Do We Still Dream of a Team of Carraghers?

Posted on 11. Sep, 2011 by Dominic Campbell in Debate

The reintroduction of Kenny Dalglish as manager of Liverpool Football Club has welcomed an entirely new brand of football. The philosophy of a pass and move game has seemingly been drilled into the entire squad, and everybody plays within that ideal. Everybody but Jamie Carragher, that is.

The talismanic defender, who first graced the pitch as a fresh faced young man, has become as much a part of Anfield as the turf on the pitch or the seats within the stands. But as the club enters a new stage in its history, is it time to bid adieu to our number 23?

For too long has Andy Carroll received the flack for balls being pumped up to him. This is a myth. Liverpool still play football with the Carroll on the pitch, but the long balls played to the beastly striker seem to take attention away from Carragher, and place all the weight on our new number nine’s shoulders.

Take Carroll out of the equation, though, and you are left to face the obvious. You just can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and Carragher has played his brand of football for so long that it is very unlikely to change.

While the iconic center-back may still have a future at the club, it is difficult to see the need for him as a first team regular. So he made a couple of mistakes over the past two games, that isn’t the issue. The issue is simpler than plain, and that is that he just doesn’t seem to fit into a system where pass and move are the main fundamentals of a team on the up.

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52 Responses to “Do We Still Dream of a Team of Carraghers?”

CBake13

11. Sep, 2011

I agree wholeheartedly. I sadly thought the same thing every time he would hoof the ball up-field yesterday
Andy

11. Sep, 2011

Clearly Carragher is hindered now by a lack of pace and this accounts for many of his mistakes. However, his footballing know-how and leadership is still invaluable to the club. There is no way that someone like Coates could replace this (we haven’t even seen him play yet) and I’m still of the opinion that Carragher is better than Skrtel, who makes plenty of errors himself. The pass and move argument is a strange one. I don’t see Terry, Ferdinand, Vidic etc. playing a much more astute pass and move game than Carragher. We need a defensive rock with no flair and frills. I say keep with Carragher this season because it’s way too early to discount one of the club’s best servants.
- strebby
  
  12. Sep, 2011
  
  carraghers hoofball is disrupting the team flow, 90% of the time he has a simple pass to a midfielder available, and this is what vidic and ferdinand do all the time, not so much terry…. but he chooses to play it long, he strictly could have been sent off for that foul on sturday never mind people saying walters went down too easily carra was all over him like a rash, we’ve conceded 2 goals this season and both can be directly attributed to carra, and god knows how many last season, carra should now be used as we did with sami during sami’s last 2 seasons, its time for him not to be first name on the teamsheet anymore, cant be sentimental in football,its about results, great tho carra has been for us he is now starting to affect results, time to start phasing him out
Blake Walsh

11. Sep, 2011

I’ve thought it’s been time to drop Carra for quite sometime. He’s never been very good at dealing with high balls into the box but his positional play, saving tackles and organisational skills have made him what he was. Problem is he’s lost pace and his decision making seems to have disappeared. He’s cost us two goals over the past 2 matches and always looks likely to give away a penalty or committ a bad foul. Carra was a great warrior but he’s never really been a footballer. It’s time to get Coates into the side and have him forge a partnership with Dagger. Imagine a side with two ball playing centre halves who don’t feel the need to squander possession by needlessly hoofing the ball up field.
Money

11. Sep, 2011

People get old so does Carra but his experience is vulnerable , he made mistakes but if we win stoke last night then it will be a completely story , I’m not saying us being two faced but we should cool down and discuss this instead of bringing this up right after the day he gave a penalty away! I believe Kenny has his own way, I support the players not the scoring line. #YNWA
Lion Heart

11. Sep, 2011

Carra is still an important member of the squad but he surely shouldn’t be playing in every game, I believe Skrtel should be playing ahead of Carragher as he is clearly now better player than Carragher, he is stronger, he is quick, he is better passer and is a threat in set pieces too. Carragher wastes most of the possession for Liverpool by playing useless long balls and he has never offered anything in attack ever, i haven’t seen him score a goal for Liverpool but i have seen him score lots of own goals. I am not saying Carragher is a bad player but i don’t think he should warrant an automatic place in the side, if he is in good form he should be played if not then dropped.
Michael

