Liverpool FC: How Kenny Dalglish Can Guide the Reds into Europe in Final Weeks
Liverpool caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish has seven games left till the 2010/11 season comes to a close and may be with it, the end of his own second and short spell as manager at Anfield.
Dalglish has not yet been offered the Anfield hot seat on a permanent basis and is continuing the line, that for him the post is till the end this season and what comes after that, comes after that.
Although, publicly the club is keeping any discussions with the Liverpool legend under close wraps, it would be a surprise if Dalglish was not offered the manager's job on a permanent basis in the coming weeks.
Certainly, if the club are looking to spend money and bring in new players in the summer, the position of manager must be resolved well before any money is spent.
If Dalglish were to guide his beloved Reds into European football next season, then his appointment as full time manager would almost certainly be a foregone conclusion.
But with seven games left to play, the Reds are currently in sixth place; which in past seasons would have been enough for entry into the Europa League, but with surprises in the domestic cup competitions this season, it is appears that finishing fifth is the last spot that ensures European football next season.
Liverpool are presently in sixth place, five points, behind Tottenham Hotspur also having played one more game than the Londoners.
If Spurs win their game in hand, then the gap will be eight points behind with seven games left to play; an uphill task if there ever was one.
But the ethos of Dalglish is to take the season one game at a time, put as many points in the bag, tot them up at the end and see where that puts you.
There is also not much emphasis placed on the results of the other teams, as Dalglish and his team have no power to influence those so they are not important; relevant but, not worth worrying over.
Worry about your own results and the rest will take care of itself.
So Dalglish's example will be adopted here; with seven games left how many points can the Reds put in the bag? If that is enough to play Europa League football next season, is in the lap of the gods.
But one thing is for certain, although he cannot influence other teams' results, Dalglish will need Spurs to slip up and drop points if he is to guide his Reds into that illusive fifth spot.
Here is a look at the games left for Dalglish to gather as many points as possible.
Home : Manchester City
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Date : Monday 11 April 2011
Time : 20:00 BST
Liverpool's next game, against Manchester City, is not until a Monday night game on 11 April 2011. It is a long wait for the players, as it is always good to get back onto the pitch sooner rather than later after a defeat.
The away defeat at West Bromwich Albion was a damaging one, particularly as the Reds were leading and then lost to two penalties.
The Reds' away fixture against City was only their second game of this season and they were comprehensively beaten 3-0.
However, Liverpool are a different prospect to the team that started the season under failed manager Roy Hodgson; with Kenny Dalglish returning and elevating them back into the top half of the league.
Last season when City came to Anfield, honors were even with a 2-2 draw; despite throwing away a 1-0 lead, then manager Rafa Benitez was happy with the draw.
This season with the fixture coming so late in the season, it is questionable whether current manager Dalglish will be as pleased as Benitez with a draw at home again.
City are flexing their might and with arguably the most fearsome squad in the Premier League, their position in the top four is hardly a surprise. Roberto Mancini will be looking to cement their place in the Champions Leagues places, with Spurs not far behind.
But City will find that the Reds are not the push over they were earlier in the season and particularly at Anfield they are a force to be respected again.
Dalglish will be looking for a home win, but Mancini may not be too disappointed to come away from Anfield with a point.
Depending on the extent of the injuries to Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger, the Reds may have some injury problems in their defense to contend with.
Their attacking play particularly at home should click into top gear and a goal or two for the home side may well be on the cards.
But weaknesses in defense, and the attacking threat of City themselves, may well see Mancini heading back up the M62 the happier of the managers with a point in the bag.
PREDICTION : Draw - 1 point.
Away : Arsenal
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Date : Sunday 17 April 2011
Time : 16:00 BST
Undoubtedly Liverpool's biggest test left this season will be their sixth but last game of the season at the Emirates Stadium against title chasers Arsenal.
Last season at the Emirates, Liverpool played well enough to deserve a point, if not more. But a header from Abou Diaby in the last 15 minutes of a game that the Reds bossed in terms of possession and shots on target, meant they left with nothing.
Liverpool's opening match of this current season was against the Gunners, in which they lost debutant Joe Cole to a red card, then snatched a goal just after the break and held on until injury time when an uncharacteristic error from Pepe Reina gave Arsenal a point.
With Arsenal being held to a draw at home by Blackburn Rovers, the Gunners will not want to lose more points to title favorites Manchester United in their next home game.
The Reds, as is usual, seem to save their best performances for the top teams and have shown that against title challengers, they pick up points while losing them to those team they should be beating.
Liverpool v Arsenal encounters are always eventful, with plenty of good football played by both teams.
However, the Gunners have the upper hand when it comes to results. Last season Liverpool lost home and away and the opening game of this season was a draw.
In the last three league encounters, the Reds are yet to register a victory.
Arsenal's defense, including their goalkeeper, have not been unreliable this season and with Liverpool's Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez beginning to gel, Liverpool could have some joy.
