Liverpool FC: 10 Bold Predictions for Liverpool Under Kenny Dalglish Next Season
The management team at Liverpool Football Club is coming together and taking shape for the rebuilding that is expected next season.
It is extremely likely that Kenny Dalglish will soon be offered the Liverpool hot seat on a permanent basis.
Second in command, Steve Clarke, is already on the brink of signing on the dotted line securing his long-term future at Anfield.
King Kenny is expected to be in charge at Liverpool next season, and the club need to get him installed before the end of the season or as soon as possible after the end of it.
With the current season coming to a climax and Dalglish leading Liverpool FC to a very respectable finish with the chance of fifth spot still a real possibility, what can Liverpool fans expect for Liverpool next season under King Kenny Dalglish?
1. Liverpool Spending Spee Will Top All Others
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In the January transfer window, Liverpool and NESV made a real statement of intent. If money needs to be spent, it will be.
With the current season illustrating the damage to the squad done by the previous owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks in terms of continuous spending for squad strengthening, it has become eivdent that shake up is crucial.
Quality players are always going to be expensive, and if Kenny Dalglish wants to bring in more quality into his squad, then it is not going to come cheaply.
The requirements will be for a new quality centre back, a left back, a winger or two and maybe even another striker.
It will not be a surprise if John Henry has to sanction spending between £70 millions and £90 million on bringing standard players who will be required if he wants Liverpool to be competitive again.
So many names have been linked with being at Anfield come next season and many articles have been written about this; whomever is bought is currently speculation, but clearly there will be significant additions to the playing squad.
Others such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and possibly even Manchester United will also be looking to improve their squads, but it would be unlikely that their spending will top that of the Reds.
At the start of the next season, Dalglish will have compiled a very strong squad of players and John Henry will have spent more than any other owner, putting Liverpool top of the league of big spenders.
2. Next Season Will Be the Last for Jamie Carragher as First Choice Centre Back
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One of the positions that Kenny Dalglish will very likely strengthen for next season will be that of centre back.
With Mr. Liverpool, Jamie Carragher, well into the twilight of his Liverpool career, Dalglish will need to phase in his replacement.
It could even be argued that Carragher has had little pressure on him in current seasons with injuries and poor form of others extending his time as first choice in the heart of the Reds' defense.
What is evident is that the 33-year -ld defender will come under pressure next season with the inevitable arrival of a new young quality centre back.
Many names have been linked with being Carragher's replacement, but Liverpool will need a no nonsense defender in the mould of Mr. Liverpool if they are to replace him.
So often in the past, the name of Jamie Carragher has been one of the first, if not the first name on the team sheet, but next season that may not be the case any longer. If it does not occur at the very beginning, then it surely will as the season progresses.
3. Kenny Dalglish Will Play With Out-and-out Wingers on Both Flanks.
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It is the worst kept secret in English football that Liverpool are on the look out for a top drawer winger for next season.
Top of the list of Kenny Dalglish's most wanted winger is surely Aston Villa's Ashley Young. The Villa winger has all Liverpool are looking for in a wide man and would fit neatly onto either flank.
But there is also the very real possibility that Dalglish is also on the look out for another wide man to play on the opposite flank to Young. Many names have been touted as possibles from Arda Turan, Sylvian Marveaux, Diego Perotti and even Matt Jarvis.
With such attacking talent up front, it will be up to the men in midfield and especially those on the wings to provide the chances for Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez up top.
The most audacious of possibilities is for Dalglish to raid Aston Villa, not only for Young, but also teammate Stewart Downing.
The combination of Young and Downing on the Liverpool flanks is mouth watering and with the style of play that Dalglish wants from his team, more than just a possibility.
4. More Youngsters Will Push Their Way into the First Team
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Under Kenny Dalglish, the youngsters at Anfield have come on leaps and bounds and demonstrated that Liverpool's Academy is pushing out quality young players who need to be given a chance.
Unlike, previous manager Roy Hodgson, Dalglish has not been afraid to throw the youngsters in at the deep end. Right from the his first game, the King Kenny had no hesitation in installing Martin Kelly as his first choice right back and the youngster has excelled.
