Soccer: Agger stays loyal to Liverpool

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has admitted that Liverpool were "shit" earlier this season, and claimed Fernando Torres's departure to Chelsea was "unacceptable".

In seeking to explain Torres's poor form for Liverpool before his January departure, the Danish defender said it was caused by the under-performance of the team.

But when discussing the striker's decision to move to Stamford Bridge, Agger said that he himself would never join one of Liverpool's English rivals.

Torres scored nine goals for Liverpool this season before his departure, but frequently appeared listless in a side that was struggling in mid-table. Roy Hodgson was dismissed as manager last month with Liverpool in 12th place in the table after 20 league games.

They have moved up to sixth place under Kenny Dalglish, and when Agger was asked why Torres failed to perform in the first half of the season he explained that individual performances inevitably suffered in an under-performing unit.

"That's the big question, isn't it?" said Agger. "How to explain that: look at the team; we played awful, we were shit. And he is a part of the team, so when everyone is playing well, he plays a lot better.

"It is the same for everybody, for me, for Stevie [Gerrard], it is the same. When the team are performing, when you look at every single player they are playing better. But when we are losing, everybody is on top of us, everybody is playing bad."

When asked about Torres's decision to join Chelsea, though, Agger was fiercely critical. Speaking to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Agger said "It is unacceptable to play for one of Liverpool's arch rivals".

"For a Dane, it's about having respect for the club you play at. I am proud to be able to pull on my Liverpool jersey, and will never go to another club in England. I will never go to play for Manchester United or Everton. It's about a form of respect for the club."

Torres's Chelsea debut was against his former club last Sunday, a game which Liverpool won 1-0 and in which Torres played so poorly he was substituted. The victory was their fourth in succession, and the upturn in form under Dalglish has led to their moving to within six points of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Agger believes that if Liverpool maintain their form they can put pressure on the European places.

"It is a six-point gap, with a game in hand," Agger said. "We are on a good run with four straight wins and if we can continue playing the same way, with the same confidence. I think we can get close.

"I don't know if we can get in there. Everybody at Melwood [Liverpool's training ground] agrees, and it sounds simple and stupid, but we have to take every single game and see where it takes us. I know that is the standard answer, but if you start to look ahead and count the games left and how many points you can get, you lose your focus."

Regarding the influence of Dalglish, Agger added that his attitude and approach to the game were responsible for the upturn in Liverpool's fortunes. "He is a positive guy and he is, in football terms, positive," Agger said. "First of all because he likes to play positive football, going forward, and keeping the ball on the ground and I think he is good among the players.

- INDEPENDENT