It is true that Arsenal do not like to be roughed up and their defenders do not relish a physical encounter, which is exactly what Liverpool's Carroll loves. So it should be an interesting contest.
However, with Arsenal needing precious points to close in on the title, coupled with playing at home and with games running out for them to catch Manchester United, it may well be that the Gunners will be fired up to continue the misery they have dished out to Liverpool in the recent past.
Liverpool will see this as a good point should they get as much, but realistically Arsenal will most likely being bagging the points, again.
PREDICTION : Defeat - 0 points.
Home : Birmingham City
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Date : Saturday 23 April 2011
Time : 15:00 BST
In their fifth game before the end of this season, Liverpool face the Carling Cup winners Birmingham City at Anfield. They may well come into this match without a win in their last three games.
Last season the Reds drew both home and away to Birmingham and the away fixture earlier this season also ended in a draw. In fact since Birmingham gained promotion back to the Premiership in 2009, Liverpool are yet to beat them.
Despite Birmingham winning the Carling Cup, they are perilous hanging just above the relegation zone, so these last few games will be important to them, as well as the Reds.
But if Liverpool come into this game without a win in their last three, a win and three points will be an absolute must. To do so they will have to break their recent run against the Midlands team.
For Birmingham, an away point at Anfield will be a very good result. But for the Reds, anything less than a win will be a great disappointment.
Playing at home and with the attacking talent they have in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, should be enough to ensure that Kenny Dalglish gets the win and three points that they will be expecting from this fixture.
PREDICTION : Win - 3 points.
Home : Newcastle United
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Date : Sunday 1 May 2011
Time : 12:00 BST
Liverpool's Sunday lunchtime home fixture against Newcastle United will be a special game for record signing Andy Carroll.
Former hero of the Toon Army will face his old club for the first time in what promises to be a highly charged and emotional match.
The last time these two sides met earlier in the season at St. James' Park, Liverpool were well and truly beaten, with Carroll scoring a screamer in the closing stages
By the time the Reds face Newcastle this time around, all Liverpool fans will be hoping that Carroll will have gotten off the mark and scored his first goal in a red shirt. If he has not, then the bookies will be having a field day with odds for Carroll to get his first Liverpool goal against his former club.
Added to Carroll's association with Newcastle, will be Kenny Dalglish's ties to the club from the North East.
Dalglish managed Newcastle for the reminder of the 1996-97 season after Kevin Keegan was sacked and took them to the runners-up spot, from fourth where Keegan left them.
The following season was Dalglish's only full season with Newcastle and despite some creditable victories and an FA Cup Final appearance, the team finished a disappointing 13th in the league.
Coming into this encounter, Newcastle will be nestling in mid-table without the threat of relegation hanging over their play and with not much more to play for in their last few games of the season, the edge to their play may not be there.
Liverpool on the other hand will still have that Europa League position to fight for and the urgency of winning and picking another three points will most certainly be in their play.
Past matches between these two club have been epic encounters. Liverpool's 4-3 victory in April 1996, with a goal at the death from Stan Collymore was awarded the Match of the Decade for the first 10 years of the Premier League.
Astonishingly, lightening struck twice as, the same fixture the following season produced another breathtaking match which ended with the same scoreline!
This time around, Liverpool would be happy to pick up the win and the three points, with or without the same drama and with Carroll having a special outing at Anfield, the Reds should ease past Newcastle and pick up a much needed win and another three points.
PREDICTION : Win - 3 points.
Away : Fulham
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Date : Monday 9 May 2011
Time : 20:00 BST
Another Monday night game within a month sees Liverpool tackle Fulham away at Craven Cottage. Reds fans will be able to see first hand the statue that has been erected of Michael Jackson at the stadium.
Liverpool beat Fulham 1-0, in only the end of January, thanks to an own goal from John Pantsil that lifted the Reds to their highest position in the league at that time. They have since then cemented themselves into seventh place.
However, Fulham at the Cottage are a different prospect. Last season Liverpool were put to the sword in the same fixture losing 3-1 and ending the encounter with nine men.
The Londoners have not lost at home since Boxing Day 2010 and in that run have won all but one of those games, the other being a scoreless draw. So the Reds will by no means have it their own way and Liverpool traveling back up to Merseyside with all three points is by no means a certainty.
With Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey up front and ex-Red Danny Murphy pulling the strings in midfield, Fulham will not be afraid to attack Liverpool.
But, Kenny Dalglish's Reds are not going to let points slip away, with only two more games left after this one, Liverpool will need all the points they can get if they are to catch Spurs for that final European football spot.
Andy Carroll will most likely give the Fulham defence a lot to think about, but with Fulham being pretty adept at defending the aerial route, it will be the guile and wizardry of his strike partner Luis Suarez that may be the key.
With Fulham having little left to play for and the Reds still in the hunt for fifth spot, the Anfield boys may well be more up for it and hungrier for the points.
