Type Virgil van Dijk to Alan Hansen, Liverpool have had a few of the biggest centre-backs of all time, however striker Chris Wooden as soon as revealed the hardest defender he is ever confronted isn’t one among their adorned legends.
The function of the enforcer in soccer has modified as the sport has modified, with referees these days taking a a lot sterner view on two-footed tackles and late challenges.
‘Allow them to know you are there’ was as soon as a standard phrase utilized in soccer dressing rooms up and down Britain, whether or not it’s Sunday league or the Premier League, as dominant centre-backs and tough-tackling midfielders used intimidation as a tactic.
Premier League’s hardest gamers in photos
For Liverpool, these tackles have been typically carried out by the likes of Jamie Carragher and Javier Mascherano, with former Manchester United winger Nani as soon as revealing why a deal with by Carragher left him in tears: “After I noticed my leg for the primary time, I believed my season was completed. That’s the reason I used to be crying.
“Afterwards, the physician noticed my leg and stated I had been fortunate as a result of it simply wanted stitches and I’d be out for 2 or three weeks. He’s shocked that I might get well even faster.”
The Sky Sports activities pundit solely acquired a yellow card for the deal with on Nani, which in at this time’s sport would have been met with a straight purple and a hefty ban.
In direction of the tip of Carragher’s Liverpool profession the Reds signed a number of centre-backs with a view of turning into his successor, and maybe one of the beloved by followers was a 23 year-old from Slovakia known as Martin Skrtel.
Chris Wooden: Skrtel the hardest defender I’ve ever confronted
Supervisor Rafael Benitez was thrilled when Liverpool signed Skrtel in January 2008 for a switch payment of £6.5m, telling followers their new defender was “aggressive” and “very aggressive”.
Wooden, who performed in opposition to Skrtel when he was a younger striker at Leicester, went one additional in an interview on the Premier League’s YouTube channel in 2021. He stated that for all the legendary centre-backs to grace Anfield and the Premier League as an entire, it wasn’t greats like Van Dijk who gave him his hardest take a look at.
“Skrtel was really one of many hardest ever. He wouldn’t offer you a minute’s peace. He was pinching you, pushing you round, not letting you compromise.
“On the time I used to be in all probability too younger to alter one thing and do one thing again to him, however now, I prefer to assume I’d take care of him loads higher. He did the job and he put me off my sport, so it was studying curve.”
Skrtel left Liverpool in 2016 to signal for Fenerbahçe, and regardless of not profitable many trophies throughout his time on Merseyside, is remembered fondly by Liverpool followers.
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The previous Slovakia worldwide performed 320 occasions for Liverpool, scoring 18 targets and profitable the League Cup within the 2011-12 season. Interesingly, regardless of being yellow carded 51 occasions, he solely ever acquired one purple card in England, as he was despatched off in a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in September 2011.
