Kind Virgil van Dijk to Alan Hansen, Liverpool have had among the best centre-backs of all time, however striker Chris Wooden as soon as revealed the hardest defender he is ever confronted is just not certainly one of 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 typical phrase utilized in soccer dressing rooms up and down Britain, whether or not 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 footage
For Liverpool, these tackles had been usually 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: “Once I noticed my leg for the primary time, I assumed my season was completed. That’s the reason I used to be crying.
“Afterwards, the physician noticed my leg and mentioned I had been fortunate as a result of it simply wanted stitches and I might be out for 2 or three weeks. He’s shocked that I may get well even faster.”
The Sky Sports activities pundit solely acquired a yellow card for the deal with on Nani, which in at the moment’s sport would have been met with a straight crimson 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 changing into his successor, and maybe one of the crucial beloved by followers was a 23 year-old from Slovakia referred to 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 charge 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 mentioned that for the entire 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 provide you with a minute’s peace. He was pinching you, pushing you round, not letting you agree.
“On the time I used to be most likely too younger to alter one thing and do one thing again to him, however now, I prefer to assume I’d cope with him so much higher. He did the job and he put me off my sport, so it was a great studying curve.”
Skrtel left Liverpool in 2016 to signal for Fenerbahçe, and regardless of not successful 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 successful the League Cup within the 2011-12 season. Interesingly, regardless of being yellow carded 51 occasions, he solely ever acquired one crimson card in England, as he was despatched off in a 4-0 defeat at Tottenham in September 2011.
