Hitting out: Dalglish thinks the Premier League is
taken too seriously
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes an
'obsession' with the Barclays Premier League appears to be reducing
the value of winning cup competitions.
The Reds head into Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea
looking for their second piece of silverware this season having
already lifted the Carling Cup.
However, Liverpool's league form has been wildly
inconsistent in the current campaign and a fourth home defeat to
Fulham on Tuesday night means they have now dropped 30 points at
Anfield.
Their eighth-place position is well below the standard
required by principal owner John Henry - who arrived on Merseyside
on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's trip to Wembley - who at the start
of the season felt Dalglish's side should have been challenging for
a top-four place.
But while the Reds boss accepts their league form has not
been good enough he does not believe it should devalue their
progress in knockout competitions, having ended a six-year wait for
silverware.
'Any competition you enter you want to do the best you
possibly can in,' said the Scot.
'In the league it is 38 games and at the end you finish in
a position which tells you how successful it has been.
'In cup competitions there are obviously not as many games
and if you get beaten you are out.
Humiliated: Liverpool were beaten 1-0 at home to
Fulham
'There is an obsession with the Premier League simply
because of what it holds for every club and the value financially
for every club, the rewards you get for finishing in the top four
and getting in the Champions League.
'But there is a satisfaction from winning a cup
competition which you don't get from finishing fifth or sixth in
the league.
'We have already tasted a cup final this year, albeit the
Carling Cup, and getting to the FA Cup final should never be
under-estimated in any way.
'It is a fantastic day out for everyone and is great
reward for the efforts and commitment of the players and the
respect we have paid to the competition.
'We think we deserve to be there and we are happy to be
there.
'We will see what happens. We are in the cup final and
there is no guarantee we will win but there is a guarantee we will
give everything we have got to try to win.
'The season will be assessed when it's
finished.'
Captain Steven Gerrard has spoken a number of times in the
past of having to address their league form and he reiterated that
stance.
Gerrard insisted winning two trophies in a season - the
only two competitions they realistically had a chance of success in
as they were well off the Premier League pace even before the
campaign kicked off - should be regarded as an
achievement.
'It is a successful season. This club is all about winning
big trophies and the FA Cup certainly comes under that,' said
Gerrard.
'We will assess the season after the weekend. If we can
look back and say we have won two cups we will be happy.
'But of course we still have to address the problem of our
league position.'
Gerrard added: 'Some of the biggest experiences myself and
Jamie have had over the years have been winning cups.
'They are nights when you are successful you look back on
with fond memories.
'The FA Cup is special altogether but we got a taste of
success winning the Carling Cup and that will help some of the
younger players in the squad and everyone really because winning
breeds confidence.'
