Daniel Agger Passes Swansea Verdict

By: Noel | November 7th, 2011

Daniel Agger is an oddity in English football: From his angry reaction to being marginalised by Roy Hodgson because he refused to stop trying to play football from the back, to his disgust at Fernando Torres going to play for a rival to the club’s ambitions, to his at times brutally honest assessment of how Liverpool has played, there are few so willing to fully speak their mind. And as a result of that willingness to honestly discuss quite nearly anything—not to mention that as often as not he ends up sounding more a supporter in his opinions and assessments than he does a professional doing a job—it would take a strange kind of fan not to develop some rather strong affections for the Danish defender.

Given his track record, then, and how bothered most were in the wake of Saturday’s exceptionally frustrating display against Swansea City, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that Agger has spoken his mind regarding events on the pitch on the weekend—and about where the club is more generally, too. Needless to say, it’s unusually honest, and more than a touch brutal because of it:

Everyone was angry and disappointed, some more than others, but that is the way it is. Sometimes we looked like headless chickens running around after the ball. It was far from good enough and I don’t know how we can drop that far from last week.

We were really, really bad. When we got the ball we lost it straight away. We were not sharp enough. We did not press well enough. There were so many things that were really disappointing, especially after we played okay last week.

It’s puzzling. But that’s football. You can’t explain it. Our home record speaks for itself. It is far from good enough. You have to give Swansea credit because they played well but that doesn’t make our performance better.

Some will argue, as is always the case when a player comes out and actually says what everybody else is thinking, that airing such comments in public is more than a touch crass. That it’s something just not done. Perhaps even that a public display of annoyance from Agger is nothing but the first steps towards the player’s departure.

And perhaps his comments are a touch ungentlemanly. But they’re also entirely true, and anybody taking it as a sign of Agger marking his way towards the exit hasn’t been paying attention to the club or player for very long. The team looked horrible on the weekend, and for most it will be encouraging to know that that is an opinion shared amongst at least some of the playing staff, and that for a few of the club’s players Liverpool winning and losing actually carries a great deal of emotional importance; that it’s not just a chance at an inflated paycheque.

As for his comments that some players seemed more disappointed and angry than others, how one takes it is entirely down to the reader: Either he’s simply lamenting the reality that some professionals are less emotionally invested in their side winning than others and though they might be less bothered by a poor result it doesn’t speak to their contributions during any given match, or it’s a more damning condemnation that suggests some of the players who started on Saturday may not quite have shown the required determination. Beyond that bit of interpretive uncertainty, though, it’s hard to fault his sentiment—or to argue with him when he gives his verdict on the club’s chances at securing a top four finish:

If we play like this, we won’t do it. We have got to move up a level or two. I won’t say it is not possible, because it is, but it is up to the players. We are the only ones who can make a difference. We definitely have to do a lot better.

We have to win these types of games, no matter which kind of team we put out. We are Liverpool Football Club. We have to win our home games.

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Category: Miscellaneous, Premier League, Team News

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lfc80uk

Agger is a legend, it is actually refreshing for a player to come out and speak his mind for the good of the team. Hope he stays injury free this season. May be his comments will motivate the players that should be playing better. Liked how he came out and said it like a man, as opposed to putting a fan friendly soundbite on twitter in the mould of 'we will play better next time'

He is also, and will always be a legend because of this..... I can watch it a thousand times and still raise a smirk...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Mike

Daniel Agger would make a fantastic captain. After Stevie of course. I vote yes.
Ryan

Took me 10 minutes to get through reading this. My stupid cat was stomping around like a dinosaur.
Ryan

Did he mention anything about Charlie Adam?
Waiting for Sterling

Guiseppe Rossi anybody? Sorry to be totally off subject and caught in a daydream, but the man comes up big. He's on the rise, 24 and capable of all attacking positions. Lets start a petition to get him here.
Thomas Hoppe

sign another expensive, injured striker in January? Maybe not what the club needs at the moment
Latortillablanca

pretty sure he's gone on record sayin he'd never return to the prem, and he's been true to his word about everything else re: transfer spec...
GalahadThreepwood

