Dalglish admits climb back to top will be tough

The Scot enjoyed a hugely successful career as a player at Anfield and continued that into his first spell in charge as Reds boss.

One of the most damning statistics which highlights the decline of a club so dominant at home and abroad from the late 1970s through to the late 1980s is that Dalglish is the last Liverpool manager to win the league championship 22 years ago.

Since then Manchester United have taken their place at the top of English football and, with Manchester City having flexed their considerable financial muscle to become genuine title contenders and Tottenham adding their name to the so-called ‘big four‘ Liverpool’s — and Dalglish’s — task has become even tougher.