Liverpool stand-in Captain and centre-back Jamie Carragher believes he will soon face competition for places from young defenders at the club.

Jamie Carragher admits he will have to fight for his place

Carragher has been criticized by many football pundits after his poor display against Stoke City last weekend, where he conceded a penalty which Stoke striker Jonathan Walters converted and Liverpool tasted a 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

The availability of experienced defenders like Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger, besides youngsters Sebastian Coates, new signing from Nacional, and Danny Wilson for the centre-back roles is definitely going to put 33-year-old Carragher’s first team spot in jeopardy, particularly due to the inconsistency shown by the Liverpool veteran.

Talking to The Times, Carra said, “Young players at the club say, ‘I have to be like Carra in training’ because they can see that I put in a shift in every session. But why should I rest on my laurels just because I have been in the top flight for so long?

“I am always looking to up my game because I feel that I still have something to prove. Even today some Liverpool fans are asking questions about my age and how long I will last.

“The club has just signed a new centre-back (Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates) who will be knocking at the door. There is no room for complacency.”

Despite losing to Stoke, Carragher admired the defending of their opponents, who defended perfectly after getting that early goal. Skipper Ryan Shawcross and Matthew Upson were at the heart of the Stoke’s unbreakable defence line-up, and they were supported well by shot-stopper Asmir Begovic.

Speaking about the poor refereeing at the start of the season and the positives to be taken from the game against Stoke, Carragher felt that Kenny Dalglish’s boys performed to their best level and if they could maintain the same against Tottenham Hotspur next week, it will not be difficult to get a comprehensive victory.

He continued, “We have to be disappointed with the penalty decisions. We had one go against us and a couple not go for us so we feel a bit aggrieved.

“We performed quite well and when you do that you normally get three points. I thought we reacted really well to going behind and deserved something from the game.

“Hopefully if we play like that against Tottenham next weekend we’ll get something. We have to ensure we bounce back.”

Tags: Britannia Stadium, EPL, Football, Jamie Carragher, Liverpool, Premier League