11. Sep, 2011

Fully agree with this article. It’s frustrating watching Carragher lobbing the ball upfield almost every single time he’s in possession. 60-70% of the time we lose possession because of this and its inhibiting our new style of play…
Oskan

11. Sep, 2011

Next Back 4? Kelly-Coates-Agger-Enrique. Even if Carra isn’t playing he will still be useful of the pitch .
Darren

11. Sep, 2011

He has needed to be dropped or swapped arround for a good year or two. He was passed it a while back and lacks pace and I believe the intelligence to play a correct ball, he plays a long hoof wide or a sideways pass but won’t get drilled. If we constantly needed last ditch tackles he’s your man but I think we would be a lot stronger with agger and skrtel or who knows agger and coates. For me you are right he needs to go, let Him get his coaching badges and what not.
james

11. Sep, 2011

Jamie is the new Soto, i.e. 4th choice, and a big improvement over the Greek. But if there was not place in this side for Aqua or Raul, both of whom played well for their new clubs this week, then it is time for Jamie to sit down.
morbid8

11. Sep, 2011

Carra needs to be dropped for the welfare of this club and I partly don’t agree with this article as the problem lies within Carragher himself ! It’s not about hoofing the ball – it’s more about the quality of our new CB in the name of Coates. Coates is simply too much talented and better to sit on the bench. Carra has made mistakes year after year without being dropped ! Why… simply because he’s a local lad. To be successful you can’t be emotional and if you have a better player you simply… must make use of him rather than wasting talent on the bench but also wasting money for buying the player !
bob

11. Sep, 2011

I’ve been saying it for years Carragher needs replacing…great servant but his time is up
LFCentric

11. Sep, 2011

How predictable are football fans??!! If he had scored yesterday you’d be riding his cocktail and post some half ass article on how a team of Carraghers benefit from the new pass and move system! C’mon man, get it together!
Andy

11. Sep, 2011

I have to come back to this debate. Suggesting Skrtel could replace Carragher because of Carragher’s inability to pass and move is ridiculous. The whole notion of pass and move is a technical smokescreen to hide the reality: the fickle world of football is lynching Carragher for a mistake illustrating his lack of pace. True his form is on the down possibly, as would be expected at his age, but in respect for his great service, reliability and leadership we should never call for him to be axed!
- strebby
  
  12. Sep, 2011
  
  so what you’re saying is keep carra in the team irrespective of how many mistakes hes making and how many goal and opportunities he’s giving to the opposition? ridiculous!!! football is about results not sentimentality, if that were the case kenny would still have the number 7 shirt and playing week in week out….
  - morbid8
    
    13. Sep, 2011
    
    @ strebby : damn right ! But LOL at the Kenny’s joke
Dave McQueen

11. Sep, 2011

Carra is probably still a better option than Skirtel – however everybody’s time comes to an end. As he gets older he will play less and less. He still has a fundamental role in the team however no doubt Coates is going to need opportunities. Question is will Agger or Coates lead the line as effectively ? Carra has never been the quickest, nor the best in the air – he isn’t the best on the ball. However his organizational skills and awareness are superb. Let’s hope these are passed on as your cb needs to lead the team.
Igby

12. Sep, 2011

Yes, I’m afraid his time is up. There is absolutely no room for complacency or sentimentality in the game. Either you’re good enough or you’re not. There is no middle ground.
- morbid8
  
  12. Sep, 2011
  
  DAMN RIGHT ! I mentioned the same stuff in my previous post !
Will

12. Sep, 2011

I’m not sure what we are going to do in the Tottenham game, I really want to see Coates play to see if he is realistically going to replace Carra this season, but at the same time, first game to start against Tottenham isn’t perfect. Maybe he’ll have to wait till the Brighton clash in the Carling Cup, then maybe against Wolves as well. After that we can have a discussion about whether he should be replace Carra.
red cliff

12. Sep, 2011

Carra needs to sit on the bench and watch the team play nice footy
Dave McQueen

12. Sep, 2011

Harsh to say he shld be axed – he still has much to offer and will educate Coates and Kelly etc. I remember Hyppia goig through a simiar period however he proves his worth, albeit on a less regular basis.