I love the Dagger. There are certain players that I wish we could just offer lifetime contracts right now. Wouldn't it be great to be able to lock Stevie, Carra, Lucas, Kuyt and Agger in for the rest of their careers? I would do it in a hearbeat if I could. I would offer one of those contracts to Suarez too, but who am I kidding? Much as I wish it (and I really, really wish it) he won't be a Red forever. But Agger might, with the right incentives...
Ryan

You forgot Pepe the mule!
ShedYourYellow

Thank God for someone in a position of some esteem saying exactly what I was thinking. I find Agger to be somewhat underrated in the general fan populace (but then, I only know about four Reds personally), but I'll take him over many a centerback any day, mohawk or not.
Geoff Twentyman

After all the transfer activity we were bemoaning not having signed a top top centre back. Isn't it funny how we're now ruing the boys inability to convert chances at the other end rather than defensive concerns.

Its certainly not what I was expecting to be concerned about!
PDubz18

That's what happens when we have the 3rd best defensive record in the league...
Andy

It's a hell of a lot better than the usual propaganda we get fed by the players and the staff. "We'll keep working", "It's only a matter of a time" etc.

Like he says, we have to win these games. We're not going to get a top four place by feeding cliches to the fans after each disappointing draw or loss. It's about time someone stood up and told it like it is.

On a positive note, two cleans sheets in a row without Jamie Carragher. Coincidence?
Red2death

Must be a coincidence. Then again, they were against West Brom and Swansea respectively.

Let's try to keep clean sheets against Chelsea and Man City, and then we'll talk.
McrRed

is that with or without carra?
Suarez from the car park...

oooh, controversial......
Latortillablanca

"Everyone was angry and disappointed, some more than others, but that is
the way it is." um... who is he talkin bout here? trouble brewing in paradise?
Thomas Hoppe

Paradise?
Latortillablanca

vegas vacation?
KC

I love Daniel Agger he can do no wrong.
Guest

Except get hurt.
KC

I was trying to avoid saying that just in case I jinx it and then he does get hurt and then the whole world will collapse. You called it.
redtrev73

Dammit Lucas!! I had just administered enough of Edward's patented paper cuts to have forgotten D'Agger is made of glass and then you go and point out the huge pachyderm in the corner!
Guest

My apologies. After alcohol and paper cuts, I'm not sure there is any other form of self-abuse worth suggesting.
Suarez from the car park...

careful, you might get some very dodgy video links going up!
Guest

This is true.
Suarez from the car park...

Well, Swansea were better at holding the ball and passing it around, which is a bit embarrassing for our players, particularly the midfielders. That certainly wasn't lost on Dagger.

Our best moves came from the left by getting behind the strictly marshalled defence, mainly Enrique as Downing struggled to put good crosses in. But it didn't happen enough and barely at all on the right. But that's what you have to do when the opponents park the bus, get wide and stretch them.

I think Kenny's comments about patience were misinterpreted and they ended up being a bit too casual.
Red2death

If it's any consolation, Swansea are pretty good at holding the ball and passing it around against any team, not just us.

I guess he's frustrated though (and rightly so) that he's doing his utmost to keep the defence watertight and link up with the midfield properly, but over at the other end of the field his teammates aren't half as effective.

I've learned to read absolutely nothing into Kenny's comments. He hates journos anyway (except Kelly) and would happily feed them the first piece of politically-correct drivel that crosses his mind if it'd help end the interview sooner. And that's what appears in the papers the next day.
NotTooXabi

In the hullabaloo of us relying on our 1 World Class striker (and aging Captain), the primal bad-assery that is Daniel Swagger gets lost. Between he and Reina (and quickly rising to idol status, Unrealque) - Liverpool have arguably one of the 3 best GKs, CBs, and LBs in England (if not Top 5 Europe). Add to that a mix of Johnson/Kelly on the right and we are one class CB from fielding a back line to envy any side we could face. (Other side of coin: One injury away from a collective shit the bed.)

I love Agger. Full Stop. The Bastard is Captain material.
Suarez from the car park...

