27 Oct 2014

Yes Please: Prem legend admits LFC move would be 'difficult to turn down'. Saviour?

Over the weekend, Liverpool kept a clean sheet for the first time in TEN games, a fact that underlines the team's ongoing defensive decline. The Reds are currently leaking goals at a depressing rate of 1.5 per game (worse than last season), and many fans are calling for the club to hire a dedicated defensive coach to stop the rot. How about LFC legend Jamie Carragher?

Clearly disturbed by his old club's catastrophic defensive decline, Carra - a vocal critic of Liverpool's ongoing deficiencies at the back - has now thrown his hat into the ring for a coaching job at Anfield.

Speaking to Sky Sports over the weekend, Carra made the following thinly-veiled public plea to Reds boss Brendan Rodgers:

“If I was offered a job in Liverpool in a good coaching role, it would be difficult to turn down. It’s your club, you always want them to do well. Anyone else but Liverpool you wouldn’t really change your job but when is your own club it’s a big pull.”

In my view, this is a no-brainer. Having Carra involved as a defensive coach can only be a good thing, so Liverpool should make it happen ASAP.

There's no guarantee that Carra can turn Sakho into Maldini, but given the club's incremental ongoing defensive regression over the last year, it's got to be worth a try.

As we've seen with Kenny Dalglish, there's always a risk when legends return to the club. Carra has an amazing legacy at Anfield, and the worst thing that could happens is the Reds' defence gets even worse despite his input (!)

There's also the possibility that players like Lovren and Sakho may feel alienated by Carra, who has strongly criticised both players. For example:

* Last month, Carra claimed that the signing of Lovren had made Liverpool 'worse than last season'.

* Last season, Carra labelled Sakho 'mentally weak' and a 'poor defender'.

Given his high profile, it's probable that both Sakho and Lovren are aware of Carra's comments, which could cause a slight problem.

It should be irrelevant, though, when considering whether to give Carra a job. As one of LFC's greatest ever defenders, he has earned the right to criticise, and the Reds back-line will just have to man-up and accept that the criticism is deserved, and justified.

Bring back Carra, Brendan - he could turn out to be Liverpool's best signing of the season.

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30 comments:

  1. Sign him up as the defensive coach. It's a no-brainer, but we will have t wait and see if BR has any brains.

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  2. And Hyppia when Brendan leaves for Ireland.

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  3. no way will rodgers have this, he's too stubborn for his own good at times, my patience is starting to wear thin with him, he talks a good job but at no point have i heard him accept even a miniscule of responsibility......he goes on about the "team" ethic, everyone equal and singing from the same sheet, at the same time built a team around one player who left for barca and now we are seeing the fruits, i wont mention the list of failed signings

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  4. By the way Brendan already stated he won`t hire one so...

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  5. "As one of LFC's greatest ever defenders" hahaha really? Carra? He got to play for LFC purely because he was a local lad he was average at best. And for him to say Sahko is mentally weak is a bloody joke, France Vice-Captain and n01 Center back for france and already better than carra ever was. We have a defensive problem and it has to do more with coaching and tactics than the individuals involved.

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  6. Wholeheartedly agree Carra is needed back at Liverpool and BR should do everything in his power to make this happen. Unfortunately I just can't see BR going down this route. He backs himself to the hilt and by appointing Carra as the defensive coach he would be basically admitting defeat in his own ability. Shame but hopefully BR will prove me wrong.

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  7. i'd love it, and it's actually a smart comment from him, not forcing himself but saying he's there in case of need, if our poor defending continue i can see the fan asking for BR to hire him.

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  8. I think you became a liverpool fan after we won 3-2 against man city, that is, you sound like a plastic to me.

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  9. i can say that Sakho is not a popular choice at CB for France, a lot of people actually think that he's in the team purely for his goals in the qualifier for the WC.
    And seing our defense this year and last year Carra has all the right to criticize them

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  10. Liverpool fans must be the most short-minded and ungrateful in the Premier League.

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  11. Firstly he said Sakho AND Skrtel were mentally weak as well as being a critic of Skrtel as well as the other two. But where and when has Cara said Sakho is a poor defender? Certainly not in the link Jaime put up or the further link to the Echo site.

    I would be in favour of Cara coming back but Rodgers won't go for it.

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  12. I think you need to so some learning as regard to Jaimie. He was at a point one of the best defenders in Europe. He also didn't say Sakho alone was mentally weak he said he and Skrtel were for dropping off. Some of us would put that blame more on Skrtel's door. Sakho is definitely not better than Cara ever was but he has a lot of potential and I think he is our best CB.

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  13. What is your point, or do you just enjoy being a pedant? Carragher labelled Sakho 'poor' after his LFC debut last season:

    http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2013/09/jamie-carragher-critical-of-mamadou-sakho-liverpool-debut.html

    He stated it in his analysis after the game (which I watched), hence no link.

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  14. Skrtel needs to go ASAP. Does not understand the definition of a high defensive line, always plays forwards onside etc plus he is slow and his only rescue are those last moment tackles on players who he has lost. positionally he is very bad and gets bullied in the air quite easily. We are rubbish when defending set pieces for a reason. Sticks out like a sour thumb.

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  15. So Cara saying parts of his game were poor on his debut and your writing him saying he is a poor defender. Is this not a stretch? Why am I repeating myself? Is that not what you are doing? Is it not fair enough when your making flaky points?

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  16. This will be another one of those situations that makes perfect sense to everyone except the manager. Song and Remy spring to mind

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  17. I still don`t understand why we didn`t bring Diame...

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  18. Massively inconsistent.

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  19. You delete my post?

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  20. I do see him play every 6 weeks, but he always does great job when I do...

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  21. He loves playing against us for some reason and he has been on firm since hus move but he usually has more poor games than good.

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  22. Being a good defender doesn't necessarily mean he'll be a good defensive coach, or even a good coach at all. I'm all for it, but there is still a good chance it won't solve our problems.

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  23. Some are...fortunately though not all and probably no more than other clubs fans

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  24. I am not sure how well they get on with each other. This could also explain the rather public way in which Carra has made the offer.

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  25. I don't think Carra is right for the job at the moment, he's only just left to be a pundit. I would rather see someone like Steve Clarke return, we had a decent defensive record then and he's a proven coach. Could even bring both of them in perhaps as they've both worked together in the past.

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  26. Honestly? No. I don't think he has the tactical knowledge. He's great on the pitch, he brings the right intensity and he was an on-field leader. But there is a big difference between that and being a coach. I don't see what he'd offer. What would he do? Yell at Lovren in a thick souse accent during sessions at Melwood? His comments as a pundit leave me dismayed and confused at times, I really don't see a lot of depth in what he's talking about. He has some good ideas but sometimes he just makes boring, predictable statements. He's no Michael Owen (possibly the most mundane, pointless commentator on earth) but at the same time I think he'd have to earn his stripes before being offered a position. Being a great player doesn't automatically make you a great coach and I think it's somewhat disrespectful to assume otherwise. Liverpool is a massive club and taking in a rookie coach doesn't add up.


    Now Sami Hyypia on the other hand ...

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  27. We're not all like that mate but a worrying amount are

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  28. Carra should have come cut back his retirement and played the last few games for LFC..... surely then LFC could have won the league..... now....who knows

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