Having a go: Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has hit out
over the fixture scheduling
Isn't
this the unimportant competition? The Carling Cup is usually
regarded as a bane by managers, so that fact Kenny Dalglish erupted
this week has told a highly significant
story.
Liverpool’s manager has been seething for the
past seven days about how the foibles of fixture list means his
side must play their Carling Cup quarter-final at Chelsea 48 hours
after they host Manchester City in the Barclays Premier
League.
At first glance some would view this to be sour
grapes and, perhaps, getting excuses in early. Liverpool, after
all, will not be favourites at Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, sympathy is in short supply from
most neutrals. Liverpool, after all, have a bigger and improved
squad from last year. So what if they have to play twice in two
days?
Clearly it is not an ideal state of affairs. The
Football League would have wanted this tie to be played on a
Wednesday but Tottenham’s Europa League clash against PAOK
Salonika, coupled with a TUC march in the capital the same, means
the Met Police will not allow the game to be switched.
Liverpool and Manchester City – who are in a
similar position – would have been happy to bring their league game
forward by 24 hours but, again, that was not possible, with
television scheduling among the number of reasons why the Premier
League could not grant the request.
Irked by what he has perceived to be a damaging
inflexibility, Dalglish delivered a broadside on Thursday, claiming
that it is 'disgraceful' that players are being asked to play two
important games so quickly and threatening to field a team of young
players.
Making progress: Luis Suarez helped Liverpool see off
Stoke and set up a clash with Chelsea
He won’t do that, though. The reason why
is the same reason is so angry – the Carling Cup represents
Liverpool’s best opportunity to win a trophy this season and
Dalglish is desperate to crown his second coming as manager with a
piece of silverware.
Perhaps he will use the planning to Liverpool’s
advantage, creating a siege mentality within in his squad. If
Dalglish feels outside forces are making things difficult for his
players, he will use the sense of injustice as a motivating
factor.
There is no way, however, that he will oversee a
surrender at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool have come through
potentially trick examinations at Exeter, Brighton and Stoke and
are starting to believe a 15-year hiatus from Wembley can be
ended.
Champagne supernovas: Gerard Houllier was the last
Liverpool to win the League Cup after his side, including Steven
Gerrard, beat Manchester United in 2003 in Cardiff
The League Cup has been derided in the
modern era but it remains a competition that is revered at Anfield.
Dalglish won it four times as a player – he scored in the first
victory against West Ham in 1981 – and later took Liverpool to the
final as manager, in 1987 against Arsenal.
Liverpool’s haul of seven League Cup wins remains
a record and this squad is aching to make that number eight. Take
Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. They have never been to Wembley
with Liverpool and are desperate to banish that
statistic.
Dirk Kuyt has been on Merseyside for more than
five years but has no medals to show for his service, while Pepe
Reina has failed to add to the Community Shield and FA Cup gongs he
collected in 2006. Try telling them that the Carling Cup doesn’t
matter.
‘Here you have two clubs who have treated this
competition with the utmost respect over the years and they are
being treated like this,’ said Dalglish.
‘It is for Manchester City to argue their case
but it is my job to stand up for the interests of Liverpool
Football Club.’
Yes, he is furious. But do not disguise this as
waving the white flag. The reason Dalglish is boiling is because he
wants to win this tournament. That’s how much the Carling Cup has
changed.
