27 Feb 2015

Lawro blasts: 'Struggling' £26m star has 'gone backwards' this season. Liverpool to capitalise?

After a demoralising exit from the Europa League this week, Liverpool have a chance to bounce-back this weekend with a vital victory over Manchester City, and LFC legend Mark Lawrenson has identified a glaring weakness that the Reds may be able to exploit.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Lawro mused:

"In the past, we have been asking who the best partner is for Vincent Kompany at centre-back, but he is struggling for form right now and he has gone backwards".

How the might have (allegedly) fallen. Lawro's view is a far cry from Alan Hansen's assessment of Kompany:

"Make no mistake, at £6 million, Kompany is arguably the best transfer market buy of all time [and] he is on course to become the best defender of the Premier League era".

I am a massive fan of Kompany; he is a superb player, and a great leader; a real man, unlike the legion of ladyboys who populate top-flight football these days.

That said, is it fair to say that the £26m**-rated Belgian really 'gone backwards'. Manc legend Paul Scholes agrees with Lawro, and after City's 2-1 Champions League defeat this week, Scholes blamed Kompany for both Barcelona goals:

"Kompany’s at fault here again..he hasn’t got a clue. He’s struggled the last few weeks, and he’s struggled tonight as well.”

City boss Manuel Pellegrini has rejected the criticism of Kompany, though, and after the Barca game, he told reporters:

"I think he is a great player. I always talk with the players about their level in private. You [the Media] have your opinion, I have mine".

Kompany is also unfazed by the criticism, insisting that it's 'part of the game' and 'doesn't bother him at all':

“When the results go [well] everybody will say I am performing well. When results don’t go our way people will say there are several players on the team not performing"

Struggling or not, Kompany remains a formidable presence on the field, and every time he plays against the Liverpool he seems to deliver an imperious performance.

If, however, Kompany is not at the top of this game, then the likes of Coutinho, Sturridge, Sterling, and Ibe have the ability to exploit any defensive deficiencies.

** Last reported transfer valuation.

Author:


34 comments:

  1. Keep knocking Capitan Kompany down, it will only make him more motivated to shove your tongues down your throats.

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  2. I'm more concerned about our own defence - missing Sakho's presence and having just slogged out 120 mins in Turkey on Thursday night - and what an attack that is now firing on all cylinders will do to it.

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  3. Hansen didn't say that this season, so chances are he agrees with Lawro...

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  4. Calm down dear, only seeing the truth written...We've had the same written about Skrtel more often than I care to remember, but he tends to do just as you claim of Kompany... Nothing better to write about...

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  5. Worthy concern.

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  6. I'm a big Kompany fan too, his recent travails will just be a temporary loss of form which happens to all players. Zabaletta's a top player too.

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  7. Sakho is back in training this weekend, so hopefully he'll make it in, under the wire.

    I think Rodgers is convinced Lovren will work though, unfortunately.

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  8. We need Sakho. It's hilarious how Liverpool fans NEVER FAIL to retrospectively praise Sakho as a player when he's injured, and then turn on him because of his 'awkwardness' when he's playing. To be fair, the unfair assessments of Sakho have died down quite a lot, but what I'm talking about still exists.

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  9. Terry McDermotts perm7:31 am, February 28, 2015

    I'd prefer it if lawro made those comments after we played them.

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  10. I don't spend as much time hanging around footballer's dressing rooms as I used to, at least not since the restraining order. But a legion consisted of 5000 men which seems like an unusually high concentration of Ladyboys for one profession.

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  11. What Liverpool can afford will depend a bit on what European football (if any) they are playing next season. A keeper, a striker and a midfielder are all needed, but if Ings is the only inbound striker (I know, I wouldn't be happy with just that either) then most of the money will go on a midfielder. That's what I'd expect and once you splash 20-30 million on a midfielder for the post-Gerrard era then there is very little change left. Liverpool will possibly have this kid on the list but we have to be realistic about priorities and how much cash the club actually have available.

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  12. Come on defending is whole team task dont blame particular player ! Same goes a lot critics on Sketel b4 ! Saying he slow he reckless and etc ! After tactic switch he did doing ok now. My point is stop bully particular player if team goes bad ! Point the blame to manager which clueless & not flexible to deal with opponent !

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  13. We might need another CB too - preferably one that takes penalties ;-/

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  14. I'm inclined to trust the lot that we've got for now. Lovren has looked a bit crap at times but he's really not a bad defender and in time he'll be better and do the job. Plus we do have some young talent around, surely Ilori and Coates and Wisdom can fill a role. Who knows what the manager really thinks of them all, he'll continue to tell us that they're "outstanding". Maybe there are a few cheaper targets out there.

