Martin Skrtel's Liverpool Career: The Hard Man with a Soft Centre
Long-serving Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel looks set to leave the club this summer, ending an eight-year association with the Reds and signalling a positive step forward for manager Jurgen Klopp as he plots for long-term success.
According to the defender's agent, he is "90 percent" certain to leave Merseyside ahead of 2016/17, with Karol Cstono speaking to Slovakian broadcaster TV Markiza (h/t ESPN FC) towards the end of May.
"Besiktas is one of those interested in Martin but we're haven't reached a point where I can confirm Martin is going there, or anywhere else," he said. "But I can say that it is 90 percent sure Martin will leave Liverpool, but it is far from closed."
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While, as Cstono admits, Skrtel is yet to agree a move away from the club, it seems highly likely that the Slovakia captain will leave this summer—and according to the Press Association (h/t This is Anfield), the Reds could receive £6 million in exchange.
This would be an ideal solution for Liverpool manager Klopp, who is poised to overhaul his defensive ranks this summer, as—despite his reputation as a bullish, no-nonsense centre-back—Skrtel has been a weak link within the Reds' back line for a considerable period.
With Daniel Agger recovering from a serious foot injury at the beginning of 2008 and Sami Hyypia sidelined with an ankle problem, former Reds manager Rafa Benitez moved to make Skrtel his "top target" for the January transfer window, as Tony Barrett revealed writing for the Liverpool Echo in the build-up to the centre-back's move.
A £6.5 million deal agreed between Liverpool and Skrtel's former club Zenit Saint Petersburg saw the Reds break their transfer record for a defender, then 23, and according to further testimony from Barrett, there was much cause for optimism from supporters.
"Standing 6'4" tall, Skrtel has a reputation as a no-nonsense defender who does not shy away from the physical side of the game," Barrett wrote, and having missed out on his initial priority, Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze, Benitez echoed this sentiment, speaking to the club's official website (h/t BBC Sport):
"He is aggressive, quick and good in the air. I think he's a very good player for the future and also for the present.
I think he is a player maybe not many people know about but he played against Everton for Zenit St. Petersburg, and he is a centre-half that knows the English style.
He is very competitive, but his mentality for me is very good.
"
Arriving in an injury-hit defence, Skrtel made his Reds debut 10 days after signing, replacing Alvaro Arbeloa with 21 minutes to play in a 2-2 draw with Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, and he soon established himself as a mainstay within Benitez's defence, making 20 appearances in 2007/08, including 19 starts.
Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League in Skrtel's first season, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League—eventually losing to Chelsea—and in the following campaigns, he continued to enjoy relative success.
Skrtel lost just once in 21 league appearances as the Reds finished second in 2008/09, was named Liverpool's Player of the Year in 2012 and scored seven goals in 37 league games in the 2013/14 season during an ultimately ill-fated title push under then-manager Brendan Rodgers; throughout his eight years, he has produced a plethora of dominant defensive displays.
Benitez's initial overview of Skrtel's talents have pervaded the defender's Liverpool career, however, with his aggression and ability to slot into the "English style of play" becoming rhetoric despite an alarming drop in form.
The cracks began to show in 2013/14, Rodgers' second season at the club, as Liverpool conceded 50 goals in the league—23 more than third-placed Chelsea, and 13 more than eventual champions Manchester City.
Regularly lining up in defence alongside one of Agger, Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Toure, Skrtel represented the one constant in a poor season for the Liverpool back line.
The aggression that Benitez cherished was still there, but it surfaced in ill-judged tangles with opposition strikers in set-piece situations, with Match of the Day pundits regularly arguing whether Skrtel's penalty-area wrestling should be punished with more conviction by Premier League officials.
"If you actually watch the numerous occasions when Skrtel grapples with an opponent, he looks as though he is simply focused on winning the scrap with his opponent rather than keeping an eye on the ball too," This is Anfield's Henry Jackson wrote in February 2014. "It is, to put it bluntly, very poor defending."
This came after Skrtel conceded a penalty by hauling Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony to the ground in the area in Liverpool's 4-3 win over Garry Monk's side at the beginning of 2014, and though this particular decision proved contentious, few could argue against it based on the No. 37's reputation.
That Skrtel's increasingly desperate approach at the back arguably coincided with the arrival of Rodgers in 2012 could go some way to explaining why, with the Ulsterman implementing a high defensive line that jarred with the centre-back's raw, physical qualities.
Skrtel didn't have the perception of Agger or Jamie Carragher, or the pace and timing of Sakho, and that has seen the 31-year-old resort to survival mode, attempting to best his opponents through brute force—losing his marker has often led to something of a trademark of Skrtel's game: the last-ditch, sliding challenge.
While these types of tackles are at home in a highlights reel, they accentuate Skrtel's overall flaws; providing a clear analogy of his recent seasons under Rodgers and now Klopp at Liverpool.
That Skrtel outlasted four managers—Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Rodgers—is something of a surprise to supporters, but the arrival of Klopp has seen the former Borussia Dortmund coach approach his squad with ruthless, swift judgment.
Skrtel started Klopp's reign as first-choice centre-back, largely taking up his role alongside Sakho, but injury suffered in December's 3-0 defeat to Watford saw his fortunes fade, with Sakho's new partner, Dejan Lovren, shining in his absence.
Unlike Skrtel, Lovren has showcased the ability to step out of defence at the right time to win the ball, in turn developing a strong understanding alongside Sakho; acknowledging when to push and when to drop.
Furthermore, both Lovren and Sakho are able to play more incisive, vertical passes out from the defence—and this is a key feature of Klopp's defensive system, looking to play the ball to the likes of Philippe Coutinho quickly and efficiently.
The arrival of Joel Matip on a free transfer from Schalke this summer further underlines Klopp's plans moving forward: Matip is a similarly front-footed centre-back, possessing a similar finesse and technique.
Klopp's summer plans likely hinge on the results of UEFA's investigation into Sakho's doping offence, but with the latest line—via the Press Association (h/t This is Anfield)—being that the Frenchman may not face any further charges, Skrtel's position as fourth- or fifth-choice centre-back could be sealed.
Liverpool's new manager seems to have cut through the veneer of Skrtel's reputation as a no-nonsense, warrior of a defender, shaven-headed and covered in tattoos, and seen the fragility in his physical game.
A troubling 45-minute display in March's 3-2 defeat away to Southampton—which saw Skrtel introduced at half-time with the Reds' 2-0 up, before conceding a penalty within four minutes of coming on and playing a hand in all three of the Saints' goals—seemingly reinforced Klopp's stance.
After that loss, Skrtel made just four appearances in the league, all coming as Klopp rotated his side in order to field his strongest lineup for UEFA Europa League ties, falling behind a 35-year-old Toure in the centre-back pecking order.
Skrtel deserves credit for his loyalty to the club and his strength in his first seasons on Merseyside, but as his soft centre has been repeatedly exposed in recent campaigns, it is time for the fabled hard man to move on.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.
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