Ultimately we know nothing about Coates – claiming him to be the next superstar based on one tournament is far fetched. Carra will be needed at least as a squad player.

Also, there’s plenty of room for sentiment in football – Carra is rightfully loved. Fergie never got rid of Neville etc straight away, nor did KK with players such as Hansen and Lawro – they Became squad players whilst sharing their incredible experience and class.
- morbid8
  
  12. Sep, 2011
  
  Nobody is saying he should retire or Kenny should get rid of him but he should accept the bench role !
  I’ve watched Coates on multiple occasions not only in the Copa but also for Nacional – and as far as I know – he’s a big deal & there’s no hype about him !
  Like I said before and I’m saying it again… Coates is simply too good to sit on the bench !
  Many fans would fear he turns into another Forlan but I believe with a few games under his belt – he’ll prove doubters wrong & we would clearly see how good he really is !
Gavinus

12. Sep, 2011

Nice article…KD has brought in a very good style of football which doesnt suit carraghers style of play. I think is time carragher starts warming the bench
Finn

12. Sep, 2011

Im 100 % sure that carra will play against tottenham. Even Kenny dosent have balls to keep Carra on the bench. Sad but true!
- morbid8
  
  13. Sep, 2011
  
  prepare yourself for the worst then, sad but true !
David

12. Sep, 2011

First of all I want to point out that Carraghers organisationskills is no longer needed. Agger plays as captain on the Denmark International side, and here it is him that is telling the other players what to do. Agger has lots of experience and he is a perfect leader of the defense on the Denmark International side, so we actually don’t need Carragher anymore. We can’t let him play just because he is a legend. He is 34 years old, and he ius not as fast as he used to be. In the Stoke game he made a clear penalty that ended up with costing us 3 points. But to be fair, Henderson should have scored when he was 1 on 1 with Stokes keeper. And Suarez should have scored in the dying minutes of the game. But they didn’t so Carraghers penalty ended up with the loss of at least one point. Now Stoke is in front of us in the league, and they play awful football. 10 men in their own penalty area is not football.
commonsense

12. Sep, 2011

carra was worth it when flano,robinson&kelly,needed a minder!when coates deserves hisplace he’ll get his go!carra should be replaced by cahill on a free in the summer or for £6M in jan!
Money

12. Sep, 2011

Tottenham game will be a perfect start for Coates as ade is a tall striker! Enrique Coates agree and Kelly! I really Thnk Kenny should try move Johnson out of place for once. Replace hendo with glen. Glen Adam gerrard and Johnson ! #YNWA
Igby

12. Sep, 2011

Carra’s already a Liverpool legend, but that doesn’t mean he should start every game if the manager thinks otherwise. At this level, and this stage in his career.
Brian

12. Sep, 2011

Carra has looked off the pace with the team pressing up more, but he is solid in his organizing skills. Let’s see how Coates does in the Carling Cup. If he settles quickly, him and Agger could be a great duo. There will still be plenty of opportunities for Carrara, Skrtel, and Coates. I don’t think Carra is the first name on the sheet anymore, so he’ll need to fight for his place by playing much better.
Dave McQueen

12. Sep, 2011

Big difference between Nacional and Liverpool – hope Coates will be a legend however no doubt it will take time. Paletta ring a bell? Now performing brilliantly at Parma but he struggled with the move at a young age. Also Agger cld break down at any time, we are only 4 games in to the season. JC still has an integral role in the clubs success.
- morbid8
  
  13. Sep, 2011
  
  Don’t you think it says a lot for somebody who’s already an established-International at just 20 !
  Paletta’s 25 right now but still he hasn’t even got a call-up from the Argentinian National team ! Coates has already played in a major tournament like the Copa and more importantly he won the best young player award at the tournament and he’s outshone the likes of Neymar ! Don’t you think that speaks volume !?
  Yeah, there’s a big difference between Nacional and Liverpool but watching him at the Copa – handling pressure like a pro – I’m pretty sure he’ll gell in well at Liverpool.
Dave McQueen

13. Sep, 2011

Outshone Neymar? What are you on about. Comparing Neymar to Coates is like comparing Suarez to Agger. Coates has played 6, yes 6 games for Uruguay and barely against world powers, bar a poor Argentina.