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  15. I would just like to move Can into midfield and have my doubts about the alternative CBs especially if we stick with three.


    The youngsters seem to be coming up a bit short but perhaps as BR says CBs take that bit longer to become outstanding.

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  16. Your forgetting Soccer rivals basketball as a sport worldwide by a mile but it is spaced over mmany competitions and no they do put all their money into the team lookat the FFP investigation in case you are not sure.

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  17. A 2-1 loss to Barcelona is nothing shameful and in actual fact its one of Cities better efforts in Europe.

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  18. And Silva and Aguerra and Toure and ......

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  19. Mamadou Sakho telegraphs most of his passes with exaggerated movement/body shape before he releases the ball.That's what gives some in the media, the view he isn't comfortable on the ball.
    However the pundits or commentators who make the 'bad on the ball' claim clearly don't watch enough Liverpool matches.
    There's also a section of Liverpool support that subscribe to anything negative the media throws at Sakho, because for some reason they only want to see a defensive liability in him.
    Most Liverpool fans know Mamadou Sakho is better on the ball than most centre backs.His telegraphed passing style can look awkward, but is just a bad habbit.It hardly ever leads to an intercepted pass.
    Those who say Sakho is garbage on the ball don't pay any attention to his pass success rate.Or how he stays calm under pressure and looks to play his way out of trouble, instead of taking the easy option and hoofing the ball skywards.

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  20. I was saying the same thing about Rossiter and Ojo the other day. They've got a bit of filling out to do before they're ready for the premier league week in week out

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  21. Hindsight isn't exclusively a Liverpool fan base trait. To proclaim otherwise actually highlights your own self righteous atittude and pompousness. Sakho does look akwrawd on the ball. The defence has pretty much within the last two seasons been completely changed and will remain unsettled until there's a level on consistency proper. Players come in and out of form all time. Some deal with the pressure. Some don't and move on. Its why they're paid handsomely as EPL players. Fans are allowed opinions. Hence this page. Some are just more fickle than others.

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  22. Sums it up nicely.

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  23. Ah the Suso myth rears its head again. I don't know why Suso didn't make the cut so I'm not going to speculate

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  24. People shouldn't be putting wires around the dressing room. It's dangerous. Is Sakho has to limbo under something then they can use a broom handle like everyone else.

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  25. I think Can,Skertel and Sakho are the best among all permutations and combinations..As Sakho is injured I would better play Toure in place of Lovren..

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  26. You need to the wires to dry the kits off after they've been washed, you silly Billy.

    I trust our physios to ensure that any limbo activities are conducted with the player's health in mind.

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  27. Kompany is overrated. It's all brute force.

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  28. Nonsense. Vincent Kompany is probably the best centre half in world football just now both technically and tactically

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  29. Okay buddy, I'm certain that I didn't need an ironically self righteous lecture from you about one of life's many lessons. I suggest that you don't read too much into everything, as I wasn't making hindsight exclusive to Liverpool fans at all. I talked only about Liverpool fans, because only Liverpool fans miss Sakho when he's injured, and only Liverpool fans sequentially call for him to be sold while he's playing a game. A United fan isn't going to sit there and say, 'Oh, Sakho is so awkward. Please sell him' when he's playing a game, and then later bemoan, 'oh how we do miss Sakho!' when he's injured. Now, see how, just like Sakho's awkward appearance, your comment has absolutely no relevance at all? So please, jump off that high horse of yours, and kindly f*** off, because people like you who look for opportunities to take a cheap moral high ground are really annoying.

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  30. Ah, just seen this comment. Fair enough; you make some good points. Caught me on the 'objectively' thing.


    I guess I'm measuring it on scientifically-unobservables like ball control, tactical discipline, movement, first touch, composure in tight spaces and shooting/passing technique. Sterling's a top young player. Of that there is no doubt. I've just been keeping an eye on Dybala for the past couple of years after a tip-off from somebody, and I feel he is a better all-round player. I'm aware that I'm not successfully rebutting your points; just perhaps clarifying my thoughts.

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  31. "It's hilarious how Liverpool fans" - can't understand whatever gave me the impression you were talking exclusively about Liverpool fans.

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  32. I thought I just explained to you why I said that? You're a real piece of work. Please don't bore me anymore with your politically correct garbage.

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