Martin Skrtel has admitted he has had to adapt his game
since arriving in The Premier League.
The Slovak was plucked from the relative obscurity of Zenit St
Petersburg by Liverpool in January 2008 and has proved to be an
excellent signing by Rafa Benitez.
Skrtel is seen as a no-nonsense centre half, who sees defending
as his priority, but he claims he has been forced to rein in his
enthusiasm since arriving in England.
"I'm a centre back so I have to be strong – win every header and
tackle if I can,” he told The Telegraph. “That's how I like it.
”When I was younger I'd pick up a lot of yellow cards but in our
first meeting Rafa told me to be careful in England because it is
easy to get booked.
”Now I try to play strong but without the fouls."
Benitez put his name to a new deal on Wednesday and Skrtel feels
the decision can only benefit Liverpool.
"Rafa signing is perfect for us, perfect for the club," he says.
"It's good for everyone that we know he's staying for a long time
now. He brought me here and he has improved me as a player.
"When I arrived I hadn't been playing because it was the winter
break in Russia, but Rafa gave me a chance straight away and since
then he has brought my level up a lot."
Liverpool will hold a minute's silence before the clash with
Aston Villa on Sunday in memory of club secretary Bryce Morrison,
who died on Saturday morning.
Morrison had worked for Liverpool for 17 years, and chief
executive Rick Parry said the club are "devastated at the
news".