Excellent OP Scott and I agree with almost all of it (I'm less keen on Shawcross being the only exception). Carragher's definitely lost a yard and I think one consequence of that is he hoofs it a bit more than he used to (just take a look at some of the videos from a few years ago) and that impedes our ability to retain possession somewhat, although with Carroll up front that may be less of a problem going forward. He's heads it alright but again this isn't a standout strength unlike say Vidic, but he is a tough b@stard plenty capable of putting attackers off.
He has though never been that quick or that good in possession of the ball, but not all great defenders are and they make up for it by being just great at defending. The tough stuff. Think of all the important blocks and last-ditch tackles Carra's made over the years to dig us out of the sh!t; the sheer determination and force of will he's shown to make it to the ball in spite of his physical shortcomings. That's what he's about and always will be for as long as he's got two legs. You can't just appraise his ability though without accounting for his impact on players around him and I don't think there is any question that he excels at firing a rocket or two up the a'rse of his fellow defenders just to to keep 'em on their toes. Think of all the times you've seen him bellow at a teammate '
this is the fecking way to do it', and think of all the times you've seen interviews of players acknolwedging his influence in the dressing room and in the back line. That's got to be worth something.
Some will argue that you don't need to be vocal to be effective at influencing those around you, and you don't, but generally over the years the greatest sides have had that in their make up, and especially their back line and I think we could do with bearing that in mind when people talk of Agger/Skrtel partnerships being the way forward. The question is how long can Carra go before his legs
really start to go? Some say they've gone already, that he's so slow and hoofing it so much that he's too much of a liability, but I'd say he's still got much to offer over our other CBs even though he looks to be verging on being past it. It's a key reason we should be looking for another top CB in my opinion.
Haven't got the time to elaborate just now, but agree that Agger is good enough if he stays fit, Skrtel is decent backup but too error-prone to be a styarter and Soto is just too one-dimensional to be able to manage well enough against the different types of opponent. As you say, he's fine against the likes of Stoke and Blackburn when it's all in the air, but he's very wooden and struggles with the fast movements of attackers. Memory fails me but there was a game last season he played in which he made two boneheaded mistakes that led to two goals conceded, typified his weaknesses. All in all we need at least one top CB who must be better at heading it than any CB we've currently got and ersehole factor not to be underestimated.
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