3 Apr 2015

Lawro warns: Massive £12m 'blow' means Liverpool will lose against Arsenal. Agree?

Last week, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol claimed that the loss of Martin Skrtel to suspension will effectively end the Reds' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, and with a tough game against Arsenal to come tomorrow, Nicol's former team-mate, Mark Lawrenson, appears to agree with that assessment.

Speaking to TalkSport, Nicol noted:

"Skrtel has been Liverpool's best defender this season, and perhaps the best player this season. If he's suspended, I'm not quite sure where they [Liverpool] go from here".

Previewing the Arsenal game for the BBC today, Lawro insisted that Liverpool 'cannot afford to lose' the game, but predicted that the absence of 'outstanding' Skrtel will lead to a 2-1 defeat for the Reds. he explained:

"It does not help that the Reds are without Martin Skrtel. It is a big blow because he has been their lynchpin. Without him, I don't see [Liverpool] getting anything at Emirates Stadium"

Along with Gerrard, £12m-rated* Skrtel is one of the elder statesmen of this Liverpool team, and without those two, the experience level is significantly weakened.

Skrtel is the glue that holds Liverpool's defence together, and his experience will definitely be missed over the next three games, but will the Slovakian's absence be as fatal Lawro and Nicol suggest, though?

Against a team like Arsenal, perhaps. With the likes of Ramsey, Sanchez, Ozil, and Giroud, the Gunners have top-class *in-form* attacking players, and the Reds' defence is bound to be severely tested.

It's strange to see the loss of a defender creating such angst amongst ex-Reds, but then again, Lawro and Nicol were defenders, so they naturally over-emphasise the importance of defensive players.

On the plus side, with only one away defeat in 11 domestic games (at Stamford Bridge), Liverpool's away record is pretty formidable, so there's always hope...



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27 comments:

  1. I presume that was Joe Allens mum who voted for him in the pole above!

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  2. Markovic and Allen voted for each other.

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  3. Even she voted for Skrtel

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  4. He's my number 1 regardless!

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  5. The lack of votes for Sterling some kind of protest against the lad.... It irks me also the amount of negative comments that Steve Nicol makes about LFC, and to be honest, calling him a club legend is a bit of a stretch don't you think... Just cause he played for LFC, don't give him automatic lrgrnd status.... lets please reserve that for the actual ;egends, because really, can anyone really compare him with Kenny or Fowler, or Barnes and Rush... I don't think so...

    Score tomorrow... Arse 0 LFC 2

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  6. Nicol said if Sterling stays at liverpool he could be next Ronaldo

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  7. He talks a lot of sh1t in fairness. .

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  8. Suck my big fat cock

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  9. Some of them are mighty fine, best not to vote for UKIP then. :-)

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  10. I went with Coutinho, still been inconsistent this season and along with the rest of the team had a poor start, especially after his excellent pre-season form but all things considered he just edges it for me.

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  11. Raheem Sterling got my vote.

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  12. I agree, funny how people see things differently despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary....

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  13. He's been pretty poor this while to be fair.i didn't vote for him but nothing to do with contract situation. .actually going through that list of players made me realise that no one has consistently played well this season. .

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  14. Very articulate...

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  15. Raheem Sterling got my vote

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  16. Think we need to close this article now. What can be added to that really. ..

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  17. Yea he summed it up

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  18. Exactly! Undeniable proof of who has been our best player this season. Don't really see how you anyone can argue with that

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  19. Yea me too. No brainier really.

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  20. Yep, irrespective of the contract situation he's had as poorer end of season as Coutinho did the start. Sterling of late is constantly running into dead ends and conceding possession.
    At least with Coutinho the opposition are now fearful of a long range shot and in closing him down they leave space for others.
    I'm not arguing against the notion Sterling is one of our best players, obviously he is, but how does one define best? - on pitch performance, off pitch demeanour and perceived commitment to the club,... it's Coutinho all the way.

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  21. It's times like this when I really miss the monster raving looney party

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  22. Propaganda machine has been driven to diminish his importance so that he is greedy without a reason. Notice how no one has acknowledged this fact including ex-lfc pundits. They keep churning out the same tune, lfc is the best place for your development, which is true. Why not add balance e and say without your penetrative play we'd be toothless or even state his importance to the team. No all these vultures (top 4 teams) are circling hoping to take advantage. Our we expected to believe that it is only Sterling & his agent who have used the media for their own agenda.? No, which is why I can't knock the boy for doing his interview.

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  23. It has to come down to what he does on the pitch and(as much as I like him as a player) for me he has been poor for a while now.

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  24. BRILLIANT IF LAWRO SAID THIS - Now I know we will win

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  25. Hahaha, no votes for Moreno. Feel bad for him, has silently played a role in all of our games this year, whether it be the reason we lost a game or the reason we won one.

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