Paletta was considered just as hot a prospect – he’d played cb in the successful 2005 Argentinian team at the u20 World Championships – he had starred in club football in his home country.

Regardless I rate Coates – massive prospect. However that’s what he is – a prospect. As such Carra is still a vital part of our squad for the near future at least.
Oliver

13. Sep, 2011

Who cares? He wasn’t the only culprit. Hopeless midfield was the reason we lost against Stoke.
morbid8

13. Sep, 2011

@ Dave McQueen : Listen “queen”… I’m comparing young players at the tournament and not a striker to another striker. For your kind info, there’s no category or any award being given for a “CF vs CF” or a “CB vs CB”. I guess you don’t know the criteria for voting the best young player, right ?
And yeah, Coates is still a pospect but a great one. If Carra still plays no matter how crap his football is – Coates talent will be wasted that’s for sure ! Just take a look at Phil Jones of Man Utd – he’s rated a top prospect just like Coates but he’s being played week in week out and his ability was never put into question and quite frankly he’s fulfilling his potential at Utd. Fergie could have decided not to play him just because he’s a “prospect” or he’s “young” or mostly because of guys like Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Smalling… who are ahead of him in the pecking order list !? But Fergie went for the “better player” and he’s absolutely right and Kenny needs to do the same for Liverpool !
Carragher’s era is gone – Liverpool need new blood and in Coates we have that. Carra would be perfect for the bench role though (no disrespect).
Concerning Paletta : LOL, Paletta did won the U-20 WC but he was never voted best player or anything ! There’s also a BIG difference between a National team of a country and it’s U-20 team !
Andy

13. Sep, 2011

earth to @morbid8!!! The reason Phil Jones is playing is because Ferdinand and Vidic are injured…they are not on the bench! Let’s face it as well…Coates is a prospect but we have barely seen him play at all and to be fair to Carra he hasn’t been that bad (against Bolton he recovered well but was unlucky where the ball landed and against Stoke Alan Hansen reckoned it wasn’t even a penalty). Yes he’s getting a bit a slow but his tactical knowledge and leadership is as good as ever, especially in the absence of Stevie G. He’s had a decade of consistency and good service so let’s all get off his back!
morbid8

13. Sep, 2011

@ Andy : Lets assume Jones is being used just in case Ferdinand or Vidic are out but how about Jones being chosen ahead of Smalling and Evans ?
Let me correct you at some points you made… first of all, it was Carra’s karate stunt that led to the Bolton’s goal – even though he recovered well in the end but still, somehow or some way he passed the ball to Klasnic who scored – seriously you would be ridiculous to deny that’s not a Carra error ! Secondly, in Stoke’s game, Carra had his arm around Walters’ waist that led to the fall of Walters. Obviously Walters played it smart but in a ref’s book it’s a 50-50 call. So, that was a penalty and it’s obviously a Carra fault !
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not slating Carra or I’m a Carra hater – it’s just that when someone better comes in, you make way – that’s my philosophy.
Andy

13. Sep, 2011

@morbid8 He did indeed make the error in the Bolton game, I accept that. And yes I agree I think it was a penalty. I was pointing out that it’s possible to go over the top.
Furthermore, Smalling has been playing as right back and Evans has partnered Jones.
I also agree that it’s right to replace a better player for a worse one (obviously) but I’m not sure we can be sure about that at all.
Sam Elliott

13. Sep, 2011

Do we still dream of a team of Carraghers?
of course we fucking do?, the guys made a few errors everybody does last season he was standout heart on sleeve , get a fucking grip and show some faith in Carra
gaf71

13. Sep, 2011

Jones has hardly been thrown in at Utd. He played the full season for blackburn last year, so I would say the risk is a lot less than throwing Coates straight in. Give him a few cup games, and see how he goes.
Dave McQueen

13. Sep, 2011

‘listen ‘morbid’ – you twat – where are you from that means you saw Coates play soooo many games for Nacional? Jones was one of blackburns best players, thus more proven in the EPL.

