"You stay back". They are the words every child hates to hear. Being told to defend is the footballing equivalent of sitting in at home while your friends got to have all the fun up front. At fault for seemingly everything that went wrong and never quite given enough credit whatever went right - it was always much more fun to laugh at the misfortunes of the opposition striker - it's a wonder anybody grows up and wants to be a defender. On pitches all up and down the country, our first introduction into the role of a defender is nothing more than those silhouette like frames they put in front of goal to replicate a wall during training. You're an obstacle to be gotten around, a spoiler, somebody who wasn't talented enough to score the goals that everyone loves. At least goalkeepers get to use their hands.
Twelve months of frustration and false dawns. Crossbars, cup runs and Coates' goal at QPR all combined to lay out a path that made us smile, but all too briefly. Of all the problems we had last season - which grew to pandemic proportions as the season stuttered to a close - the defence for the most part anyway, was not one of them. Liverpool conceded only fourteen league goals in the first half of the season. That's including the four goal horror show at White Hart Lane. It would be easy - and also true to some degree - to point out that the absence of Lucas protecting the back four as the season went on contributed to what became a torrid league campaign but there were other factors at hand. Before we take a look at each player individually, let's have a look at the defence as a whole.
Consistency is more than just a byword when it comes to the art of defending and even though - José Enrique apart - everyone is more than comfortable and used to each other it's more to do with partnerships all across the park. Toward the back end of the season - a completely understandable - rotation set in and as such a lot of chopping and changing came in toward the latter part of April, to the point where a stretch of five games saw nine different defenders used and no two line ups the same. It could also be argued that our failures in front of goal contributed to our increased fragility at the back, purely in the sense that there was added pressure to keep things tight while we struggled to score ourselves. Collectively I think it's fair to say that defensively we were solid enough save for one or two lapses of concentration (QPR, West Brom). As a group they pass the test. How do they do individually, and what roles do they have to play in the future?
Jamie Carragher
Our opinionated vice captain was not so long ago enjoying god-like status. No more. The body that made him one of the best defenders in Europe for a period (2005-07) has long gone. Now his mere inclusion in the line up is more likely to induce groans than confidence. I love Jamie Carragher. His name is on the back of my lucky shirt and was also the nickname I was given for years playing five a side football (it was endearing, honest) but as Liverpool Football Club moves forward he must realise that his time is up. It feels horrible that I would ever grow to dislike the man, almost betrayal even on a subconscious level, but things like hearing him talk about Rafa leave a very sour taste in my mouth. His playing time will be severely restricted next season, not least of all because he fits in with Rodgers' tactics about as well as I fit in with a group of South American drag artists. Having said that, I have no doubt that both his experience and passion for the club would make sure he would answer the call if required.
Jon Flanagan
After a couple of incredible filled to the brim with promise when Kenny returned at the back end of last season, this year was very difficult. Took a lot of flack on the opening day of the season for Seb Larsson's equaliser and was taken out of the firing line until the needs of the squad called for it as FA Cup duty took precedence over the league. Even then, there was still time for a real nightmare against Blackburn, during which he should probably have seen red. It's amazing how when you first come into the side and nobody expects anything someone can become a legend overnight, unfortunately the fall is just as fast - maybe even faster for a defender. Taking everything into account it's very possible we have a decent player on our hands but we have to handle him carefully. Loaning him out would certainly be an option but if we are going to adopt a certain style right throughout, maybe his football development might be better off right here with the added bonus of knowing he has first team experience if necessary.
Danny Wilson
Short of anybody who frequented Rangers in 2009/10 or a regular viewer of the Liverpool reserves, it's really hard to make any kind of judgement about Wilson. There is a danger with the suggestion that he's been in and around the club now long enough to have made some kind of impact but I think Rodgers will at the very least give him a chance. He's a capped international and has fledgling experience at a lower level (sorry Rangers fans, although I'm sure you've got bigger things to be worrying about) so with that in mind given the schedule we're likely to be playing this year I see no harm in having a player like this around. The most likely scenario is a loan to a Championship club with Blackpool again being the likely candidate.
Glen Johnson
Theseus and the Minotaur. Jason and the Argonauts. Glen Johnson can't defend. I don't know which one of those is you're favourite myth but I do enjoy tales of fantasy nonetheless. Has had a rough year through injury but of the twenty three league games he did manage this season, we conceded eighteen goals and had nine clean sheets in that time. Our best football does seem to coincide with Glen being on the pitch as he contributes on both ends. I would like to see him get to the byline a little more but that's something that could be said of all our wide players - the few we do have.
José Enrique
Two days passed between Newcastle announcing we had agreed a fee and his debut at Anfield. He looked like he'd been in the team for years. For the first few months he was our best piece of business. With no real cover for him other than to play Glen Johnson out of position, it's no surprise that as games went on he looked visibly tired compared to his early season performances. Despite the fact that his tenancies to try and play the ball out from defence caught him out a few times, it's something I think will fit the style we're likely to play this season. Costing comparatively little for the talent we have and the fact that it was his first season, I think he did very well. Needs some help though.
