It is hardly surprising to see defensive issues topping the list of positives from Liverpool's uninspiring, but still rather useful, goalless draw at Manchester City on Sunday. After all, a game featuring just three shots on target was hardly likely to provoke much talk of attacking verve or creative class.
For Rafael Benitez, clean sheets are the bedrock of Liverpool's success. Sunday's shutout was their seventh in their last nine league fixtures, which considering the Reds' generosity at the start of the season - where they let in 25 goals in their first 18 fixtures, having conceded just 27 in the whole of the last campaign – is pretty impressive.
And with just a point separating the Reds, Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa, defensive solidarity is likely to be a key factor in the battle for the top-four. Certainly Villa, statistically the league's meanest team with just 22 goals conceded, will be dependent on their back-four if they are to sneak a place in the Champions League next season.
Liverpool's vast improvements in defence should not be downplayed, given the disruption caused to Benitez's team through injuries this season. Already this season Liverpool have used 12 different defenders - hardly conducive to any kind of consistency, and a stark contrast to last season, when just 8 were used through the whole league campaign.
This current run alone has seen Glen Johnson absent for seven games with a knee injury, Daniel Agger miss three with a back strain, and Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos - surprisingly impressive when drafted in last month - serve a ban after being sent-off in the Merseyside derby.
Johnson's absence is perhaps more keenly felt than any other. The England man offers a purpose and athleticism matched by few full-backs in the country - and it is no coincidence that Liverpool's attacking threat from wide areas has diminished since the 25-year-old was carried off at Villa Park in December, though Benitez is confident that the former Portsmouth man will be available for selection in a fortnight's time.
In his absence, Jamie Carragher has provided proof that he is still a top-class Premier League performer. Carragher has made no secret of his aversion to playing at right-back, but his performances have, on the whole, been excellent.
The other problem created by Johnson's injury is that Carragher, so often the talismanic figure at the heart of the Reds defence, is no longer there. And with Sami Hyypia having departed for Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the need for a dominant central defender was obvious.
Step forward Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. The Dane and the Slovak at the heart of Liverpool's defensive renaissance.
On paper, it seems a perfect partnership, and with both just 25 years of age, the potential for longevity is there. But Liverpool's season thus far has been anything but perfect, and the side has struggled defensively as a result. Skrtel in particular has found life tough in a transitional side, whilst niggling injuries have restricted Agger to just 14 league starts.
Indeed, Skrtel and Agger have started together just eight times all season - and one of those games, against Manchester City at Anfield, saw the Dane depart injured within twenty minutes. That said, they have conceded just six times in those eight fixtures which is proof enough that a partnership is blossoming.
Liverpool have a fine tradition of central defensive pairings. Bill Shankly attributed plenty of his success at the club in the 1960s to the hard-as-nails duo of Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith, whilst his successor Bob Paisley cultivated a more technically gifted pair in Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes, as the Reds conquered Europe in the 1970s.
Perhaps the finest partnership seen at Anfield came in the 1980s, when Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson forged an understanding that should amaze anyone who has seen the pair together on Match of the Day recently, whilst recently Hyypia and Carragher have been the benchmark for defensive stoicism on Merseyside.
Style-wise, Agger and Skrtel perhaps best resemble Hansen and Lawrenson. Aesthetically, the pair could not be further apart. Agger is a relaxed, ball-playing left-footer who likes to bring the ball from defence a la Thomas Vermaelen at Arsenal or Ricardo Carvalho at Chelsea (or, indeed, Hansen in his heyday).
Skrtel, meanwhile, is a no-nonsense brute of a defender, happier in a scrap than a battle of wits. He may lack the searing acceleration and faultless timing of Lawrenson, but the tools are there to become a top-level defender nonetheless, his 80th minute tackle on Emmanuel Adebayor at Eastlands was a match-saving one, and may just have helped cement his spot in the team following a difficult start to the season.
Carragher of course will have something to say. The Bootle boy will almost certainly move back into the centre of defence once Johnson is fully fit, and it is true that neither Agger nor Skrtel boast his organisational and leadership skills.
But at 32, age is against Carragher; he may never have been especially quick, but in a team which is crying out for attacking full-backs, his lack of pace on the turn can occasionally be exposed - as seen against Michael Owen and Bobby Zamora this season. Carragher is still good enough to be first choice, but Skrtel and Agger are the future.
For Benitez, it is a happy dilemma to have. The immediate priority for the Spaniard is ensuring the Reds finish this season in the coveted top-four spaces, and the fact that Liverpool are not conceding goals should ensure that they stay very much in the hunt, especially with a decent set of fixtures to come.
But whilst the Reds may have only conceded twice in nine, they have only managed to score a goal-per-game in that spell. Fernando Torres' return should help alleviate that problem, but Benitez now needs to get the top-end of the pitch in order, as he has at the back. If he can do that, then Liverpool will be in business.
