Jamie Carragher’s planned retirement at the end of the season will no doubt be a loss to Liverpool Football Club, as well as the English game. For a footballer who was never the fastest, the strongest, the most technically gifted or possessing in any particular skill or trait, the former England defender has forged a career out of hard-graft, bravery and determination alone, and is furthermore a living, walking and talking testament that attitude and mentality is what makes the difference between an average player and an exceptional one.
At Anfield, Carragher’s sheer presence will be greatly missed. He’s currently second in the Reds all time appearances list, sitting behind Ian Callaghan, having currently turned out on 765 competitive occasions during the centre-back’s one-club career. It’s the kind of experience that you quite simply cannot buy, and similarly, Carragher has become the physical embodiment of Liverpool’s spirituality, as well as the quasi-religious devotion regularly shown to the club by the supporters.
Whereas, in the modern age, fans are constantly frustrated by the foreign prima-donnas, the new generation of fashion-conscious money-grabbing youngsters, and the stars concerned with their own profile as much as the stature of the club they play for, the highly intense, highly determined and hard working style of an unceremonious, working-class footballer whom possesses an incredibly generic, no-nonsense haircut, reminds the Reds’ fan base that they do have a home-grown representative on the pitch who will always give his all, just as they would if they had the opportunity to play for their beloved Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers announced this week that he is determined to make Jamie Carragher change his mind before the end of the season. The defender has become a regular fixture for the Merseyside club since the turn of the year, making 33 appearances in all competitions so far during Rodgers’ inaugural campaign. The Liverpool boss recently told the Daily Mail: “He’s been fantastic and I do [believe he could play next season].
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“Him and I will sit down between now and the end of the season anyway and we’ll see where it goes. For me, he’s hardly put a foot wrong. I obviously wanted to go with a pairing of Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger as maybe the future at the beginning of the season and those guys have done really well.
“But I felt that with Carra and all the games he’s played – the cup games and any time he’s come in in the league – he’s been remarkable and I felt I wanted to put him in the team.”
But just as Rodgers’ words are a glowing homage to a ferociously dedicated professional who has always been loyal to his club, whom quite rightly should be praised for some exceptional performances this season, they are also a glaring indictment of the form of Liverpool’s other three senior centre-backs; Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates. To use the Northern Irishman’s own words, ‘the future’ of the Reds’ heart of defence, the partnership of Agger and Skrtel, has not gone to plan this year, with the latter being ousted from the starting XI following a string of below-par performances, to be replaced by the 35-year-old veteran.
Just as Martin Skrtel was eventually axed for his poor showings, I believe his partner, Daniel Agger, also deserves his fair share of criticism. For a defender who has made over 150 Premier League appearances, and plied his trade in England since 2006, I find the Denmark international particularly lacking in defensive nous and experience at times. I understand that his pace, ability to pass and score from distance are all very attractive attributes for a centre-back, and indeed, it seems to be the nucleus of characteristics that is bizarrely most desired when looking for a central defender these days, but when you take away the superficial, aesthetic qualities to Agger’s game, there appears to be a rather limited grasp of the basics of defending that would be on par with the most average of Premier League defenders. He often gets caught a few steps out of position, he struggles to put in hard, dominant tackles, and most worryingly, he switches off at set pieces. My humble opinion is that the Dane is disturbingly over-rated.
But the decision by Rodgers to openly and honestly reveal his intentions to persuade Carragher to stay another year also beckons the question as to why the Liverpool gaffer is looking backwards rather than forwards ahead of next season?
The Reds have been continually linked with Ashley Williams, Swansea’s match-day captain whose reputation is in good stead after lifting a League Cup trophy and performing incredibly consistently over his first two years in the English top-flight. The Wales international is a former employee of the Liverpool boss, and furthermore, his athleticism and familiarity with playing in a style which requires defenders to be comfortable on the ball and pass their way out of trouble is precisely in mould of what Rodgers is trying to replicate at Anfield, with varying success so far this season.
But when you consider reports of a rather slim £20million transfer budget for summer purchases, you begin to understand Rodgers’ problem. Of course, £20million should be more than enough to bring in a new centre-back, and indeed Williams’ proposed price-tag is speculated to be within the region of £10million. However, in an ideal situation, the Liverpool boss would be looking in the transfer window to replace at least two of his four central defenders, with Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates’s long-term future at the club coming into question after both put in a series of unacceptable performances, whilst Carragher’s departure would quite clearly not be down to Rodgers’ personal preference.
I find it incredibly troubling that amid a squad of young twenty-somethings, where the emphasis has been placed on youth and looking towards the club’s future by Rodgers, the Liverpool gaffer has felt the need to attempt to lure a 35 year old, incredibly aged, and now incredibly slow, veteran out of retirement rather than attempt to find a viable replacement, or even feel comfortable enough to rely upon his current roster to fill Carragher’s void.
Rodgers may be flattering the former England man, and as I have previously stated, his recent form has been exceptional considering Carragher has well and truly entered the twilight of his career, but I fear his plea to stop his veteran defender from retiring, is as much out of necessity, and scepticism over the current Liverpool players, as well as the club’s ability to bring in fresh recruits, as it is due to the rare experience that Carragher provides. Reds fans will no doubt be ecstatic should their terrace hero decide to prolong his stay, but similarly, it does not send out a particularly positive message regarding the club’s immediate future, or their ability to improve in time for next season.
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