11 Lessons learnt by Liverpool this season
The Prodigal Son Returns
The man every Liverpool fan wanted to return to the helm in the summer was brought back in January to much fanfare – Kenny Dalglish’s much-vaunted second-coming has delivered tangible results both on and off the pitch and with the great man’s help, the cloud that has hung over Anfield for the past 18 months began to slowly dissipate. In a season of shocks for the club, Dalglish cut short a well-timed family holiday to take charge after Roy Hodgon’s dismissal. With his dry, caustic wit and ability to motivate his charges, Dalglish began to have an immediate effect on not only results, but the side’s playing style too, with positive noises also beginning to emanate from the dressing room about how enjoyable training had become under their new boss. In a season where Peter Odemwingie’s goals kept West Brom out of a relegation fight and Javier Hernandez’s goals all but secured Man Utd their historic 19th league title, Dalglish’s impact would have to rank right up there alongside them and he’d have to go down as one of the signings of the season. With the club languishing in 12th upon his arrival and short of confidence, Dalglish, with the help of First Team Coach Steve Clarke, began to implant his pass and move philosophy upon the squad and to noticeably positive effect, with the side finishing 6th in the league, just a whisker away from securing European football once more – something which if you had asked was possible around January would have been met routinely with either howls of laughter or a justified sectioning. With Dalglish at the helm, Liverpool began playing a brand of exciting attacking football. There were big wins and great performances against the likes of Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City as well as displays of authority and conviction in the victories against Fulham, Birmingham and Newcastle that all helped point to a brighter future. Liverpool fans can once again dare to hope and dream. Dalglish averaged 1.83 points a game this season in charge, a record that would have rendered 69 points over the course of an entire league campaign and a total good enough for 4th place; a huge turnaround in performance. There will still be bad days at the office and the side will still be marred by spells of inconsistency, but with Dalglish in charge, Liverpool can once again begin to look up and forward as opposed to down and back. He remains the epitome of the spirit of this great and historic club; he understands the very core of what drives the club and where many managerial returns are destined to failure from the off, Dalglish at present only looks destined to destroy the status quo established at the top over the last two seasons.
Continue to next lesson – We Used To Be Good At These