With only two more games left and the next one the crunch one against Spurs, Dalglish will motivate his men to an away win, possibly a scrappy one, but Liverpool should go home with all three points.
PREDICTION : Win - 3 points.
Home : Tottenham Hotspur
6 of 8
Date : Sunday 15 May 2011
Time : 16:00 BST
This home match against Tottenham Hotspur could be the most crucial of all for the Reds this season. If the teams are close then the winners of this game will pocket three points and significantly deny the other of any; hence it is a potential six pointer for the winner.
Liverpool being at home will have a huge advantage. In addition it will the final game of the season at Anfield and Liverpool will be looking to draw their 2010-11 home campaign to a close with a win.
The Reds will have to be wary of Spurs' danger man Gareth Bale and with Martin Kelly most likely still out, Kenny Dalglish may well put Glen Johnson back at right back.
Jamie Carragher has been deputising on the right flank, but would be horribly exposed by the raw pace of the young Welshman. In his younger days, the Reds' vice captain would have been a better match for Bale's pace, but not now.
But Dalglish has to be wary that on the opposite flank, there is also a speed merchant in the form of Aaron Lennon and his pace and trickery would also have to be countered.
The Reds will certainly have their hands full with the Spurs wide men; however this would have been more of a problem had they been playing at White Heart Lane. But at Anfield, Liverpool should take the game to Spurs and give their defenders something to worry about, hence the Tottenham wide men may have to be tracking back more.
With both teams pushing for a win, it should prove to be an open game, but home advantage may well be the edging factor in this encounter.
The last home game, the crowd behind them and the Reds pushing for that fifth spot should see Liverpool push home this advantage and take the win and the all important three points.
Add to this the fact that Dalglish's own future may not be settled at the time this game is played and it could also be his last game in charge at Anfield. He will not want to be on the losing side.
Another factor could be that Spurs, at the time of this game, may be preparing for the Champions League Final. Although this is a highly unlikely scenario, it is not completely impossible. If so, then the distraction of the Final will most certainly play into the hands of Liverpool.
Doubtless it will be a close game, but Liverpool should have the slight edge due to all the above and a crucial home win and three points should be the Reds'.
PREDICTION : Win - 3 points.
Away : Aston Villa
7 of 8
Date : Sunday 22 May 2011
Time : 16:00 BST
Liverpool's final game of the 2010-11 season will be away to Aston Villa.
Come what may at the end of this campaign, it will certainly go down in the history books for the arrival of the new owners, the correcting of the mistake of appointing Roy Hodgson as manager and by the return of Kenny Dalglish.
Villa could be involved in a final day relegation fight and that would not be good news for the Reds. A Villa side having to get a result at home to Liverpool on the final day is not the scenario that Dalglish would welcome.
Ideally, the perfect situation would be that Villa are clear of relegation and have nothing left to play for. Liverpool's whole season may well balance on the result of this encounter.
Regardless of the position of Villa, whatever that may be, Liverpool should have the ammunition to beat the Midlanders, who are not having the best of seasons.
The Reds will be hoping for a similar performance and result when the teams met at Anfield in early December 2010, when Liverpool comprehensively won 3-0, also marking Pepe Reina's 100th clean sheet as Liverpool's goalkeeper.
Reina's accomplishment was astounding given that he beat the previous record held by Ray Clemence by 19 games. Reina achieved his 100 clean sheets in only 198 league matches, whereas Clemence did it in 217.
This final game should see the Reds end their season on a high with a victory and three more points in the bag.
PREDICTION : Win - 3 points.
Did the Reds Make It into Europe?
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So in summary:
Liverpool go into their next league match against Manchester City on 45 points.
A summary of their predicted results are:
Manchester City - 1pt.
Arsenal - 0 pts.
Birmingham - 3 pts.
Newcastle - 3 pts.
Fulham 3 pts.
Spurs 3 pts.
Villa 3 pts.
So Liverpool will end the season with a total of 61 points.
By the time the Reds face Spurs they will have bagged 55 points.
Currently Spurs have 50 points with eight games left to play. Before they face Liverpool they have six games left including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
If they lose to all three of those and beat Stoke, West Brom and Blackpool, they will have 59 points.
If as predicted Liverpool beat Spurs, then the Reds will have 58 points and and Spurs 59.
And so as predicted Liverpool will beat Villa and accumulate 61 points at the end.
Spurs will play their final match at home against Birmingham. If they are victorious then they will end the season with 62 points. A draw will not be enough as they will then only have a total of 60.
All this is pure speculation but whether or not Kenny Dalglish leads the Reds to fifth spot and a place in the Europa League, it could go right down to the final match day.
But above all else, what should be remember at the end of the season, is that Dalglish took Liverpool from 12th in the league, four points above the relegation zone to a finish that in any usual season would have meant European football at Anfield.
That in itself is a victory and should be commended and celebrated.
