There has been no shortage of players and performances worthy of the spotlight. Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Mamadou Sakho, Joe Allen, Emre Can – to name a few – have all deserved considerable ink, especially since Brendan Rodgers changed the side’s shape for the run of form bookended by defeats to Manchester United. Yet, Martin Skrtel has almost quietly put together the best football of his Red’s career.
Now that Martin Skrtel’s suspension has been handed down by the FA, Rodgers and Liverpool are faced with a defensive dilemma that is not easily solved. There was the slight scare caused when he was stretchered off the field, but his quick recovery made covering relatively easy. Now it is likely that in the Slovak’s absence, the gaffer will make another change to the shape of the team as he looks to minimise the void.
Skrtel is the kind of defender that can divide opinion. He has never won the wholehearted acclaim of supporters. Since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers, Skrtel has seemed particularly inconsistent and, at times, especially prone to a game changing error. It is as if he has spent considerable time playing in the shadow of that 2013 botched back pass against Manchester City at Anfield, early in Rodgers’ tenure, that allowed Carlos Tevez to steal a goal for a crushing draw. During this season’s woes, the defender seemed as culpable as any defender in a squad that was shipping goals at a frightening rate.
Then came Rodgers’ tactical switch, which now looks like a masterstroke. It no doubt released the potential of a number of Reds. However, it is arguable that no one has benefitted to the degree of Martin Skrtel.
Playing centrally in a back three has drawn Skrtel out of the shadows of his occasional erratic play and given him a newfound confidence and leadership. Yet, playing between Can and Sakho, Skrtel’s capitalizes on his footballing strengths and mitigates his weaknesses. He has become the lynchpin of the trio.
Skrtel’s strengths are in man-up defending, where he gets tight to a striker and is able to be physical, deny them the ball, and tackle. He is the most traditional of the back line. From the centre of the pitch he has the whole field in front of him and allows him to read the game in a simpler, more direct fashion. The other formation shift of using two deep midfielders provides some shielding in front of him, mitigates the gaps between defenders and provides cover for the second striker, allowing the Slovak to focus on the main threat, whether he’s being asked to play man-to-man or a zonal defence. Most of all, he is given license to be a ball winner.
Given the fact that most teams play with a single central striker, leading the line, the back three formation enables Skrtel to keep on that striker, avoiding the potential confusion from the need to communicate more frequently with a central partner. Considering how unpredictable and erratic Dejan Lovren’s play was early in the season, this simplification cannot be undervalued.
Tactically, this also allows him to shift to a more man-to-man approach more often, again playing to his strengths as a footballer and allowing him to play with greater confidence. It is no coincidence that he has been caught out less often and need not resort to physically mauling and clutching opponents with the same frequency as the past.
Overall, his performances have grown stronger over the course of the campaign. Statistics back this claim, as Skrtel has climbed to a fourth on Squawka’s Performance Score table for all positions league wide, in fact, ranking as the highest defender. Additionally, he ranks fifth on the league table for Defensive Actions for all positions.
In possession, Skrtel has simplified his game and benefits considerably from being flanked by two players, in Sakho and Can, that are significantly more skilled in distributing the ball out of the back. His willingness to move the ball quickly and cleanly to his teammates right or left has helped him to 90% passing accuracy, top of the league for defenders with over 1000 successful passes.
Can and Sakho were rightly lauded during the Reds’ unbeaten run, but Martin Skrtel’s just-under-the-radar form deserves to be recognised. It might just be that supporters finally realise what is missing while he serves his three-match ban and the defensive line is reshuffled once again.
Despite admirable individuals filling in, it is likely that the back line will not look nearly as steady without Skrtel. Hopefully, it will not result in a return to the erratic and loose defense that contributed to Liverpool’s early season woes.
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