Martin Skrtel: The Decline

Hey guys,

It’s been a while! Due to university dominating my life, I haven’t been able to write any more woeful articles, but now, Uni is finished, I’m looking for a job and I have more time on my hand, so I’m back!

Muhahah. Suckers..

Anyway, so as the title quite clearly suggests, this article is about Martin Skrtel. 

Now, Big Martin Skrtel is an intriguing case. Last season, he was the main man for Liverpool. He was voted the clubs player of the year last season and his form earned him a new deal. The Slovakian international was also linked heavily with the likes of Man City too. 

But fast forward a year, Martin Skrtel’s stock has fallen dramatically. 

He has gone from being a certain starter for Liverpool to being a mere squad player and arguably a liability for the reds.

But why has Martin Skrtel fallen so fast? Or has his decline been something which has been overstated by fans or the media? Let’s have a look at his stats.

Red = worst, Green = Best

Ok, so, looking at the stats, it is quite clear, Martin Skrtel’s defensive stats have dramatically decreased this season. 

It is most concerning for Liverpool that the crucial defensive stats such as the ground win percentage, aerial win percentage and the defensive errors are far worse this season. But why is this the case? Why has Liverpool’s most consistent player of last season, had his form shattered this season? 

There are a number of theories behind the reason why, the likes of the guys at the Anfield Wrap and Chris Machin of The Red Men TV suggest that the constant tweaking of managers and playing styles has effected Skrtel’s confidence and has therefore unsettled him. 

This is a credible theory, over the past four seasons, Martin Skrtel has played in Rafa Benitez’ pragmatic defensive setup, then the season after, Skrtel was in a more rigid Hodgson system. While under Dalglish, things changed again. However, the most contrasting change in styles occurred this season. Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers have become a far more attacking side. 

Rodgers’ more flexible, attacking Liverpool, is a system where both full backs bomb on forward and arguably, less players are given defensive discipline. This could have had an effect on Skrtel’s game. Prior to this season, he was often given much more protection and as a unit the reds looked far more stable. This could be why Martin Skrtel has struggled this season. He is now playing in a system which demands far more from him as an individual, while he gets less protection from his team mates. 

Perhaps this makes sense, think about it, often this season, many teams have found space between the Liverpool midfield and defence lines. The consequence of this is that Skrtel and his centre back partners have more players to track from various scenarios in play. Whether it would be for example central attacks or attacks from out-wide. 

But is it all down to Martin Skrtel or Brendan Rodgers’ system? I think it’s a mix. Some argue it also comes down to personality. Rodgers has suggested on a number of occasions that the reason Jamie Carragher is in the side, is due to his marshalling and leadership skills. And the reality is some defenders thrive in the responsibility of having to defend in systems which leave them more exposed to attacking threats.

So I think the decline of Skrtel is due to him not being suited to the Rodgers demands of play. As last season demonstrated, if Liverpool were better structured defensively, and Skrtel was given more protection by the midfield, his quality would shine through. 

One major criticism of Skrtel has been his performances verses the bigger, more imposing strikers. Rodgers infamously suggested that Skrtel and Liverpool made the Oldham’s No. 9 Matt Smith look like Didier Drogba and the reality is, Liverpool and Skrtel did. 

However, I think Skrtel’s performances against the more physical strikers has always been something of a concern. Last season, in the FA Cup Final, Martin Skrtel was bullied by Didier Drogba. Drogba won most of the aerial duals and dominated the space and exploited him time after time. 

But this season, due to Skrtel being less confident and uncomfortable, these showings against the bigger strikers have stood out even more. One looks at his performances versus Villa and Southampton, against Benteke and Lambert, he struggled incredibly. 

As I’ve mentioned before, Skrtel is finding himself more exposed in this defensive setup, so his protection against these bigger more aggressive target men is much more limited. This means he is often left to sink. But there have been times, where he needs to help himself more, sometimes, the likes of Benteke and Lambert have bounced off Skrtel. 

But as the summer arrives and the imminent departure of Jamie Carragher looming, where do Liverpool go from here? Where does Martin Skrtel go from here?

Should Liverpool keep him? Should Skrtel look for a move?

For me, Liverpool should sell. The player does not look comfortable in Rodgers’ system.  

What really concerns me about Martin Skrtel is how uncomfortable he looks in the Liverpool setup. As the stats clearly suggest his awkwardness in the system has affected his defensive contribution. 

When one looks at Martin Skrtel on the ball, he appears to lack the composure, the comfort and the ease of mind to play it out from the back in a concentrated fashion. And the worst thing is, I don’t think Skrtel himself believes that he can comfortably pass it out from the back and be someone who can retain the ball, dribble past the striker to create space and have more options to pass to. 

