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In a match that didn't necessarily contain many highlights, Daniel Agger's return to the starting line-up against Chelsea was a positive take away for many. Benched since approximately forever, Agger stepped in for an injured Jon Flanagan at left back and was awarded the captain's armband for his troubles, but despite acquitting himself well in the role he still feels slightly aggrieved by Liverpool's results from the last two matches.
"It’s never a good feeling when you lose two games in a row but I think the games speak for themselves," Agger said in an interview with the Liverpool Echo. "We definitely deserved more from the City game and with a bit more luck we could have got something out of this game too.
"I think we have shown we are close to the top teams. It’s been a tough Christmas. We couldn’t have picked two tougher games. We didn’t get anything out of the two games – that’s the downside – but we produced two good performances. We just need to carry on like this and cut out the mistakes."
Agger isn't typically one to sugar coat a poor performance, so for this to be the extent of his criticisms from the two matches should speak volumes as to Liverpool's quality against two incredibly tough opponents in matches no one expected Liverpool to get a result from prior to last week. Much has been made of fixture list congestion over the holiday period, but Agger sees the short time between matches as an opportunity to quickly move on.
“We have to pick ourselves up quickly – that’s something you have to do as a footballer,” Agger said. “When you lose a game, it’s good to have the next game so soon after. We have the Hull game to focus on and we definitely have to get the three points. Hull are a great team. We lost there not long ago so we know they are a dangerous team.
“We just have to carry on playing like we have done and keep believing in ourselves. The home form was very good this year and that’s something we have to carry on. It’s so important to what we want to achieve this season that we have a good record at home.”
Liverpool's squad options against Hull are considerably fewer than they were against both City and Chelsea, but if the run of good form at Anfield continues then Brendan Rodgers' selection issues may not be so troublesome. For Agger, there is the possibility that he could once again don the captain's armband if Steven Gerrard isn't cleared for duty, and leading his team out in front of the home crowd could provide an extra something special for Agger if he must inspire a rag tag band of teammates.
