KENNY DALGLISH has identified the quality of Liverpool’s defending this season as instrumental in their challenge for a top-four finish.
Liverpool boast the finest defensive record in the Premier League – with only 13 goals conceded – and kept their sixth clean sheet of the season in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday that took Dalglish’s team to within three points of fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Liverpool manager, who may today discover the English Football Association’s verdict on the racist abuse charge brought against Luis Suarez by Patrice Evra, says he expects such a defensive return from players of the calibre of Jose Reina, Jose Enrique and Daniel Agger.
“It’s no surprise,” Dalglish said. “You’ve got the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, England’s right-back, two international centre-backs and probably the best uncapped left-back. And they get a lot of help from the boys in front of them.
“The more we have the ball the less pressure they are under and we have a lot of the ball in a lot of games.”
Agger and Martin Skrtel have formed a solid partnership in central defence to force Jamie Carragher on to the bench in recent weeks.
Dalglish said: “The fact Carragher has not been playing tells you how well Daniel and Martin are playing. Carra also made a contribution to the best defensive record when he was fit.
“Since he has been injured the two lads have played fantastically well. I think that’s a guideline to how well the lads have played, the fact that Carra has not played the last three or four games.”
Liverpool have joined the host of clubs keen on signing the striker Rory Donnelly from Irish League side Cliftonville. Swansea City have had a €119,000 bid for the 19-year-old accepted by the Cliftonville board and Everton have also held talks with representatives of Donnelly, who has scored 17 goals this season.
The Cliftonville chairman, Gerard Lawlor, said: “It’s not every day you get Kenny Dalglish ringing you and asking how the Reds got on at the weekend.
“He made it clear that Liverpool want to sign him and that they would be back in touch.”
Liverpool are close to completing the signing of Wycombe Wanderers’ prodigious 16-year-old talent, Jordon Ibe. The striker has attracted interest from both Manchester clubs and Chelsea this season, among others, but is believed to have agreed terms on a move to Anfield.
GuardianService
