LIVERPOOL FC: DANIEL AGGER: THE BIG INTERVIEW

LIVERPOOL FC: DANIEL AGGER: THE BIG INTERVIEW

In liverpoolfc.tv's latest Big Interview, centre-back Daniel Agger talks of his desire to stay at Anfield long-term and explains why he shuns the limelight. The Dane also adopts a rather defensive approach in picking his LFC five-a-side team…

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You've been here for the best part of a year now, how have you settled into life at Liverpool?

I think I'm doing it pretty good. I like it here. I like the people here when I walk around the city. When I came here everyone was so nice and wanted to help. Maybe the only bad thing is the weather. It seems to be raining all the time.

It's not worse than Denmark, is it?

It's not great weather there, but it's not raining all the time. It's only a small detail though!

And Liverpool the city, what do you make of it?

It's a good city and I can see it's getting better and better every month I'm here. You can see the progression. I'm from a small part of Copenhagen. That's also a massive city.

Can you see yourself staying here for a while then, like your countryman Jan Molby?

I hope so. I don't like moving around and when I'm at one place I like to stay. I like it here, not only on the pitch but also off it.

How did Rafa persuade you to come here?

He didn't have to convince me to come here. It's Liverpool.

Were you aware his scouts were watching you while you were playing for Brondby?

No, not until the end. I was concentrating on my football because that's what I enjoy.

You became the most expensive Liverpool defender ever – does that put a lot of pressure on you?

As a footballer you have to live with the pressure. Every time you walk on to the pitch, especially at a big club like Liverpool, you want to win. If you cannot handle the pressure, you shouldn't be a footballer.

You've established yourself in the first team relatively quickly. Are you surprised how well things have gone for you?

My career has been two years so far and everything has happened so quickly. Two-and-a-half years ago I never dreamed I'd be a footballer. I was still at school with all my friends. I had lots of plans but I keep them to myself.

A lot of people say you've a similar style to Alan Hansen. How do you feel about such comparisons?

I know him but my name is Daniel. Of course it's nice to be compared to a good player but I don't want to be compared. I'm not him – I want to make a name for myself.

What's it like playing alongside Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia?

When I came to this club I knew there were two world class defenders. First of all I said I wanted to fight for my place, but then I also said I could learn lots from them. If you learn from the best you can be the best. They have been here for many years and have lots of experience, so I can still learn a lot from them. Every training session and every game I try to listen to them and do what they tell me to do. I know I play in my own way and that's why Liverpool bought me, but I try to pick up pieces from their games and mix it all together.

Which other centre-backs do you admire? Who would you say are the best in the Premiership?

Carra and Hyypia. When I was in Denmark I played with Per Nielsen and he helped me a lot. He played over 500 games for his club, which is amazing.

Is there one part of your game you'd like to improve?

Yes.

What is it?

All of it.

You maybe don't need to work on your shooting after scoring a couple of goals already this year. Do you have a goals target for the season?

No, I'm a defender. It's nice to score goals though.

Carra got one at the weekend, is there competition between the defenders to see who can score the most?

No, not yet, but maybe there could be.

Riise would take some beating, wouldn't he?

I will fight for it!

Do you score a lot in training?

Never.

Moving on to life off the pitch, what kind of things do you do in your spare time?

I keep that to myself.

For some reason the Spanish lads don't seem to like the food here. Can you understand that?

I like English food. There are a lot of good restaurants in Liverpool, they're perfect. But if you go to some of the supermarkets it's not so good, there's nothing to buy.

One thing the fans will have noticed is your tattoos. What’s on them?

They're just tattoos.

Is it right your dad came over with some friends to play a match against the Liverpool legends?

Yes, he plays as an amateur. He's okay. They lost 3-2 – it was a good game, I saw it. They scored in the last minute. I actually don't know all the names of the legends but my dad's team knew them all. My dad was over to watch me play.

What did he make of the atmosphere at Anfield?

I think he thought the same as everyone else when they go into that stadium. I know he likes to come here because it's very emotional.

What's it like as a player playing in front of such a special crowd?

I'm proud. It's quite something to be here at Liverpool. All the players will tell you it's difficult to explain what it's like.

You don't seem to like being in the limelight – is that a fair thing to say?

I'm not shy, it's just me. I'm here to play football, not be part of the big circus, so I just try to keep out of it.

Do you wish interviews and what-have-you wasn't part of the game?

Yes, but if it wasn't part of the game, football wouldn't be what it is, football wouldn't be as big. You have to find the right balance. It's something I have to live with, it's part of the game and I respect that. I speak to the journalists who want to speak to me but I don't go out and say, Do you want to speak to me? It's not that I don't care, it's just a bit like, why? If you can live your life by yourself and if you love to play football, you don't need the other things.

One thing we ask all the players is who'd make their LFC five-a-side team?

That's difficult. I can't choose between the goalkeepers. Finnan would definitely be there. Sami I think too, and Carra.

Three defenders?

I'm defensive! No, Carra can play in midfield.

Who's going to score the goals?

Let me think, who can I put there? Robbie, because it's five-a-side. If he's in the box and he gets the ball, he definitely scores. I've seen some videos of him when I was in Denmark.

Were you a Liverpool fan before you came here, then?

Not a fan really. I was not a fan of any team.

Finally Daniel, what are your ambitions as a footballer?

I have big ambitions but I keep them to myself.

Oh, nearly forgot to ask – when's the bandage coming off?

I don't know yet.

watch Daniel Agger clip

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