Sebastián Coates
Despite my affinity for defenders, I can't ever remember being that excited by one. Even the iconic big Finn Sami Hyypiä came to us with minimal fanfare. Having grown an attachment to watching Uruguay for all their attacking prowess, I did get to see Coates play in the Copa America. At the moment he is incredibly talented, albeit somewhat raw as a defender. You never want for anybody to get injured during the course of a season, it's a natural occurrence however hence why it's a squad game. Maybe I'm expecting too much for him to be the direct cover for Agger or Škrtel but I'm chomping on the bit to see him play. It will be very interesting to see how he fits into our style of play under Rodgers.
Jack Robinson
Cautious though I may be to over hype or put any undue expectation on someone so young, it's still very hard to shake his debut performance from my mind. To be thrown in at the Emirates against Theo Walcott, I can imagine there would have been some players who would have walked off the pitch and straight into an asylum such was their torment. The hunger for first team football may urge him to look for a loan move but I'd want him in and around the squad as much as possible. Given the demands of Thursday-Sunday football that we're going to have this season as well as any additional cup games - along with Flanagan - is likely to feature a lot more next year.
Martin Kelly
There's something to be said for consistency. Being able to perform not necessarily at the highest level but still doing everything right on a regular basis. Kelly has barely put a foot wrong since coming into the side and is very unfortunate to be behind anyone in the pecking order as when he gets into the team looks very hard to dislodge on merit. Whether or not he ends up playing out wide or in the middle - something that at least needs to be tried - is open to debate. He is right now for me our next in line if anybody goes down injured. My only hope is that he comes home from Euro 2012 a better player for having the experience of being with an international squad in a tournament like this, rather than a scapegoat for a team full of excuses.
Martin Škrtel and Daniel Agger: The Monster and The Maestro
I put these two together because that's where they belong. Everybody knows that Agger is class. If it wasn't for injuries I genuinely think he'd be in the top five defenders worldwide. Having him in the side is like taking Valium before boarding a plane, you just feel so much more relaxed. His assurance, accuracy of passing and all around ability on the ball is something more befitting a midfielder, with one hell of a powerful shot on top of all that. Pretty much the complete package for a defender, he will fit into our new way of playing perfectly with Brendan loving defenders who are comfortable on the ball. Finally we come to the final piece of the jigsaw. Liverpool Football Club's player of the year. Harder than a diamond Chuck Norris. Martin Škrtel. It's been something of a bumpy ride for our skinheaded Slovakian over the last few years. In a rich vein of form before a horrific cruciate injury at Man City, he was then knocked out by Carra on the opening day of the following season and it looked like he'd never get back to anything like his best. This year he's been a one man wrecking crew. Not withstanding, there is still that tendency to lunge into tackles he can't possibly win which leads to unnecessary free kicks but other than that he was more than deserving of the award. Don't believe me? Watch this
Outlined magnificently in this article here, we perhaps have the blueprint for our future. We are moving into an age where set positions are becoming less rigid all the time and as such if this is the way in which Rodgers will be setting up then we certainly have the players capable of fitting that mould. Agger we know is immaculate in possession and Skrtel on occasions has shown to be more than capable of striding forward with the ball. Johnson and Enrique will have a heavy burden placed upon them as it appears the wide players will have a heavy workload but both are quick and athletic so that shouldn't be a problem. It's important to note that while we may be looking to emulate the way in which Rodgers got his Swansea team to perform, because of what we want to challenge for we must outperform them in certain areas. One that has become key in recent seasons for any side wishing to finish high up in the table is not one that may immediately spring to mind. Goalscoring.
We ask a lot of our footballers these days. Forwards must track back, provide and score goals. The midfield should possess the unique ability of being in two different places at once, helping out at both ends of the pitch. Once upon a time it was considered useful if somebody was able to assist in areas other than their own, now it's become a necessity. At the very highest level it doesn't matter how good the player is, he must be able to do it all. As the game has moved forward in this respect so has what's been required of our defenders. Very much based around utilizing all aspects of the squad, as crazy as it sounds the defence now needs to chip in with a certain amount goals itself. Swansea only managed to combine one goal from the seven players that played in defence for them last year and that's fine because they were only looking for survival. If we are to push forward however - and we aren't lacking in players with the capablities of doing so - then our back four need to find the net more often.
In the nineties, goalscoring defenders came in one mould. South American who were more concerned about scoring than preventing. To some extent that's still true but as with everyone else, they've improved on that aspect also - Dani Alves being the rightful heir to Cafu's throne. The other stereotype was a burly centre half who would take full advantage of his size on set peices. Again that type of player is more prevalent than ever, to the point where Ryan Shawcross averages a goal every ten games. They're not just big lumps anymore however, Vertonghen and Vermalen both examples of players who affect the play dramatically on both ends of the pitch. Taking the Arsenal centre half as an example, he scored as many goals last season in the league as Torres, Ashley Young, David Silva and one more than Nasri, Drogba and Steven Gerrard. The difference this can have cannot be understated. Below are two tables. The first shows the amount of clean sheets in a season between the champions, those that finished fourth and Liverpool. Secondly is a table showing the amount of goals from the back. You'll notice that there appears to be no real difference in terms of clean sheets but a distinct line in terms goalscoring and where you end up. Even for defenders, it's all about sticking the ball in the net.
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