It will be a decidedly Scouser celebration for the return of the King of the Kop, Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish is a towering figure in the history of Liverpool, leading the club to multiple titles as a player/manager. Sunday will mark the first home game with Dalglish in charge since he flew in from holiday in the Arabian Gulf to take over in the wake of Roy Hodgson’s failure to get results.
King Kenny should has almost a full squad at his command for the first time, with the exception of Stephen Gerrard, who is suspended, and Jamie Carragher who is injured. Look for a classic 4-4-2 formation to take the home pitch in the following lineup:
Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio, Lucas, Meireles, Johnson, Rodriguez, Kuyt, Torres, Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Konchesky, Poulsen, Shelvey, Cole, Ngog, Babel, Jovanovic, Pacheco.
I’m not too sure about Ngog playing up front with Torres, but if the glimpse of form we saw from last weekend against Blackpool is any indication we could be in store for something special. The rest of the side has the same weak points in the back that plagued the men in Liverpool jerseys all season. Johnson is too slow, and Kyrgriakos has been a train wreck when it comes to following the ball back in to defense, and the less said about Poulsen’s form the better. Kenny seems to have pinned all his hopes on the fact his presence will lift the Anfield faithful into a frenzy and make the ground an intimidating sight for there neighbors.
Don’t get me wrong, he is the perfect man to do it, and I think Liverpool will win and win big today, if for no other reason than they must win. If they lose this match, they face Wolves next, and it would be all to easy to label that a contest between two relegation candidates if they cannot beat Everton. There’s no question that the Kop have been out of sync with the players and managers for a lot of the season, with withering effect during their home fixtures. However, with the return of Dalglish the full support of the Kop will be behind the team and that’s as powerful a force as any in English football. Remember, these are the fans who brought Hicks and Gillett to their knees then chucked them out with the garbage. \
The real danger for the Reds is if they continue to play with the same malaise and ineptitude that has characterized their downfall. If that happens, they will lose the crowd quickly and their will be an opening for Everton to move in for the kill. Hopefully, King Kenny has helped them find their inspiration. Remember, it was a 4-4 draw with Everton that led to his first departure from the club, and Dalglish hasn’t forgotten. Hopefully he will be able to hold the team together, and fill the role of the suspended Stephen Gerrard.
As for Everton they will look at these factors and think they can beat Liverpool. Manager David Moyes will want his players to test the Reds, test their confidence, test their defense. For Everton the real danger lies in the loss of Tim Cahill to injury. Without him they have a serious weakness Liverpool could exploit. It should also make for an end-to-end game and I’m not entirely confident that the Everton men are fit enough to stand the test of 90 minutes. If they run out of steam, and Liverpool start well, they will have a very big hill to climb. Either way, should be an exciting match.
I’m predicting Liverpool 3-1 Everton
Written by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerprose.com
