I got up on Sunday with a sense of optimism. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt for the best part of two years prior to a Liverpool match. The last season and a half has seen the club slip inexorably down the pecking order in English football and the standard of football, especially away from home, has been absolutely abject at times. If Roy Hodgson was still in charge for the match against Manchester United, I would have probably let it out a long sigh on waking up, knowing that another defensive, lifeless away display was on the cards.
Although we still lost to Manchester United, there was enough in my mind to tell me that something was slightly different to previous displays away. There was some spirit. Certainly the players are still lacking in confidence, and the hardworking but disappointing performance by Fernando Torres is testament to that, but it was clear from the outset that they were not going to lie down without a fight like they had done against Blackburn just a few days before. That 3-1 defeat had cost the previous manager his job but any such display would be unacceptable to a personality such as Kenny Dalglish.
There can be a case to be made that the spirited display was down to just the change of manager, and we will come down with a bump against Blackpool tonight, but I think it is plain to see that King Kenny has an ability to get more out of players. He has that X Factor: Charisma, to inspire confidence in people where no inspiration seems apparent. In his post match press conference and his unveiling as manager today, it was clear that the old flame still burns brightly, and his enthusiasm for the game hasn’t diminished since his last managerial role ten years ago.
One of the most fundamental consequences of his appointment will be the fact that every Reds fan will be behind him. No more 10,000 empty seats or sarcastic chants about the manager. He will be given all the time in the world to succeed and if he fails there will be no murmurs about his management whatsoever. This, on top of giving the club a much needed lift, will give the player’s the freedom to play under far less pressure and can ensure them the 100% backing of the Anfield support without side issues of the owners or the manager getting in the way. The Kop can now finally focus on football rather than on any other burning issue.
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Of course, this will not be enough to make the club succeed on the pitch. As a fantastic man manager, Kenny will get the best out of his players but he will need to be tactically astute as well. Being so long out of the game has led some to question whether he has the knowledge of the modern game to succeed. He has however kept following matches over the years, and in his Academy Ambassador’s role he has learned a lot and knows more than most about the youth talent at the club. He gave Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey opportunities at the weekend and we will no doubt see a lot more youngsters play in future matches. On the tactical side, he showed enough tactical nous yesterday to show he has still got it.
Playing 4-5-1 rather than a rigid 4-4-2, the players looked instantly more comfortable and kept possession better. He played Meireles in the middle rather than on the right and put Gerrard in behind Torres, with Agger and Aurelio both starting at the back. These seem simple changes, but they were ones Roy Hodgson was seemingly reluctant to make. I would still like to give a word of caution though. Giving Dalglish the job for six months is a complicated matter. FSG no doubt have considerations about a young manager who can fulfil their long term aspirations, and although Damien Comolli did say Dalglish would be considered, what happens if Dalglish does an OK job but FSG decide to give the job to someone else? Perhaps that’s a debate for the future and a different article. For now, I am just glad to be looking forward to Liverpool’s next match, for the first time in a long time.
Written by David Tully at the excellent Live4Liverpool
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