As for Coates to Neymar, I’m pretty sure 99% of people would rather Neymar. 6 goals in 11 internationals – there is a reason Madrid and Barca want him. 2 goals In the opening game showed his class.

Ultimately it’s common sense that Coates is not thrown straight in. You don’t want to talk about Paletta, well how about Forlan? Or Lucas? Or Insua?? Coming straight from S. America at a young age can be tough. That’s all that’s being said. Time is needed. One of Insua’s biggest issues was being thrown in to a full season by Rafa.

KK signed the lad for a reason – happy for the King to also decide when he should play.
RL

14. Sep, 2011

I don’t think he should be dropped from the first team completely, but used in specific situations. Like a classic car, he shouldn’t be used week in, week out, but on certain Sundays when the situation calls for it. His guile and positional sense won us the match at Stamford Bridge last year, as none of our other CB’s would have been able to cope with the cleverness of two of the most lethal and intelligent strikers in the world in Torres and Drogba. Against explosive teams like City and Tottenham, go with a younger, quicker option. While his best years are very obviously behind him, Carra still has a lot to offer to LFC, and can still be first class when needed.
morbid8

14. Sep, 2011

@ Dave McQueen : No need to get angry moron… lol
“Queen” your problem is… you “think” you know everything about football but quite frankly you know NOTHING about football… seriously !
You’re running your mouth about how good Neymar is, etc but my question is “where are you from that you saw Neymar play soooo many games for Santos or Brazil !?”… i guess you were scouting for Madrid or Barca at the Copa or at every Santos’ game, right ?
You’re also claiming I said nothing about Paletta – I made my point absolutely clear about him on my previous comments – buy you a pair of spectacles idiot !
About Forlan : Forlan was never given a proper chance to showcase his talent at Old Trafford and was being overlooked by Ferguson since he had talents like Nistelrooy and Rooney at his disposal !
About Lucas : Lucas was a late bloomer because of calibre of midfielders Liverpool possessed at that time… Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Sissoko but also because of crap tactics from Rafa – who played him as a box-to-box midfielder rather than Defensive Midfielder – a position which is clearly the best for him and he proved it last season and this season itself & he plays in that same role for Brazil !
About Insua : that fat Argentine was clearly an average player or even poor player tbh with you. You would be ridiculous to say that the guy had potential… because that’s all fucking BS ! Only fools would argue about that !
Dave McQueen

15. Sep, 2011

Morbid, you’re an idiot. Everybody else with. ‘commonsense’ agrees coates has potential – but needs time to settle in. As such Carra still has an important role to play.

You ignored my questions – clearly the answers will demean you. Pretty confident I know more than you muppet – Neymar?! He’s been playing first team football for Santos for over 3 years – he’s big news if you hadn’t notices – hence im we have all watched him.

Good name tho – Morbid – suits ya. Attracted to death huh?! Muppet! You a real Liverpool fan yeah?! Or do ya really follow baseball. Dick! You know it all and you know fk all – let me know when you visit Anfield and we can have a chat ‘Morbid’
Dave McQueen

15. Sep, 2011

Also – Rafa had crap tactics did he?! You absolute moronic idiot! Got us to 2 CL finals with crap tactics!!
morbid8

17. Sep, 2011

@ Dave McQueen : LMFAO at your ridiculous comments ! Seriously queen – you fight like a girl !… HAHAHA
Dave McQueen

17. Sep, 2011

Says the guy writing lmfao..tool!

Stick to netball !
- morbid8
  
  18. Sep, 2011
  
  HAHAHAHA… you’re a joke man or may i say woman…. HAHAHA
  You’re so gay that you went to create another profile using my name… this further proves how ridiculous you are
Morbid8

17. Sep, 2011

Apologies – I’m really a man utd fan who finds more pleasure visiting here then watching my own poor excuse for a team.

Im going to go and lock myself in a room now and fanatsize over my hero Gary Neville.
David McQueen

18. Sep, 2011

Homophobic huh? I’m not gay but if you have surppressed feelings let them out.
ndavidk

22. Sep, 2011

please let him take a resr he is old ready we cant get anything out of him excapt for penaly