Across the chest of Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel’s heavily tattooed body is the Latin slogan, “veni, vidi, vici,” which roughly translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” It is a philosophy that typifies his performances at either end of the pitch, with the Slovakian international building up a solid reputation as a fearless defender who offers an added goal threat.
Signed by Rafa Benitez in January 2008 from Zenit Saint Petersburg, Liverpool fans quickly took to Skrtel’s combative approach, naming him man of the match in his first Merseyside derby via the team’s official website.
During the 2008-09 season, he had effectively displaced Daniel Agger as Jamie Carragher’s defensive partner but injuries cut that campaign, and the following one, short. Indeed, it was only last term that Skrtel truly cemented his place as Liverpool’s most valued centreback, when he played every minute of the season.
After missing the first two games of the current campaign due to a calf injury, the 27-year old’s season kicked off in style in Gameweek 3, as Skrtel grabbed a goal and a couple of bonus points at Bolton, returning a 10 point Fantasy haul. Skrtel’s other goal this season came away at Aston Villa in Gameweek 16, when a clean sheet and three bonus points earned him 15 points, his second double digit points score of the season. A goal in last month’s Carling Cup final served as further reminder of his attacking prowess and this season he has also emerged as one of the top performing defenders in terms of goal attempts, supplementing his tally with nine clean sheets and seven bonus points.
With Liverpool’s season dogged by controversy and poor attacking form, investment in their players has been limited so far. Currently the ninth best defender in terms of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points right now with a total of 95, Skrtel is the second top outfield player for the Reds, a single point behind 8.5 priced Charlie Adam’s 96.
Owned by just 5.9% of managers, his initial value of 6.0 has risen by a mere 0.2 since the start of the season but that looks set to change, though, with the upcoming double gameweek 28 seeing Liverpool travel to Sunderland before playing host to Everton.
Indeed, a look at the Reds’ fixtures over the final third of the season from Gameweek 29 onwards (qpr, WIG, new, AVL, bla, FUL, WBA, nor, CHE, swa) has, arguably, just two tricky games- a Gameweek 31 trip to Newcastle and the home match against Chelsea in Gameweek 37. Those Fantasy managers who draft Skrtel in ahead of next week, then, could conceivably play the centre half in virtually all of his side’s remaining matches as Kenny Dalglish attempts to steer his side to a vital fourth place finish.
