Kenny Dalglish may have never lost against Chelsea as manager of Liverpool; yet that didn’t stop the 60-year-old Scot warning supporters to think twice before purchasing tickets for the Reds Carling Cup quarter-final clash against the Blues on Tuesday night.
After branding the scheduling of the Stamford Bridge tie, 48 hours after a key Premier League fixture against league leaders Manchester City, a ‘disgrace’, Dalglish admitted it was likely he would be forced to field an understrength side against the West London outfit.
There appeared to be nothing understrength about Liverpool however as they extended their unbeaten run to 11 games with a third successive victory over the Blues at Stamford Bridge, following goals from Argentine winger Maxi Rodriguez and young full-back Martin Kelly.
King Kenny was forced to make wholesale changes to the side that pinned, passed and pressed City into near submission at Anfield on Sunday. Only goalkeeper Pepe Reina, left-back Jose Enrique and central midfielders Lucas and Jordan Henderson remained, with seven new faces contributing to the victory which brought the Reds a step closer to their first Wembley appearance in over 15 years.
Last season’s Carling Cup exit at home to lowly Northampton exposed the extent of Liverpool’s deep-rooted problems under Roy Hodgson, however against Andre Villas-Boas’ side the Reds fringe players functioned like a well-oiled machine despite the mass changes in personnel, showing the current strength-in-depth at Dalglish’s disposal.
Previous second-string cup selections used to send shivers down the back of most Kopites, with the club’s deadwood often entrusted to navigate a safe passage into the next round. Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic, winger Ryan Babel and Frenchman David N’gog are prime examples, all part of the side who were humiliatingly exposed by the League Two strugglers last term. It was the final straw for former manager Hodgson, who claimed he felt ‘deceived’ by the strength of the side he had put out.
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The Reds worked flat-out in the summer to trim their bloated squad of overpaid and overrated mercenaries, shipping out a total of 19 players either permanently or on loan. This approach looks to have paid dividends, with the 18 time league winners looking a more compact and confident unit this season. Director of Football Damien Comolli has rightly been commended for implementing Dalglish’s plans so efficiently and effectively, with the exits of Phillip Degen, Nabil El Zhar, Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen highlighting the level of toxic waste previously on Liverpool’s books.
Dalglish is currently reaping the rewards for showing faith in youngsters such as Kelly, who scored his first senior goal against AVB’S men, and midfielder Jay Spearing. Both Academy graduates played a huge big part in Liverpool’s strong finish to the season under Dalglish last term, clocking up their highest number of appearances in a season for the senior side. Both youngsters are now essential squad members, with Spearing likely to feature more regularly now that Brazilian midfielder Lucas has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The signing of Welsh veteran Craig Bellamy was also an inspired decision; the No.39 has looked exceptional in each of his eight outings this term and put in a Man of the Match display at Stamford Bridge, setting up both of Liverpool’s goals. How Liverpool needed such a player on the many occasions the inexperienced Frenchman N’gog was selected to lead the line in the absence of an established striker at Anfield.
Confidence is high on Merseyside, with the Reds currently residing just three points outside the Champions League places. Dalglish’s men face three of the bottom five clubs in their next five games, fixtures which could further cement the club’s Champions League ambitions if they can find their cutting edge in front of goals.
Captain Steven Gerrard summed up the current strength of Liverpool’s squad, revealing: “Kenny has assembled a fantastic squad and we’ve got a couple of good players for each position, so even when he mixes it up or rests people, we’ve still got a strong side.”
Follow me on Twitter for all the latest news and views from Liverpool F.C- @MarkMolloy99
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