Strong showings by Jack Robinson and John Flanagan when given their chance have shown that there is a rich vein of talent coming through form the Academy, including Jay Spearing deputizing for his injured captain Steven Gerrard and has grown in confidence with every minute.
Another youngster Jonjo Shelvey has never let his manager down when asked to come on in a variety of positions.
It cannot be over emphasized how much of a role model and inspiration Dalglish is to the youngsters at the club, even though many were not even born when he was strutting his stuff on the Anfield turf.
It is simply that he seems to allow the true ability of players to shine through. Dalglish has said that mistakes are part of football and are made by all, young or old. So he is not worried about the youngsters making mistakes, and this takes the shackles off them and allows them to show their quality.
Next season will see the likes of Kelly, Spearing, Robinson, Flanagan and Shelvey cement themselves into the first team squad and Dani Pacheco, Raheem Sterling, Conor Coady, Tom Ince, David Amoo and many others knocking hard on its door.
5. Anfield Will Once Again Become a Fortress
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In glory days of Liverpool's past, Anfield used to be a place where opposing team would be afraid to come; it was a true fortress.
With Kenny Dalglish bringing the confidence of players back in bucket loads and with defensive reinforcements on the way during the summer, Anfield will again become a ground where teams will fear to come.
With a whole preseason to shape the defensive aspect of the team, alongside Steve Clarke and Sammy Lee, Dalglish should have a defensive unit that will prove one of the toughest to breach.
Dalglish and his coaching team will want to capitalize fortress Anfield and gain as many points from home games as possible.
Additionally, with Pepe Reina getting closer to committing himself to his long term contract at Liverpool, the Reds' defensively look very solid indeed.
Liverpool will be looking to go through the whole of next season unbeaten at home and should turn Anfield into their fortress once more.
6. Liverpool Football Club Will Become a Big Financial Player in World Football
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With the arrival of John Henry and Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool have become financially stable, something that has had an extremely steadying effect on the club as a whole and effected performances on the pitch.
But with the continued influence of Henry and FSG, Liverpool Football Club will become an even bigger institution than it already is.
With even bigger financial and commercial deals to come, Liverpool will flex an increasingly larger financial muscle.
Henry has been able to pursued US company Warrior to fork out a whopping £25m a year for the privilege of supplying the Reds with all their kit requirements from the 2012-13 season.
This becomes the biggest kit deal in British football history, putting Nike's deal with Manchester United well into the background.
Warrior is a major sporting goods manufacturer in the US, most notably for ice hockey and lacrosse.
With exposure into the massively lucrative sports good market in the US, Liverpool FC will benefit from huge marketing opportunities with the Boston Red Sox and others in the NESV stables.
The recent link up with arguably the biggest sports star in the US, LeBron James, may have been a bit of a publicity stunt, but it brought Liverpool FC into the eyes of basketball fans all over the States. The marketing opportunities that this brings are almost immeasurable.
Next season and in seasons to come, Liverpool Football Club will establish itself as a footballing financial superpower, which in turn will bring further success to the club on the field of play.
7. Re-Development of Anfield
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When previous owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks came galloping down Anfield Road, their main sales pitch was that they would deliver a brand spanking new stadium for Liverpool Football Club.
A very lovely idea it was too, but this took such little notice of the fact that most fans would rather stay at Anfield than have a new stale stadium.
John Henry and FSG actually asked the fans what they wanted and after listening, will unveil plans about how Liverpool's current home will stay its home for many decades to come.
With the experience of turning Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox's spiritual home, from a tired old arena to one of the premier match day experiences in modern US baseball, FSG have all the right tools to do the same for Anfield at Liverpool.
No matter how good a new modern stadium sounds, most Liverpool fans would love to see the old stadium re-developed. The atmosphere and history of Anfield will never be lost and the face lift will see match day revenues at Anfield rival those of Arsenal and Manchester United. Moreover, the experience for fans will be enhanced and the stadium capacity increased.
What is also important is that if Liverpool stay at Anfield, then there will be no change of name or naming rights sold. Liverpool's home will stay as Anfield and not something else which is great news for fans.
8. Andy Carroll & Luis Suarez Will Be the Most Lethal Duo in English Football
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In the January transfer window, Liverpool did some business that will shape the future of the club for years to come.
