Enrique labels Skrtel best defender in league
Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has labelled team-mate Martin Skrtel the best defender in the Premier League, ranking him above rivals Vincent Kompany and Nemanja Vidic.
The Slovak has been 'Mr. Reliable' for the Reds over the past two seasons, and has scored four goals in his 37 appearances for the club during 2011/12.
Despite Liverpool's troubles this season, the partnership that Skrtel has struck up with Danish centre-back Daniel Agger has contributed towards Kenny Dalglish's side having the third best defensive record in the league with 11 clean sheets.
And Enrique admits that he would not swap Skrtel for any other defender in the league.
"You cannot say that any striker has made a game difficult for him this season," the left-back told the club's official webaite. "Against many different strikers this season he has had an amazing game.
"He is doing really, really well for us. He has everything. He's good in the air, he's a strong player, he's quick, he's good with the ball."
"For me, I wouldn't swap him for any centre-back in the Premier League. I know Kompany is a good centre-back too but I prefer Martin."
The Spaniard has yet to open his scoring account in the Premier League, despite having been in England or half a decade.
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"It's already my fifth season here and I haven't scored yet in the Premier League," he said.
"It would be a great moment for me if I scored but the most important thing is the team.
"This season I have tried, and I've had many chances to score but some of them were with my right foot and they were more difficult.
"I hope one of them can go in and I'll score."
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.