Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool > Crystal Palace)

Not really a fan of stats as they can be twisted to meet ones argument. However he does need to improve in my opinion.

Of course your not but if you had any to back your one eyed view then I'm sure it would have been different 

I think he has had a very good first season given he has been injured and settling in a new league at a relatively young age and I think if he didn't have that strange awkward passing style he may have been rated a bit higher by some.

Really looking forward to him  next season as I feel he will be first CB on the team sheet on the first day.

It's not so much his passing accuracy that bothers me, it's his selection of passing which is what can put us under unnecessary pressure at times.

Agger is not as good a defender in my opinion, but he is great at relieving pressure when he is on the ball.

I don't think people really watch what he does during the game, think most just focus on his ungainly looking style and assume he's not good on the ball.

Lad's a real find for us and in my opinion is going to be a fixture for us for a long time.

It's not so much his passing accuracy that bothers me, it's his selection of passing which is what can put us under unnecessary pressure at times.

Agger is not as good a defender in my opinion, but he is great at relieving pressure when he is on the ball.

Selection of passing?

He is our best passer in the back four. He can play it from the back better than Skrtel and Agger. 90-95% his passes are forward or into space as opposed to Skrtel's long ball or side way passes.

He is our best passer in the back four.He can play it from the back better than Skrtel and Agger. 90-95% his passes are forward or into space as opposed to Skrtel's long ball or side way passes.

The statistics prove you are right A_S re: "best passer" (according to squawka anyhow http://www.squawka.com/players/mamadou-sakho#avg.-pass-accuracy#liverpool-%28current%29#english-barclays-premier-league#8#season-2013/2014#64#all-matches#1-38#accuracy ) but the percentages are very, very, marginal :-

Pass accuracy:

Agger  = 89%
Skrtel = 91%
Sakho = 92%

Avg pass distance:

Agger  = 19m
Skrtel = 20m
Sakho = 20m

I have a wee look round to see if I can find out how his clean-sheets/goals conceded stats stack up later.

Selection of passing?

He is our best passer in the back four. He can play it from the back better than Skrtel and Agger. 90-95% his passes are forward or into space as opposed to Skrtel's long ball or side way passes.

Watch the Norwich game again, see how many times we are put under pressure by him passing the ball to someone under pressure. He makes the pass but we lose the ball soon after because the recipient of the pass is under pressure. He's fine a lot of the time but some of the time him or Skrtel will put unnecessary pressure on our defence by dropping too deep and playing the wrong passes, part of the reason we were leaking goals at the end of the season. That and how sh*te Glen Johnson is.

Watch the Norwich game again, see how many times we are put under pressure by him passing the ball to someone under pressure. He makes the pass but we lose the ball soon after because the recipient of the pass is under pressure. He's fine a lot of the time but some of the time him or Skrtel will put unnecessary pressure on our defence by dropping too deep and playing the wrong passes, part of the reason we were leaking goals at the end of the season. That and how sh*te Glen Johnson is.

I think most of this is down to how Brendan likes his defenders, and the team as a whole, to play mate.

Watch the Norwich game again, see how many times we are put under pressure by him passing the ball to someone under pressure. He makes the pass but we lose the ball soon after because the recipient of the pass is under pressure. He's fine a lot of the time but some of the time him or Skrtel will put unnecessary pressure on our defence by dropping too deep and playing the wrong passes, part of the reason we were leaking goals at the end of the season. That and how sh*te Glen Johnson is.

That's not his fault, if the pass is accurate the recipient should be competent enough to keep possession. If we never passed the ball when someone was "covered" we'd have a pretty boring and mostly useless team.

He is our best passer in the back four. He can play it from the back better than Skrtel and Agger. 90-95% his passes are forward or into space as opposed to Skrtel's long ball or side way passes.

The thing that I like most about his passing is the zip he puts on the ball when he plays it to a teammate.  He plays really crisp passes into the feet of his teammates, no slow rollers coming from him!!  This helps us to move the ball and shift the angle of attack quickly. 

The thing that I like most about his passing is the zip he puts on the ball when he plays it to a teammate.  He plays really crisp passes into the feet of his teammates, no slow rollers coming from him!!  This helps us to move the ball and shift the angle of attack quickly. 

Agree and I'm sure it's something Brendan likes as well.

Really looking forward to him  next season as I feel he will be first CB on the team sheet on the first day.

He is our best passer in the back four. He can play it from the back better than Skrtel and Agger.

