Carra's Distribution...

[Leo No.8]

...might as well pick up on the one negative from what was a pretty solid effort all round yesterday. If Finnan was out, I can't understand Carra at right back when Arbeloa was fit.

 

Presumably to deal with Bolton's physical approach but we should be looking to out football a team of dogs like them and that starts with the full backs. Turned out great in the end, but had it not we'd probably have looked at Carra's selection with Kuyt in front of him as most of the damage was done down the left side where we had some pace.

 

I always feel Carra's distribution really gets shown up when he plays full back; I know he's out of practice playing there, but his passing was dreadful yesterday with everything from easy ten yard passes to the longer ball which he invariably over-hit. I never much liked him playing at left back because of his limitations going forward.

 

Yes Carra still has great atttributes for centre half, but I honestly don't think he'll be a fixture week in week out the way he has been in recent years once Agger is fully fit and Skrtel settled in. He'll definitely be rotated and rested more often, which may of course do him a lot of good but he won't much like it I don't think.

 

There were quite afew occassions yesterday when space opened up in front of him, only for Carra to eventually turn back and pass inside, when if we had a really quick attacking right back in the Alves mould we'd have absolutely torn Bolton apart yesterday.

 

Pretty much all the wide positions need addressing in the summer.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Leo No.8

[fred milne]

Pretty much all the wide positions need addressing in the summer.

Babel on the left looks ok to me.

[McBain]

It's one of things that will never alter so you just have to grit your teeth and focus on how good a defender he is.

 

There were times yesterday though were i was struggling. On the verge of losing my rag with him

[Redkop]

Carra's distribution....

 

Can be summed up in one word re. yesterday.... dreadful

[Leo No.8]

Babel on the left looks ok to me.

 

Agreed - he is really looking like making that position his own now. However I'd imagine Kewell and Riise will be leaving in the summer, which leaves it a bit light on the left.

 

Leto hasn't really looked up to being in the rotation regularly when he has played, and neither Kuyt or Voronin should ever play left side of midfield. Ever.

[Mike]

It's one of things that will never alter so you just have to grit your teeth and focus on how good a defender he is.

 

There were times yesterday though were i was struggling. On the verge of losing my rag with him

 

carra is a defender, only.

[MFletcher]

Carragher - world class defender, mediocre footballer.

 

For what it's worth, I thought the choice of Carra at right back was to allow Skrtel game time whilst maintaining a good, defensive base considering their threat at set pieces. It worked well in the end.

 

Yes, Carra's distribution is shocking sometimes and I imagine he'll be rotated a lot more in the coming years. Skrtel occasionally knocks it up field, but it seems to be a directed pass that lands in the general vicinty of the player he's aiming for. He knocked one straight up the middle for Torres that was only about six inches over his head. Carra would have had it into the stands.

Edited March 3, 2008 by MFletcher

[Conor]

carra is a defender, only.

 

Agreed. If you take any of the top centre halfs in the country and ask them to play right back they would all look out of place. But defensively I thought he was good yesterday. Did everything well and wasn't beaten to a ball all day. Skertl's emergence might see Carra playing in the middle of a defensive 3 so I cant see him playing out there too often. Imagine if he played Arbeloa instead of Carra. Setanta/sky would have had a field day.

[Mike]

Carragher - world class defender, mediocre footballer.

 

For what it's worth, I thought the choice of Carra at right back was to allow Skrtel game time whilst maintaining a good, defensive base considering their threat at set pieces. It worked well in the end.

 

it didn't though did it. we were a shambles defending from set pieces.

[MFletcher]

it didn't though did it. we were a shambles defending from set pieces.

 

We conceded one goal where Gerrard missed his header. He cleared another off the line - that's his job when he's standing on the post - and you can't legislate for a ball that goes straight through to hit the bar.

 

At least it wasn't a Tuncay-style goal. The defending for that was schoolboy.

[Red]

To his credit he got into some great positions and overlapped a number of times, but then when he got the ball I have to agree, he was pretty poor.

[Guest Prongsy]

We should have played Carra and Skrtel at cb with arbeloa and aurelio as fullbacks.

 

I wouldn't mind just sticking with the same back four that have been so f***ing solid over the past 2 seasons but with Agger being out, skrtel in instead.