For Rafael Benitez, clean sheets are the bedrock of Liverpool's success. Sunday's shutout was their seventh in their last nine league fixtures, which considering the Reds' generosity at the start of the season - where they let in 25 goals in their first 18 fixtures, having conceded just 27 in the whole of the last campaign – is pretty impressive.
And with just a point separating the Reds, Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa, defensive solidarity is likely to be a key factor in the battle for the top-four. Certainly Villa, statistically the league's meanest team with just 22 goals conceded, will be dependent on their back-four if they are to sneak a place in the Champions League next season.
Liverpool's vast improvements in defence should not be downplayed, given the disruption caused to Benitez's team through injuries this season. Already this season Liverpool have used 12 different defenders - hardly conducive to any kind of consistency, and a stark contrast to last season, when just 8 were used through the whole league campaign.
This current run alone has seen Glen Johnson absent for seven games with a knee injury, Daniel Agger miss three with a back strain, and Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos - surprisingly impressive when drafted in last month - serve a ban after being sent-off in the Merseyside derby.
Johnson's absence is perhaps more keenly felt than any other. The England man offers a purpose and athleticism matched by few full-backs in the country - and it is no coincidence that Liverpool's attacking threat from wide areas has diminished since the 25-year-old was carried off at Villa Park in December, though Benitez is confident that the former Portsmouth man will be available for selection in a fortnight's time.
In his absence, Jamie Carragher has provided proof that he is still a top-class Premier League performer. Carragher has made no secret of his aversion to playing at right-back, but his performances have, on the whole, been excellent.
The other problem created by Johnson's injury is that Carragher, so often the talismanic figure at the heart of the Reds defence, is no longer there. And with Sami Hyypia having departed for Bayer Leverkusen last summer, the need for a dominant central defender was obvious.
Step forward Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. The Dane and the Slovak at the heart of Liverpool's defensive renaissance.
On paper, it seems a perfect partnership, and with both just 25 years of age, the potential for longevity is there. But Liverpool's season thus far has been anything but perfect, and the side has struggled defensively as a result. Skrtel in particular has found life tough in a transitional side, whilst niggling injuries have restricted Agger to just 14 league starts.
Indeed, Skrtel and Agger have started together just eight times all season - and one of those games, against Manchester City at Anfield, saw the Dane depart injured within twenty minutes. That said, they have conceded just six times in those eight fixtures which is proof enough that a partnership is blossoming.
Liverpool have a fine tradition of central defensive pairings. Bill Shankly attributed plenty of his success at the club in the 1960s to the hard-as-nails duo of Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith, whilst his successor Bob Paisley cultivated a more technically gifted pair in Phil Thompson and Emlyn Hughes, as the Reds conquered Europe in the 1970s.
Perhaps the finest partnership seen at Anfield came in the 1980s, when Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson forged an understanding that should amaze anyone who has seen the pair together on Match of the Day recently, whilst recently Hyypia and Carragher have been the benchmark for defensive stoicism on Merseyside.
Style-wise, Agger and Skrtel perhaps best resemble Hansen and Lawrenson. Aesthetically, the pair could not be further apart. Agger is a relaxed, ball-playing left-footer who likes to bring the ball from defence a la Thomas Vermaelen at Arsenal or Ricardo Carvalho at Chelsea (or, indeed, Hansen in his heyday).
Skrtel, meanwhile, is a no-nonsense brute of a defender, happier in a scrap than a battle of wits. He may lack the searing acceleration and faultless timing of Lawrenson, but the tools are there to become a top-level defender nonetheless, his 80th minute tackle on Emmanuel Adebayor at Eastlands was a match-saving one, and may just have helped cement his spot in the team following a difficult start to the season.
Carragher of course will have something to say. The Bootle boy will almost certainly move back into the centre of defence once Johnson is fully fit, and it is true that neither Agger nor Skrtel boast his organisational and leadership skills.
But at 32, age is against Carragher; he may never have been especially quick, but in a team which is crying out for attacking full-backs, his lack of pace on the turn can occasionally be exposed - as seen against Michael Owen and Bobby Zamora this season. Carragher is still good enough to be first choice, but Skrtel and Agger are the future.
For Benitez, it is a happy dilemma to have. The immediate priority for the Spaniard is ensuring the Reds finish this season in the coveted top-four spaces, and the fact that Liverpool are not conceding goals should ensure that they stay very much in the hunt, especially with a decent set of fixtures to come.
But whilst the Reds may have only conceded twice in nine, they have only managed to score a goal-per-game in that spell. Fernando Torres' return should help alleviate that problem, but Benitez now needs to get the top-end of the pitch in order, as he has at the back. If he can do that, then Liverpool will be in business.
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