Martin Skrtel’s decline has been staggering. I don’t think many would have expected him to be behind Jamie Carragher at the start of this season. It is clear, Skrtel is yet more proof that even defenders can struggle to adapt to particular systems. It’s unfair to label Martin Skrtel a poor defender. The reality is, he is a good defender, in the right system. Sktrel demonstrates how Liverpool are still in transition, there are still players in the side who don’t fit the Rodgers demands of playing. 

So, to conclude the three reasons why Skrtel has struggled this season:

• Liverpool less compact as a defensive unit
• Liverpool more attack orientated than defensive orientated
• Martin Skrtel’s confidence has been knocked due to being dropped and this has not been helped by him being incompatible to Rodgers style of play.

Stats Via EPL Index (Stats taken on  7/05/13)

Video: Brendan Rodgers: Like I say, not what I think

Another one in our series of parody interviews. This time, its Brendan Rodgers!



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Liverpool Question and Answer with Jack Widnell

Hi Jack, cheers for taking the time to answer our questions for The Football Front.

So Jack, what did you make of Liverpool’s season?

Obviously last season was fairly disappointing, but the Carling Cup was nice to win and to come so close in the FA Cup was disappointing, but also slightly encouraging. Ultimately it was disappointing for Dalglish and I’m looking forward to seeing Brendan Rodgers in charge.

Why do you think Liverpool struggled in the second half of last season?

Liverpool’s form at Anfield last season was shocking. To think Blackburn had more wins at home than Liverpool last season when they were relegated is embarrassing. But it wasn’t poor performances. In my opinion it was complacency. Luis Suárez already said that at half-time and 1-0/0-0 in some games, the team thought the job was done and often ended up drawing. So I blame complacency, and there’s no excuse for that.

Through Twitter, everyone is pretty aware that you love Lucas Levia! Do you feel his injury demonstrated just how important he is to the Liverpool side?

 Really? Is it that obvious that I like Lucas? In all seriousness though, definitely. Liverpool had the best defence in the Premier League along with City until Lucas got injured. There were also ridiculous gaps between the midfield and defence exploited when Jay Spearing played. It’s good to see Lucas back though and I can’t wait for this season.

And would agree, Liverpool and other fans now see Lucas as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world?

Most certainly. There are some very, very good, underrated defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Most notably Alex Song and Lucas, but Lucas has definitely established himself as one of the leading defensive midfielders in the game.

Besides Lucas, which player impressed you last season at Liverpool?

Martin Skrtel. I always knew he was a good player, but he was extremely consistent and formed a solid partnership with Daniel Agger. Very deserving of the Fans’ Player of the Year award.

The Reds spent massively last summer and in January 2011, do you feel the weight of expectations on these expensive signings took their toll on the players?

Almost definitely. I think the pressure weighed Jordan Henderson down in particular. He lacked a lot of confidence last season. Despite costing £35m, I feel it was less-so with Andy Carroll. Everything he did though was reflected upon his price tag and I think that took away a lot of the positive contributions he made, sadly.

Stewart Downing was one of the most criticised players last season, do you feel he will ever succeed and win over the fans at Liverpool?

I think he can succeed. He had a very positive pre-season and has been known as a ‘second-season’ player throughout his career. He can most certainly be effective and quite often last season the lack of assists were not his fault. Carroll and Suárez were very poor when it came to finishing chances.

It seems, poor results, poor transfers and poor media handling cost Kenny Dalglish his job at Liverpool. Did you see the dismissal coming? Did you think it was right?

I said in March that he was going to be sacked, funnily enough! I did want Dalglish to keep his job, but he had a poor season. In hindsight now we have Brendan Rodgers, I think it was right for Dalglish to go before his reputation was damaged. He’ll forever be a Liverpool legend, but it just wasn’t meant to be this time around.

The Luis Suarez saga was a huge event in the Liverpool season, do you think the conflict has damaged Liverpool Football Club?

I don’t think it’s damaged the football club itself, but it has picked up a name for itself. Some people like to label Liverpool a ‘racist club’ now, but that will soon disappear. People will forget and move on. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Brendan Rodgers has just come in at Liverpool, what were your initial thoughts before he was appointed? Did you want him? Or did you rate him?

I won’t lie, I wanted Rafa Benitez or André Villas-Boas and I was originally a bit underwhelmed when I saw Brendan Rodgers was set to be appointed. I thought he did a magnificent job at Swansea, but I was a little sceptical. But as I began to read about him and listen to what he had to say, I was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

Now Rodgers has been in charge for a month or so, has he impressed you?

I don’t think he’s done anything but impress anyone. Even the most sceptical of Liverpool fans I’ve spoken to have been impressed with Rodgers. But he has to take his talking to the pitch, that’s ultimately where he’ll be judged. I hope he does do well as he seems a perfect fit for the club.