 

Finnan-----Carra------Agger------Riise

 

 

That has been a seriously tight defence for us, we are keeping far fewer clean sheets this season.

[Mike]

We conceded one goal where Gerrard missed his header. He cleared another off the line - that's his job when he's standing on the post - and you can't legislate for a ball that goes straight through to hit the bar.

 

At least it wasn't a Tuncay-style goal. The defending for that was schoolboy.

 

watch the game again, watch how many free headers they had, and how lucky we were to only concede one.

[MFletcher]

We should have played Carra and Skrtel at cb with arbeloa and aurelio as fullbacks.

 

I wouldn't mind just sticking with the same back four that have been so f***ing solid over the past 2 seasons but with Agger being out, skrtel in instead.

 

Finnan-----Carra------Agger------Riise

That has been a seriously tight defence for us, we are keeping far fewer clean sheets this season.

 

Riise?

 

The only player I would trust to play the ball out from the back from that lot would be Agger. Everyone else would put their foot through it and completely bypass our world class midfield.

[MFletcher]

watch the game again, watch how many free headers they had, and how lucky we were to only concede one.

 

They only had two chances of note.

 

You had the Cahill chance which he scuffed, but Skrtel did enough to knock him and defend it. That really was it.

 

The other header I can remember was the Davies chance, but that was from open play.

[Leo No.8]

We should have played Carra and Skrtel at cb with arbeloa and aurelio as fullbacks.

 

I wouldn't mind just sticking with the same back four that have been so f***ing solid over the past 2 seasons but with Agger being out, skrtel in instead.

 

Finnan-----Carra------Agger------Riise

That has been a seriously tight defence for us, we are keeping far fewer clean sheets this season.

 

I think Hyypia's aerial strength was a must for Bolton then he can have a rest against West Ham. Sami has been outstanding this season since the first few games, he very much deserves his place.

 

Higher line and pressing on Wednesday, which means Sktrel's pace and Carragher or even Agger if fit.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Leo No.8

[Guest Prongsy]

Yeah, that's fair about hyypia. If hyypia took aggers place, it still would have been the back 4 that conceded rarely and did so well in 2005.

 

We are mixing and matching at the moment and looking very sloppy at the back, which isn't normally like us.

[fyds]

It's one of things that will never alter so you just have to grit your teeth and focus on how good a defender he is.

 

There were times yesterday though were i was struggling. On the verge of losing my rag with him

Yes - mirrored both my justification of and frustration with him yesterday (and at other times of late). The number o times we broke quickly, played it out to Carra to either move it forward, change the angle or whip in a cross and - he would bring the whole move to a halt. stop the ball, put his foot on it, move it a few inches left, then right, then stop again - then pass it back about twenty yards on the diagonal...the green cross man of pass and move yesterday.

[Cunny]

He's never exactly been Platini but his passing has deteriorated this season.

He's usually more reliable than his current form suggests.

 

He should not play full back though.

[fyds]

He's never exactly been Platini but his passing has deteriorated this season.

He's usually more reliable than his current form suggests.

 

He should not play full back though.

Agree with that - he's never been quick, but is just that side of slow now that putting him at right back is an open invitation to concede a few freekicks in dangerous areas.

[johngibo YPC]

I presumed he was playing full back as Kevin Davies often goes out wide to win headers

[Raj]

Spot on.

[Guest Ant]

Carragher shouldn't of been there anyway, it should of been Arbeloa and Carragher at CB like he always is.

 

Thing with Carragher is that his partnership with Agger meant the distrubting aspect to the defence was passed onto Agger, and it worked, let this be known that Carragher misses Agger immensely and it's more a credit to Hyypia at how well he has coped this season compared with Carragher.

 

Carragher has never been a good passer, and he does hoof the ball alot but he more than compencates for it in both his precense and his all round game, IMO Carra's passing isn't as bad as people make out though, the lack of movement infront of him is suspect and he has to hit it high incase he gets caught out.

[smicer07]

Carragher shouldn't of been there anyway, it should of been Arbeloa and Carragher at CB like he always is.

Ouch

[johngibo YPC]

Spot on.

 

football genius me lad