Maybe as preliminary decision or simply because they haven’t been successful in acquiring their desired targets in the transfer market, Liverpool are quite short at centre back going into the 2013-2014 season, making Daniel Agger the most important player on the team in this campaign.
Not being in a European competition means that Liverpool might not need a squad as deep as the rest of the top clubs in the Premier League, but when you’re a little short on quality as well, it becomes a problem. Daniel Agger, Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel are the only senior central defenders left on the squad after Sebastian Coates tore his knee ligament and will undergo surgery, keeping him off the pitch for at least six months.
Agger has finally found consistency and has managed to avoid season-long injuries for the last couple of years, making him the thing he was expected to become when he first signed by the Reds in 2006 – a leading centre back that can be fully counted on to hold down the fort.
The problem has been with his parnetr(s). Agger didn’t have the best of seasons last year with Martin Skrtel causing too many holes next to him, and Jamie Carragher doing slightly better but still having his very obvious limitations when it comes to keeping up with strikers and other speedy players.
Kolo Toure might be a better solution than both of them, but he’s still not the perfect partner, or at least not expected to be one. Agger is more vital than ever for Liverpool, being the only top-tier central defender the team has, unless Brendan Rodgers plans on adding a signing or two before the end of the transfer window.
Everything starts with defense is somewhat of a cliche, but there’s always some truths to things people keep on repeating. Without a solid centre back duo, the arrival of Simon Mignolet won’t be as influential, and their rather strong central midfield won’t be as successful as expected. Agger, whether he likes it or not, seems to be the cornerstone for all those hopes and expectations, and an injury to him will derail any plans Liverpool have of taking another step forward this season.