Has the signing of Borini pleased you?

 
Yes. He’s young, he looks confident, knows Brendan Rodgers’s style and ultimately he can score. Liverpool really struggled in front of goal last season, so hopefully he can help sort that out.

In terms of expectations, what do you expect from Liverpool next season? Where do you think they will finish in the table?

I’m expecting an improvement from last season, most definitely. I’d hope that Liverpool can challenge for the Champions League places, and also try and pip Newcastle and Spurs. People need to keep their expectations realistic. The last three seasons we have finished 7th, 6th and 8th. So it would be silly to demand a fourth placed finish when there are at least four teams who have better squads than us and have spent more too. City, Chelsea, United and Arsenal will be very, very difficult to catch next season, but if we have a good start to the league, who knows? People were tipping Newcastle for relegation last season and they finished 6th. I have a lot of faith in Brendan Rodgers, but I’ll take it as it comes.

As you know, Liverpool have the Europa League to contend with next season, do you feel the Europa is an unwanted distraction for The Reds?

Across Europe, the Europa League is a very reputable competition, it’s only really in England that it’s labelled as a distraction. I think Liverpool will take it very seriously. We have, or should have, plenty of options available for rotation and resting players, so I’m hoping we can do well in it.

If you were the Liverpool manager, what positions and (realistic players) do you think LFC need to fill?

Well if Liverpool sign Cristian Tello, Nuri Sahin and Clint Dempsey, as well as replacing Andy Carroll should he leave, I feel we would have had a very successful summer.

Finally, how long do you think Brendan Rodgers needs to prove and fully implement his style at Liverpool?

I think we’ll start seeing his piece come together around November, but I doubt it’ll be until next season that he’s been able to implement his style.

General Questions

Right, to finish off, here are some random yet trivial questions for you Jack.

If you could work shadow one player for a week, who would you shadow? (and why).

 
Lucas. I’d like to see him train and how he is in real life. He seems a very nice, positive character and it’s proven that he has a brilliant mentality. Either Lucas or Mario Balotelli.

If you were a referee, which player would you take the most satisfaction in sending off?

Wayne Rooney. No question.

Name your ultimate 5 a-side dream team, can be players from present or past.

 
I’ll choose players in the present - Casillas; Yaya Touré, Fabregas, Messi, Silva.

You’re at a dinner party, you can invite two footballers, one manager and one wag, who would you pick?

Lucas, Luis Suárez, Brendan Rodgers and whatever Sergio Ramos’s girlfriend is called. She’s unreal!

This question and answer session took place on the 27th of July, 2012.

You can follow Jack on Twitter: @jwidnell

Practice makes perfect: Liverpool and the Europa League

Practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect.

And boy, didn’t Thursday night prove Liverpool need practice? Liverpool in simple terms, were very lucky to get a win. At times, it looked liked a draw was an injustice to Gomel.

The game reinforced how much work is to be done at Anfield.

Anyone you speak to about Liverpool, they will always use one particular word to describe Rodgers and The Reds. The word people continuously use is ‘time’.

Time.

Liverpool need time to adapt to their new game. And Rodgers needs time to build a framework, a structure and a methodology for the Liverpool boys to adapt to this new passing game.

But, as always, the Europa League is perceived by many as a drain, a headache and ultimately a worthless cup. To some clubs that maybe to true, but for Liverpool the cons are outweighed by the pros.

The reality is simple for Liverpool. If they are to quickly instil this passing game at Anfield, they will need practice. And with many things in life, whether it’s learning how to drive, or to play pool or to even have sexy time, you need practice to be good at it. The Europa League offers games in abundance for Liverpool to practice, perfect and polish off their new system.

The Europa will teach Liverpool so much about the side and be an indicator of their development. The competition will allow Liverpool’s style to be tested by teams of different approaches, quality and environments. In some respects, the variation in opponents will help Rodgers find weaknesses and strengths in the philosophy and his players.

Furthermore, with the Europa League having so many games, it will allow Rodgers to shuffle his pack, learn more about his players, explore the mentality of them and fully assess how strong the depth of his squad is.

And look, passing football demands the most fluid, coherent and cohesive teams. And at the moment Liverpool aren’t any of those things.

But by playing two games a week, it will offer Liverpool the chance to work on becoming more fluent and more cohesive.

It’s simple, the way for a team to become more fluid is by developing an understanding. And the way to develop an understanding is by playing different teams and testing yourself.

It’s an equation Liverpool have to fulfil if they want to be successful under Rodgers. The Europa League probably will make the Liverpool players tired, it probably will effect their Champions League pursuit. But it’s far more important the Liverpool players are fully immersed into the system so that the players play in a fluent, fluid and functional passing side.

