Krygiakos,Aquilani, in-Young,Taiwo,Diarra,Suarez,Cahill,Adam
STATE THE OBVIOUS WHY DONT YOU – POINTLESS
Fixed it for you…
1. Moores
2. Parry
3. Hicks
4. Gillett
5. Purslow
Did it really take you til January to figure this out?
Hyypia has left as well by the way…
Skertel!!!
How about because Skrtel is shit
Are LFC now back to a man-marking system?
If so, the major problem with their current defensive frailties might be down to their having to switch away from a zone system.
Intresting points David but I have genuine worries about our defending. All who saw Ian Rush play know defending starts from the front. Unfortunately Nando has gone round half the season acting as he’s found a penny and lost a million quid, can’t say as I blame him woy didn’t exactly make me feel he wanted him, but he hasn’t done the job of panicking defenders when they have the ball this season. Then we look at the central midfield area and we don’t have a quality defensive midfielder, Gerrard (not really), Meireles (no), Lucas (a class act in that he does it without complaining (unlike a certain soon to be ex player) but he’s a box to box midfielder), Poulsen (I did say class so no), Spearing (not good enough) quite simply we miss Mascherano. And then our back 4, it’s easier for me to say I wouldn’t cry if all bar Kelly and Agger left within 18 months. I’d love Carra to stay but will he accept being 3rd or maaybe 4th choice centre half? He’s no longer the Carra I rated highly 12 years back, if he’s prepared to be like Sami was once Agger got into the team, superb and he could teach Wilson and Ayala a lot. Soto is someone we should replace. Skrtel is another whose future has to be seriously questioned, he’s looked poor all season and I wonder if his weaknesses were intialed covered by Mascherano, he either improves or he goes. Now on to the full backs, Fabio is so injury prone you need a premier league ready deputy so I view him as a back up. Konchesky, suffice to say could Insua have done worse? I don’t think so. I think the vast majority (over 95%) of Reds want him gone. Then we come to Glen to be fair he is an attacking threat but he simply can’t defend, he’s terrible and while his comments on Merson had some truth to them you’d have hoped he’d have thought maybe he has a point. I hear the arguement that he could do a job at right midfield and it has validity on paper, but I have doubts. Playing on the right requires you to start attacks at times and beat people when they mark you tightly, does Glen currently do this? No. He bombs forward, often when Kuyt has moved inside to take advantage of space coming from deep. He won’t have that playing further forward. Could he beat a good man marker? It’ll be new to him as I don’t see any manager saying to their left winger, ‘you man mark Johnson out of the game’ do you? So while it’s worth a gamble (we do need a pacey right sided midfielder) there are no guarantees. Kelly is a bit of a problem he’s come in and looked amazing, actually he could be a star for the next decade but would you let him be the primary right back when he’s bound to have a difficult period at sometime. Personally if the Johnson at right mid doesn’t work I’d look to recoup £15 million for him and get in a defender who plays not only right back but can play elsewhere in the back 4. So in reality we probably need 2 new centre backs, a left back and a right back (let’s assume we get a versatile defender so 3 defenders). Then we urgently need a defensive midfielder M’Villa looks the part for me, and that’s before we sort out the left wing/ possible right wing problem and the striker shortage. So we’re looking at maybe 8 quality recruitments, there’s no way that can be done before next season, so it’s an 18 month job minimum. The only bright spark about that is we now have owners who aren’t shooting from the lip and appear to have long term plans underway, so there may just be a golden sky at the end of this storm. YNWA
That’s why they need Van Bommel to fill in Mascherano role