Football
Mike Whalley 10y

Brendan Rodgers keen to avoid spat with ex-Liverpool defender Daniel Agger

LIVERPOOl -- Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists he does not want to get into a war of words with his former vice-captain Daniel Agger.

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Centre-back Agger ended an eight-and-a-half-year stay at Anfield when he returned to his first club Brondby, in Denmark, in August.

But the 29-year-old was critical of Rodgers in an interview with Danish television, claiming that he was "not appreciated" by the Liverpool manager.

Rodgers sounded surprised by Agger's comments when asked to respond to them, but made clear he did not want to get dragged into a row.

He said: "I've nothing really to say on it. Dan gave his reasons for leaving when he left. We wished him well when he went.

"I think out of respect to him, I don't really want to say any more on it. He's a Brondby player now, so he's moved on."

Rodgers, though, has acknowledged that he may need to reshape his team tactically in order to cope with a lengthening injury list.

The manager admitted that his decision to start last Saturday's Premier League match at West Ham with a midfield diamond was a mistake.

His side went 2-0 after seven minutes, prompting a tactical reshuffle that saw right-back Javi Manquillo replaced by central defender Mamadou Sakho and a change of formation to 3-5-2.

That prompted a Liverpool revival, with Raheem Sterling pulling a goal back, by they could not save the game and lost 3-1.

Rodgers used a midfield diamond to great effect as the Reds won 3-0 at Tottenham on Aug. 31, with Sterling at the attacking tip and Steven Gerrard playing deep while Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson linked up between them.

But Allen was missing at West Ham because of a knee injury, and replacement Lucas Leiva was nowhere near as effective.

 

Allen is likely to be out for several weeks with the injury he sustained while playing for Wales in a 2-1 Euro 2016 qualifying win in Andorra on Sept. 9, and Rodgers is aware that he will need to be tactically flexible in the meantime.

The manager said: "We need to look at our pressing and those patterns of pressure. Probably with the injuries we have, I need to look at retaining a system for a longer period.

"The 4-4-2 diamond worked really well for us, but it worked really well because we had certain players playing in it. That didn't work quite so well for us at the weekend. Until I get back all the players I know are multi-functional, I'll look at the strengths of the players I have and look to use them accordingly.

"And then I hope that will give them the confidence of pressing better from their positions, and that also our passing will improve. That was what disappointed me at the weekend. We played more long passes than West Ham. And that's something that you guys, who've watched us for two years, would never have thought.

"So we just need to get back to that way of working. We know that can bring us success."

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