As at the end of the day, if Liverpool have a fixed identity, it will make the team far more united and harder to break down. And when a team have a fixed concentrated identity, success tends to follow.

Thursday night proved Liverpool have stacks of work to do. Liverpool need practice. The Europa League offers that in abundance. It’s up to the Liverpool players to take up the chance.

Brendan Rodgers: The man who needs time, lots of it..

Out with the old, in with the new.

In a nutshell, that’s what Liverpool have done.

Liverpool have appointed an untried, young and modern manager and of course, the reality is, Brendan Rodgers is a risk. A huge risk.

But like most of FSG’s appointments in recent times, they leave the Liverpool fans experiencing two extremes. Some have called Liverpool’s decision to appoint Rodgers as shrewd. While others have labelled it an avoidable short-sighted catastrophe given more pedigreed managers such as Rafa Benitez and Andre Villas-Boas were knocking about.

Common sense will tell you Rodgers, with better technically gifted players at Liverpool will be able to implement and succeed with his way of playing the beautiful game.

But with the same token, the players play the managers game. Not the manager. The Liverpool players must buy into Rodgers ways of doing things and the way he wants to play.

I think this could be one of the hardest challenges Rodgers faces at Liverpool. We’ve got to remember, Rodgers was brought in to replace King Kenny Dalglish. A man who was not only idolised by the players, but his rapport with the players was clearly very strong too.

Rodgers first challenge is to get his players onside. But it could be relatively straight forward for him. Top footballers want to play beautiful football, so players may buy into his way of doing things.

But the players wont suddenly play like Swansea, time is needed.

Brendan Rodgers is a modern manager at a club looking to make its way in the modern world of football.

But modern world of football often demands instant success. Patience has no virtue in the footballing world no more.

Liverpool must give Brendan Rodgers time. He needs patience. His football philosophy is very hard to implement, especially in the fast paced Premier League.

However there is hope for Rodgers, the club have shown over the past two seasons they can knock the ball about just as good as anyone.

Look at Torres last goal for Liverpool (against Wolves, Liverpool made 21 passes before scoring the goal)

But doing this week in, week out is another matter. Rodgers states again and again in his press conference that his team won’t play in his image instantly. The players need to adapt to Rodgers vision of the game and have a full understanding of their role in the system. It could take months or even years.

What’s interesting is Rodgers says he failed at Reading as he ‘changed too much too quickly’ in terms of Reading’s style. The Northern Irish manager is fully aware that he will have to be patient, he will have to be methodological in his changes and he has deal and manage with the high expectations while he is forming his brand of football onto Liverpool.

Rodgers himself admits, ‘There will be some additions to improve and improve our way of playing as well.’ It can’t be stressed how crucial Brendan Rodgers signings are. They have got to be more successful than the last batch of Dalglish signings. (Some may think that’s not much of a challenge, as Dalglish’s new imports were dour.) But as Rodgers states, it’s important he makes the right signings so he can imprint his identity more smoothly and effectively onto the club.

Brendan Rodgers passed his first test in being Liverpool manager. He successfully dealt with the press in an astute manner.

Rodgers said he would ‘fight for his life’ for the supporters and stated, he was ‘blessed’ in getting the Liverpool job. Even Liverpool fans who were entirely unsure on Rodgers abilities felt like they had a man who is just as determined as them to be successful again. Rodgers later on admitted, ‘We might not be ready for the title now but the process begins today.’ The new manager’s ambition and desire to be successful has already won over quite number of critics and Liverpool supporters.

But the reality in football is, as much as Rodgers has won over some fans through his words, he can win and lose fans a lot more on the pitch.

Brendan Rodgers needs two things early on in his reign at Liverpool. He needs time and a chance to be successful. All through history, football has proved, give a relatively unknown manager, ambitious manager a chance and he will succeed. Prior to moving to Liverpool, Bill Shankly had never won a trophy as a manager of a football club. But when he moved to Anfield he was given the chance and he paid the club and its fans back in abundance. The same could be said about Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp and Rafa Benitez. These are all managers who had not achieved a great deal prior to their big club moves.

The Liverpool faithful need to know it wont be easy especially in the first year of the Rodgers era. There certainly will be growing pains, but the fans must grit their teeth and continue to support the team and the manager. Liverpool have to build success from the roots upwards.

As much as the fans need to give Rodgers the time, the owners do too. With the club in mid-table obscurity and not in the glory land of the Champions League, it of course will have a significant effect on the commercial appeal of the club.

The owners must give Rodgers at least three years to build his team. Liverpool can’t attract the superstars of today’s current football world. They must create and develop their own ones, through stability and giving Rodgers the time and the chance.

Liverpool, as a collective identity must fight through the rain in order to enjoy the sunshine, or in other words, the club needs to remember, at the end of every storm there is a golden sky.