Out went Fernando Torres who looked bored and not interested in being a Liverpool player any longer. Sad as that was for Liverpool fans, in came Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.
Although Carroll arrived at Anfield carrying an injury, his impact was instant once he got on to the pitch. His towering header for his first touch against Manchester United will always be remembered. Then his stunning strike for his opener and typical towering header for his second showed what Liverpool had bought.
In Carroll, Liverpool have the future of not only their attack, but also that of England. Not only is Carroll a monster in the air, but his left boot carries tremendous power and accuracy.
Liverpool's new No. 9 has goals written all over him, and with a full preseason under his belt and free of injuries, we will see Carroll knock in the goals next season.
The impression that Suarez has made on the Liverpool team is nothing short of amazing. Wearing the No. 7 shirt could have been a weight too heavy for the little Uruguayan, but it was to be nothing of the sort.
Suarez is a magician with the ball and a great and willing runner off it. He has it all and is the complete attacking footballer.
But more than anything else, he has been a breath of fresh air into the team. He lifts his team-mates and really instills the feeling that if he gets the ball, wonderful things are possible.
Next season will see Carroll and Suarez develop into the most lethal partnership in the land and both will net 20-plus goals.
9. Next Season Liverpool Will Be Premier League Champions
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With Kenny Dalglish at the helm, new top quality additions to the squad and a full preseason under the players' belts, Liverpool will be ready for a real sustained challenge to the Premier League title.
In the summer, Dalglish and his backroom staff will be working on the tactics and strategies that, once the players are back from their break, will be worked on at Melwood.
New top-class additions will boost the squad and give it more depth and quality. The spine of the team, such as Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Dirk Kuyt will provide the experience and steel that the youngsters and new players can learn from.
Most fans would like to see Liverpool challenging for the title again and be in the mix come this time next year.
It may well be that if there is no European football next season at Liverpool, this may give the team the real motivation to bring it back. Additionally, long midweek European trips are never welcome, and the team could be fresher not having to make them.
But the real motivation will be to be back in the Champions League the following season and all the more hungry for being away.
Liverpool with their crop of youngster, new quality players and the guidance of Dalglish and his coaching staff will not only see them challenge for next year's Premier League title but win it.
The 2011-12 season will see Liverpool champions.
10. Sir Kenny Dalglish
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Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish has given his life to Liverpool Football Club, the city and to British football as a player and a manager.
As a Celtic player, his feats overshadowed by his later days at Liverpool were astonishing; in seven years at the Hoops, Dalglish won four league titles, four Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup
Dalglish then graced Anfield as a player for 13 years winning six league titles, one FA Cup, four League Cups, five Charity Shields, one European Super Cup and three European Cups.
Then as a manager for the Reds for six years, Dalglish led Liverpool to three league titles, two FA Cups and four Charity Shields.
Later, he also managed Blackburn Rovers to the league title in 1995 and Celtic to the Scottish League Cup in 2000.
Dalglish mourned the loss of 96 Liverpool fans who never returned from Hillsborough on that fatefully horrid day. He led the club and city of Liverpool in honoring those fans that passed away, and he did so gallantly, honorably and with a poise that was an example to all.
As an ambassador to his beloved Liverpool Football Club in later years when Rafa Benitez was manager, Dalglish spread the word of Liverpool FC to the world and ensured the growth of the club in new areas.
Having returned this year to lead the club to respectability after the most shocking of starts to a season in their history, Dalglish will no doubt be leading Liverpool in the 2011-12 season and many more to come.
In 1984, Dalglish was honored with an MBE and there have been calls for Dalglish to be knighted and honored for his lifetime service to British football and for all his charity work in cancer awareness and founding The Marina Dalglish Appeal with his wife to raise money for cancer care.
In fact during the 2011 Hillsborough Memorial Service, Liverpool MP Steve Rotherham announced he would be putting forward a motion to the Queen to see Dalglish knighted for the part he played in helping the 96 families that lost members at the Hillsborough disaster.
It would be a most fitting sight for all those associated with Livepool FC and the city of Liverpool, if Kenny Dalglish were soon to become Sir Kenny Dalglish.
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