Liverpool boss Rodgers enthused by defensive selection dilemma

Defender Mamadou Sakho may have to wait for his Liverpool debut as manager Brendan Rodgerswelcomes competition for places.

The Reds are looking to make it four wins in four Premier League games this season after Martin Skrtel came in from the cold to put in a fine performance in their 1-0 win over Manchester United before the international break.

The Slovakian could line up alongside Daniel Agger away to Swansea City on Monday and Rodgers says that it is "a nice problem to have" with his deadline-day signing from Paris Saint-Germain likely to start on the bench.

"I'd rather this than have a lack of talent to choose from. It just keeps everyone on their toes," the Liverpool boss told the media.

"I want to protect the present and the future of the club. Centre-halves are so hard to find now. You look at some teams, they've still got ageing centre-halves because it's very difficult to get a really good one.

"Sakho is 23. He's an experienced player with full international caps [for France and] looks an absolute monster in training. He's one who's ready for now. That's what we want.

"It's not so much a problem [finding a place for Sakho]. If you're winning games, it's very simple.

"The system is king. We will never be reliant on one player. The whole make-up of this is about the team. We can take one out, put one in and still be strong."

Rodgers would happily settle for another 1-0 win - the scoreline by which Liverpool have won every league game this season - when they take on Michael Laudrup's talented team.

"I think that's a part of the growth of the team," he argued. "You look at the win against Stoke. We were outstanding in our football but we had to dig in.

"It's never easy at 1-0, no matter how dominant you are. These are characteristics we're working on every day.
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