Skrtel Admits Frustration With Bench Role At Liverpool

Martin Skrtel has revealed that things are not ‘ideal’ at Liverpool at this moment in time, with the Slovakian defender frustrated with his lack of starting opportunities in recent weeks.

The former Zenit St Petersburg has enjoyed a first team role at Liverpool almost as soon as he arrived at Anfield in 2008 for a fee of £6.5 million. His partnership with Daniel Agger at the heart of central defence has been broken up in recent times however. Although he is currently unavailable due to a thigh injury, the defender has found himself on the bench more often than not in the early stages of 2013.

"I have to wait, what else can I do?" he told Denik Sport, Sky Sports report. "When I was healthy, I was training with the team, giving 100 per cent and doing all I could to prove to the coach that I belonged in the starting XI. I was waiting for a chance, one then came in St Petersburg, but then I was not playing again. However, now I'm injured and we'll see what happens when I'm back fit.

"It's hard to tell, but I would say it wouldn't (change). The coach has his ideas about the line-up and the question is if I would be in it if I was fit. I would say it's likelier I wouldn't. The most important thing for me is to recover as soon as possible and resume training."

Skrtel has started just three games for Brendan Rodgers side since the turn of the year. After featuring for the club in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the beginning of January, his only other starts have come in Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat to Oldham, and the 2-0 loss against his former club Zenit a week and a half ago. Despite Liverpool’s limited options at the back, Skrtel does not seem overly confident of retaining a starting spot anytime soon, and admits he is aware of interest in his services emanating from Anzhi and former club Zenit.

"It would be useless to think about a transfer during the season even if it is true that you can move to Russia till the end of February," he said. "I have come across such views that it would not be correct to consider leaving a club where you have been on the bench in four or five fixtures. On the other hand, it is hard to put up with it. For three years at Liverpool I was playing in almost every match and even in the national team I have played a lot of games.”

Despite his concerns, Skrtel maintains that all of his focus will go into finding himself in Rodgers’ first eleven plans sooner rather than later.

“I have had various thoughts but certainly I'm not going to make any hot-blooded decision. I repeat this - I want to be fit as soon as possible and fight for the place in the starting line-up.”