Dalglish calls for calm as Pool problems laid bare
Like his players in the wake of a comprehensive 2-0 defeat to an upwardly-mobile Newcastle, the increasingly beleaguered manager had a day to forget. The Scot was on the receiving end of a foul-mouthed Andy Carroll tirade after hauling the ineffectual forward off on a humiliating return to Tyneside for the £35m misfit. That, however, was perhaps the least of the Scot’s worries as the problems his side face were laid bare in an at times shambolic display.
On other occasions laughable, Liverpool ended the game with 10 men and the bizarre spectacle of full-back Jose Enrique in goal after Pepe Reina saw red for aiming a headbutt at James Perch — Dalglish marching onto the pitch to remonstrate with referee Martin Atkinson as the Spanish keeper offered Perch a spot of afters down the tunnel for his over-theatrical reaction.
After a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games sealed by two-goal Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse, Dalglish, outwardly at least, refused to panic. It’s not a course of action being followed by many worried Liverpool supporters who are seeing the season implode before their disbelieving eyes.
Dalglish said: “We’ve got to try and remain calm and sort out the problems we have to get ourselves back to the way that we want to be playing. We’ve got to believe in ourselves and believe in what we’re doing — if we do that then we’ll have a better opportunity. I don’t think it’s a problem with confidence.
“We’ve got to stick together and believe in what we’re doing. It’s not as if the players don’t work hard and don’t have the determination and effort to put it right.”
Dalglish refused to condemn Carroll for his overly-industrial industrial language, but admitted Reina could have no complaints about his late red. The Spain goalkeeper misses the FA Cup semi-final against Everton, and the Scot added: ““When Andy came off and went up the tunnel he was disappointed with the way the game had gone, not necessarily for himself but for the team.
“The frustration took him up into the dressing room. We don’t have a problem with people showing their disappointment, desperation or frustration. We have to harness the frustration and disappointment properly and take it as a positive, because if they start to enjoy losing games then we do have a problem.”
Reina serves a three-match ban to sit out the all-Merseyside Wembley clash, and Dalglish added: “Pepe got a deserved red card. There was a bit of remorse there (when I spoke to him after the game).”
In-form Cisse took his tally to seven in seven games since his £9m arrival from German side Freiburg in January to push Newcastle level on points with Chelsea in fifth and a first European campaign for six years firmly on the agenda.
The Senegal international was powered by curried goat, after extra helpings of his favourite dish as the club staged an ‘Africa day’ at their training ground last week. “We’ve got a terrific number nine,” Newcastle manager Alan Pardew insisted. “Cisse’s all-round performance was probably his best for us so far.
“We had an Africa day at training and that gave him a lift. He had some curried goat and maybe that was why he was fuelled-up today. We’re now in touching distance of the Europa League and we’re in really good shape. Hopefully we can get enough points to get us into Europe.”
Pardew backed Carroll to emerge from a career low-point, and added: “I really felt for Andy. He’s a terrific lad having a tough year and he’ll come back. Andy needs to have a gameplan that’s going to work for him and Liverpool struggle to find that with the players they have. When we had him we were more direct than we are now and he was magnificent for us. He will be again.”
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