Kop Talks

🔴 Liverpool fan, not an ITK. Sharing my views, LFC news & rumours, match reactions, and talking about the club we all love. YNWA ❤️

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

Anyone saying Jamie Carragher was a shit footballer hasn’t got a clue about football. Most say it because they dislike him as a pundit, or simply because he’s a Scouser.

You don’t play 737 games for Liverpool if you’re shit. From 2005–2009, Carra was as good and as consistent as any of the top centre-backs in Europe. Proper defender. Proper leader. Champions League winner.

And whether people like him or not, he’s gone on to become one of the best pundits about. His knowledge and understanding of the game is as good as it gets.

Liverpool legend. 🔴 #LFC

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

What’s everyone’s thoughts on today’s performance? 🔴

The goals we conceded today were poor.

For the first, when Gravenberch drives forward, whoever is alongside him — in this case Szoboszlai — maybe needs to tuck back in and offer a bit more protection in the middle if we lose the ball. If not, either VVD or Jacquet has to be more aggressive stepping into midfield. Osula was able to pick the ball up far too easily and drive forward.

For the second goal, we’ve got 3 players around Wissa and not one of them brings him down. Just stop the counter, take the yellow and reset. It happened far too often last season as well — sometimes you’ve just got to commit a good foul rather than let someone break.

When it went 1-1, I genuinely felt like we’d go on and win it.

Get the signings in the door and let the manager work. I think we’re in for an exciting season, but there’s clearly still plenty to work on. #lfc

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@M197788 Carra scored 7 own goals lad 😂 That’s 2 more than Rio Ferdinand and 1 LESS than Franco Baresi, who scored 8.

Imagine using own goals as a way of judging how good a defender was. By that logic, Baresi must’ve been shite as well 😂

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

Anyone saying Jamie Carragher was a shit footballer hasn’t got a clue about football. Most say it because they dislike him as a pundit, or simply because he’s a Scouser.

You don’t play 737 games for Liverpool if you’re shit. From 2005–2009, Carra was as good and as consistent as any of the top centre-backs in Europe. Proper defender. Proper leader. Champions League winner.

And whether people like him or not, he’s gone on to become one of the best pundits about. His knowledge and understanding of the game is as good as it gets.

Liverpool legend. 🔴 #LFC

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@MDLEFC Because yous are shite

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@MDLEFC Put Everton’s 👍🏻

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@NoirMJ @BlaneyGerard Must of been a poor player then mate 😂

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

🚨 LIVERPOOL XI CONFIRMED:

🇧🇷 Alisson
🇳🇱 Frimpong
🇫🇷 Jacquet
🇳🇱 Van Dijk
🇭🇺 Kerkez
🇭🇺 Szoboszlai
🇳🇱 Gravenberch
🇩🇪 Wirtz
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Rio
🇸🇪 Isak
🇳🇱 Gakpo

COME ON YOU REDS! 🔴

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@JamieBr79085450 Carra could’ve played up front for Rangers and scored 20 a season in your league, mate 😂

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@con115x Loved him mate

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

Jamie Carragher or Sami Hyypia?

Both massively underrated when people talk about the best Premier League defenders of their era.

If I’m picking my best Liverpool XI from players I’ve watched, I’m going Carragher alongside Van Dijk.

Who are you picking? 👇

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

You’re an account based in the United States, mate, with @Cristiano in your bio 😂 Every level-headed Liverpool fan who actually watched Carragher’s career knows what a top player he was for this club. You don’t have to rate him above every other great CB to give the man the respect his career deserves.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

😂 People love bringing up Carragher’s 7 Premier League own goals like it proves he was a poor defender.

Carra: 508 PL games — 7 own goals.
Rio Ferdinand: 504 PL games — 5 own goals.

That’s one every 73 games for Carra compared to one every 101 for Rio. Two own goals difference across practically the exact same number of games.

If 7 own goals makes Carragher a donkey, what does 5 make Rio? 😂

Own goals happen when you’re a defender playing 500+ Premier League games. Find a better argument.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

😂 “The most average Liverpool team since the 1950s.”

From 2005–2009 Liverpool reached TWO Champions League finals, won one of them, won the FA Cup and Super Cup, and finished Premier League runners-up with 86 points.

Yes, we fell short in the league, but it certainly wasn’t because we weren’t good enough at centre-half. Carragher was a massive part of one of the best defensive units in Europe during that period.

Try looking at his career like an adult instead of rewriting history because you don’t like him. You can rate other defenders higher without pretending Carragher was average.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

This is what people can’t seem to grasp. You can prefer Nesta, Cannavaro, Rio, Terry, Vidic etc. That doesn’t automatically make Carragher average. You’re literally naming some of the greatest centre-backs of their generation.

My point is Carragher played at a very high level for Liverpool. Once he moved permanently to centre-half, there was never this feeling that CB was the problem and Liverpool desperately needed to upgrade him.

From 2005-09 he was a highly respected defender in European football. He played every minute of two Champions League finals and was nominated for UEFA’s Club Defender of the Year alongside some of the very names you’ve mentioned.

737 appearances for Liverpool. Champions League winner. Leader on the pitch. You don’t have to call him the best — just put some respect on how good a player he actually was.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@RadThanYourDad1 @SimonBull1974 @AnfieldEvo You’re an American who watches cartoons, mate. You’ve got no right telling me who was good enough for Liverpool when you probably never watched Carragher in his prime 😂

Go and debate Pokémon cards with someone. Leave the football to the grown-ups.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@Naz8013_ Another player who was massively underrated

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

I don’t agree with this at all. Liverpool didn’t need a better centre-half to take us to the next level in that era — we needed better quality around the spine of the team.

Chelsea had Robben, Duff and Drogba. United had Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez. Arsenal before them had Henry, Pires and Ljungberg.

We had players like Pennant and Riera out wide.

Our centre-backs were strong, our midfield was strong and we had quality up front. Where we fell short compared to Chelsea, United and Arsenal was mainly out wide, at full-back and with the options coming off the bench.

Put a Salah on the right and a Mané on the left of those Rafa sides and we’re having a completely different conversation. Carragher at centre-half wasn’t what stopped Liverpool winning the league.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

I loved both of them. Hyypia is massively underrated as well, he hardly ever gets mentioned among the top Premier League defenders of his era when he absolutely should.

But if I’m picking my best Liverpool XI from players I’ve actually watched, I’m having Carragher next to VVD. That’s just my choice. Both top-class Liverpool defenders.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

@TKitson24115 😂😂😂

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

People automatically call Carra average because they think Terry, Rio or Campbell were better, or because Europe had defenders like Nesta, Maldini and Cannavaro. They were all top-class defenders. That doesn’t suddenly make Carragher average.

At his peak, Carra was more than capable of performing at the highest level. Under Rafa, during Carra’s best years, Liverpool had an unbelievable spine. He was never the reason we didn’t win a league title.

It was the areas around that spine, a weaker bench and the fact we couldn’t compete with Chelsea and United financially in the transfer market that stopped us winning more.

Carragher was a top-class defender for Liverpool. A million miles away from average.

[Kop Talks @KopTalksuk]

A lot of top defenders on that list, no arguments there.

But Carra was never the issue for Liverpool in that era. We always had a solid spine and at his peak the level of his performances was top class.

You can prefer Terry, Rio, Nesta, Puyol etc, they were all top players. But thinking they were better doesn’t suddenly make Carragher average or a bad player.

One of the most consistent and reliable players I’ve ever seen play for Liverpool. Week in, week out you knew exactly what you were getting from him. Proper defender.