And he gets the boot into Martin here a wee bit....and Carra, gets the nod
"The Liverpool manager confirmed Jamie Carragher will make his 150th European appearance for the club against Zenit. Despite describing Carragher as his "best defender" following the first leg in Russia, Rodgers says he was correct to give Skrtel and Daniel Agger time to develop their central defensive partnership during the first half of the campaign.
Rodgers explained: "Initially we lacked goals, defensively we were alright. Obviously we are trying to look to the future in terms of giving the two central defenders an opportunity to form a partnership. It is one of the few positions that I don't want to change, if I can. Your two central defenders are your pillars.
"I just got to the stage where I felt that – and this had nothing to do with how Martin Skrtel was playing – we needed to be more vocal. The team was quiet and lacked organisation and leadership on the field. My gut feeling was to put Carra back in.
"His performance level since then has been remarkable, really. Why did I not do it earlier? Sometimes it takes time for you to see it. That is the simple explanation."
"The Liverpool manager confirmed Jamie Carragher will make his 150th European appearance for the club against Zenit. Despite describing Carragher as his "best defender" following the first leg in Russia, Rodgers says he was correct to give Skrtel and Daniel Agger time to develop their central defensive partnership during the first half of the campaign.
Rodgers explained: "Initially we lacked goals, defensively we were alright. Obviously we are trying to look to the future in terms of giving the two central defenders an opportunity to form a partnership. It is one of the few positions that I don't want to change, if I can. Your two central defenders are your pillars.
"I just got to the stage where I felt that – and this had nothing to do with how Martin Skrtel was playing – we needed to be more vocal. The team was quiet and lacked organisation and leadership on the field. My gut feeling was to put Carra back in.
"His performance level since then has been remarkable, really. Why did I not do it earlier? Sometimes it takes time for you to see it. That is the simple explanation."