Football Special Report: Back to the ‘Liverpool way’ under Kenny Dalglish (Part 1)
Kenny Dalglish has got Liverpool playing the ‘Liverpool way’. The pass and move football is back and the performances have been there for everyone to see and finally the result came against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wolves-c40952 on the weekend.
It was Kenny’s second away game in the league and he achieved what Roy had failed to achieve in his 10 away matches – that is to win convincingly away from home. Liverpool’s only away win of the season prior to the weekend’s game was an unconvincing and
undeserving 1-0 win over Bolton.
Even though Dalglish’s return to management did not get off to the best of starts, yet the spirits remained high and optimism could be felt in the air. To begin with, it wasn’t the easiest of starts for Kenny at the first place.
His first day in charge took him to Old Trafford where things got worse when his talismanic skipper saw red after only half an hour – that’s all Gerrard has played under Kenny so far – this was followed by a tricky away trip to Blackpool after 2 more days
and the week ended with a derby match against Everton.
If Roy was given 6 months, Kenny certainly deserved more than 6 days to put things right. However, even during those 2 defeats and a draw, the performance of the team kept on improving.
Kenny was playing the brand of football that everyone associated with the clubs wants the team to play. Especially after the dreadful and painful to watch football that was played under Roy, the pass and move football has been a breath of fresh air for all
Red’s fans.
The way this has been achieved over the years has changed with every changing manager. From the 4-4-2 of Paisley to the 3-5-2 of Evans and then finally to the 4-2-3-1 of Rafa, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 have always tried to play the pass and move football. Even though Evans
time wasn’t successful and Benitez had his critics for being overly organized, which restricted the ‘total football’ Liverpool are known, Liverpool never applied the long ball tactics.
It was only under Roy, hoofing the ball up to the front man came into play. Hodgson took over at the start of the summer and had time to make his own team. He made quite a few signings but apart from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Raul-Meireles-c30678 none of them have materialised.
Roy miserably failed to get his players playing any sort of effective football. In contrast, Kenny has come in mid season, with confidence rock bottom and has got the same bunch of players playing a lot better, not just individually but as a unit.
One advantage Kenny has over nearly everyone is the fact that he comes in with a reputation and respect which no other man can ever command. The charisma and the personality of the man are adorned by every Liverpool fan and player alike.
Even the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Torres-c13707 are in an awe of the great man; such is the respect of the man who is hailed as the ‘KING’ at the club for his services to the club both as a manager and a player in the past.
Dalglish has gone back to basics. He has rebuilt the team morale and has got the players playing for the shirt. The fight and passion was has been evident in all games since Kenny’s return, especially in the last two games against Everton and Wolves.
Kenny has reverted back to the system that Rafa used to play, the 4-2-3-1 formation. It worked wonders for Liverpool when they had Mascherano as the ball winner, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alonso-c5254 as the deep lying play maker and Gerrard playing in the hole behind Torres. It was possibly
the most effect midfield combo in the league at the time. It took Liverpool to a 2nd place finish with 86 points in that season.
Continued in part 2..
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