The thing that I like most about his passing is the zip he puts on the ball when he plays it to a teammate.

I'm not going to argue with any of that lads; Mama might very well be a better individual player than either, or, both Agger and Skrtel.

However it's "all about the team" and remembering that defence seems to be the main area of concern amongst fans, that poses the question - if we, as a team, are better defensively with Agger & Skrtel rather than Sakho & Skrtel (for e.g.): does it matter how much better he is individually? Surely the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts so...

Would you drop Sakho (no matter how good he is) if it meant the team defended better, conceded less and kept more clean sheets? 

I think he will be starting most games next season.  Just got this feeling he's going to grow into the vocal, back line leader figure that we've missed since 23 hung his boots up.

give the lad a second season and I'll think he'll come good.

give the lad a second season and I'll think he'll come good.

I like the lad and hope that he can measure up unfortunately he does come across as a one trick pony, he can hold his ground adequately if the enquiries are not too technical and he clears very well, I wonder if that is enough for the next level?
Would he be our Achilles Heel in a more sophisticated game plan?

I like the lad and hope that he can measure up unfortunately he does come across as a one trick pony, he can hold his ground adequately if the enquiries are not too technical and he clears very well, I wonder if that is enough for the next level?
Would he be our Achilles Heel in a more sophisticated game plan?

that's my only concern, whether he can fit in with the way Brendan likes to play, as an out and out stopper I'd think he's ideal, a bit nervous on the ball at times although not in the Phil Babb class.

Would you drop Sakho (no matter how good he is) if it meant the team defended better, conceded less and kept more clean sheets? 

I would Mouse but I think once he has fully settled in we will end up defending even better as a team and I'm one who wasn't overly concerned with our defending last season as I felt it was as much down to our style of play and attacking nature as the actual players used.

As you maybe have seen as well I have a gut feeling Danny will be gone in the summer which is why I feel Brendan may see Sakho as his number one.

I would Mouse but I think once he has fully settled in we will end up defending even better as a team...

I have a gut feeling Danny will be gone in the summer which is why I feel Brendan may see Sakho as his number one.

Agger leaves; Sakho part of a first choice centre-half pairing but with who... Skrtel? You could be right: maybe when he fully settles.

Just to be clear, as unnatural and as ungainly a footballer the lad is, I quite like him - wouldn't stop me dropping him, in the blink of a eye, in the search for a better defensive record tho.

I'm one who wasn't overly concerned with our defending last season as I felt it was as much down to our style of play and attacking nature as the actual players used.

Yeah, I know that Si but,  as you know, I'm pretty much with Brendan on that one...

"We've developed tactically over the last couple of years," said Rodgers. "Our style has been the same but the structure of the team has changed..."

Whatever the problem is I hope the solution can be found and if the solution is dropping Agger, Skrtel or even Sakho so be it.

Whatever the problem is I hope the solution can be found and if the solution is dropping Agger, Skrtel or even Sakho so be it.

Agree 100%

I thought Skrtel was, by a distance, our best CB last season but if Brendan thought dropping him in place of someone at the club, or a new signing, would make us better defensively as a team then I'd be right behind it.

Bit soon to be criticizing Sakho too much. His first season in the prem and he hasn't done too badly. Certainly Vidic struggled much more when he first went to the mancs.

I do think he needs to work at his game, but if he does, he seems to have all the physical attributes to be a success.

Hasn't done too badly but not great either. I thought he was going to be boss when I first seen him. Honest truth is most times Ive seen him Ive been quite nervous seeing him in possession. He seemed to get away lightly for his pass to Stevie against Chelsea (the slip) for example

He seemed to get away lightly for his pass to Stevie against Chelsea (the slip) for example

I may be wrong but I don't recall it being a bad pass. From what I remember, the ball rolled under Stevie's studs and then the slip, of course.

Still not sure about the lad. If we could mix him and Daniel up we would have the perfect CB. the other day on City talk a bluenose had to pick his Merseyside X1 and he picked the blueshites goalie and back four and the problem I had was that I couldn't really argue with him it was Baines,Jagielka,Stones and Coleman (?) .That's a bit depressing

Still not sure about the lad. If we could mix him and Daniel up we would have the perfect CB. the other day on City talk a bluenose had to pick his Merseyside X1 and he picked the blueshites goalie and back four and the problem I had was that I couldn't really argue with him it was Baines,Jagielka,Stones and Coleman (?) .That's a bit depressing

Stones? 
 
I agree with the rest but Skrtel in place of Stones without a shadow of a doubt.