I think he had just lost his footing when he went for the header on goal, so he had to rush it and didn't get the contact he needed and it flew over the top. Very frustrating.
ejbauer11

Yes he is. Jake already quoted the relevant portion. Now I'm gonna go give myself paper cuts to take my mind off the possibility that he gets hurt during the hell that is the international break.
redtrev73

Been looking for a non-lethal way of distracting my angsty mind Edward coz alcohol is killing me quick...paper cuts, the way forward...!!!
ejbauer11

Hah - glad to oblige. Would opt for your suggested remedy, but need to keep my job.
Collins

Come on Kenny, if a player is not perfoming then they dont start no matter what they cost and that is why there has to be competiton for the starting berth. No heart was shown this weekend and it hurt so much. Its not upto Suarez to do it every day. Shame on our midfield, our wingers. Its time to give Spearing, Maxi, Bellamy and Kuyt a prolonged run in the side. I think Carrol,Downing and Henderson must earn their place in the side. You only start when you desrve it and they dont. The players I have vouched for have done nothing to deserve being on the bench. Liverpools cause should always come first
Elizabeth

I was at a point where I wanted Kenny to issue a moratorium on the team speaking to the press for the time being because every time one of them opens their mouth to say how they're looking to improve but without taking any real responsibility for the results, it just made me angrier. This, however, makes me joyful, as it's refreshing to hear and maybe will give the rest of them a bit of a jolt. I get the sense from Agger that, like Stevie, he bleeds red and you can hear that in the way he talks about the team beyond just providing lip-service for what he thinks the fans want to hear (tip: this is what we want to hear).
Geoff Twentyman

I like the professionalism of the media trained response because it means theres no Eccleston-esque criticism that can be vollyed the clubs way, but agree that its bloomin marvelous to see a player wear his heart on his sleeve in a controlled manner such as this.
redtrev73

Agreed Elizabeth. To be fair to Kenny, his post-match comments were far from being the usual anodyne crap one expects from prem managers. He was rightly critical of our underperforming stars and made it clear that they had let the club down. However, his analysis did lack the snark and colour supplied by D'Agger in his withering appraisal!!
Elizabeth

It's true, Kenny's latest was much different than we're used to when it comes to post-match commentary; if this were Roy, we'd be hearing about how the match against Swansea was our best of the season, blah blah blah.
Christopherross

Successful teams have defenders chipping in with a couple of goals per season, Sammy Hyypia used to score some. For United, Vidic, Bruce, Pallister. We must encourage Agger to move into attack more and use his full potential as goalscorer, which he has shown he is well capable of. When your strickers fail to score, we need our midfielders and defenders to hit the target.
Red2death

If Agger was given that license I'm sure he'd be right up there in the thick of the action. He did so regularly under Rafa's setup. My guess would be it's just down to how Kenny has developed this particular team, that Agger is allowed the occasional foray in the opponent's penalty box, but on the whole he lies deep. The other issue is one of possession - there have been times when Agger has ventured up, interchanging passes with midfielders along the way, and then either those players have lost the ball with Agger still stranded up there, or the cross just isn't good enough. There's only so much Agger can do.
Latortillablanca

not sure that u can say he doesn't have the license to move up into
attack... he just stays back when he's gotta mark someone, but its not
like he's not allowed to bring the ball outta defense, he did it at
least a couple times against swansea - how much more than that do we honestly
want ur best cb 50 yards out of position for?
KC

Totally agree! To be honest I think Agger really wants to go forward but how can he be confident going forward when we are so leaky in midfield sometimes. The moment he bombs forward I start getting scared at whether or not there is enough cover for him behind.
Suarez from the car park...

quite right. He wants the field to open up for a shot, but he should be more about service and focus on the set pieces. He should have scored a header on Saturday.
mardia

I'm all for respecting other people's opinions, truly, but to anybody who has a genuine problem with what Agger's saying--y'all can just bite me. Frankly, I love the guy. After Torres, I don't like to put too much significance on what players say (talk is cheap) but I would love anyone to even try and suggest that this guy doesn't care about the club, or that it doesn't tear him up whenever we don't win.
Jake_LFC

"We have to win these types of games, no matter which kind of team we
put out. We are Liverpool Football Club. We have to win our home games."

Goosebumps.
redtrev73

Indeed sir...indeed