Liverpool sacked Kenny Dalglish 24 hours ago after finishing just eighth in the Premier League.
Here are five losses which helped make his position untenable…
Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
This one was the game changer. A win over Arsenal could have invigorated Liverpool’s season. The club were coming off the back of their Carling Cup win, and beginning to turn their heads toward Champions League qualification. At this point it was still an achievable goal, but they needed to beat Arsenal and narrow the gap between the two clubs. it started well enough, but a Robin van Persie brace, including an excellent late winner, broke Liverpool’s hearts. Most importantly, it wasn’t just the three points which was lost, but the winning mindset. A win over a key rival on top of a trophy win would have lifted their confidence no end, but instead Arsenal burst their bubble.
QPR 3-2 Liverpool
Defeat to QPR was as unexpected as it was unwelcome. Liverpool had looked to be cruising to victory, 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go, with Sebastien Coates scoring a spectacular scissors kick goal. Then suddenly came a late capitulation, out of nowhere, with former striker Djibril Cisse amongst the goals. Poor defending attributed to the loss, with QPR simply wanting it more. The defeat was made even worse by Dalglish’s proclamation before the game that Liverpool were ready to go on a 10 game winning streak and snatch an unlikely Champions League berth. After this defeat, that dream was dead and buried.
Liverpool 0-1 West Brom
If there was a game which summed up Liverpool’s season, then this was it. Fans had become hugely frustrated at the club’s inability to convert chances all season long, and it was especially summed up in this match, with the club hitting the woodwork once again. When Peter Odemwingie netted a winner, there were no surprises from supporters, simply groans, ‘not again’. Liverpool scored less goals this season than Lionel Messi, and at home they rarely scored more than two in a game, with wins over Chelsea and Everton the exception. Seeing former manager Roy Hodgson leave Anfield with a victory was especially galling for fans, and amplified their lack of progress from the time he arrived to the present day.
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
Perhaps a Liverpool FA Cup victory would have changed the course of history, perhaps not, we will never know. Had Liverpool finished the season with two domestic trophies, it would have been far more difficult for FSG to justify his axeing. Andy Carroll’s late cameo made it look like Dalglish got his tactics wrong, against a Chelsea side who lined up with Jose Bosingwa in central defence, and both fans and owners left the stadium less than impressed. Two trophies would have made a poor league showing easier to stomach, but the Carling Cup alone was never going to be enough.
Swansea 1-0 Liverpool
After the FA Cup Final, Liverpool had a mini-resurgence, scoring four times past an admittedly depleted Chelsea in a 4-1 victory at Anfield, giving fans a rare show. Days later, a 1-0 defeat to Swansea summed up the club’s inconsistency. Had the team gone to South Wales and come away 4-0 winners, Liverpool could have come away and at least boasted they had finished the season strongly, and ended on a high note for the summer, but instead, this defeat simply brought back all the painful memories of the season so far. It hastened the urgency at FSG to take action, and in likelihood confirmed in their minds they were making the right decision by deciding to look elsewhere.
Other key losses: Stoke 1-0 Liverpool, Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool, Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool
Where do you believe Kenny Dalglish went wrong? Let us know your views on who let him down and what he should have done differently…
image: © dannymol
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