The end of the Roy Hodgson era at Anfield has induced a sigh of relief from a majority of Liverpool supporters who have never been more terrified about their team and its short term future. With Liverpool experiencing its worst start in decades the immediate reactions can only be described as utter desperation for change and a new sense of direction towards an expected glorious future. The recent appointment of Kenny Dalglish has reluctantly brought many Scousers the sense to smile and be joyous about the prospect of the King at the helm. In a way, many Liverpool fans feel nostalgic about the days of the King thus they are eager to show their enthusiasm behind this late change at Anfield.

We must be cautious though as we approach the situation of Dalglish. The respect he has at Liverpool is tremendous and his god like status may prove to show how naïve Liverpool supporters can be. Believe me, being one we look for any sign of positive to prove our god given right to be the best club of all time. The realism of the current times though in regards to the performance must be observed. Liverpool collectively has not played well since the middle of October when they went on a nice run of wins which boosted their position from relegation into the top ten. Since then their form has been dismal including a number of away losses as well as uncharacteristic home losses. With all due respect to the great one, Dalglish’s presence at Liverpool is not to fix the clubs problems and turn there dismal season around. In reality, at this point his main focus is damage control and by damage control I specifically mean he must keep Liverpool out of the bottom 10 and keep the players happy enough to come back for next season. Trying to set the bar quite low…

In order for Dalglish to at least salvage something of the current season, he must address the ailing and dismal defense as well as the ability to utilize formations and players positions. The defense inefficiencies of Liverpool this season have easily been the most troubling and what I consider the #1 reason the struggles continue. Don’t tell me about our scoring woes because I’m not buying it. Let’s look at the numbers thus far this season. So far this season Liverpool has conceded 31 goals in 22 games giving a jaw dropping average of 1.40 goals per game. Last season Liverpool were able to average .90 goals a game and only managed to finish 7th. Liverpool have also conceded 21 goals and scored 8 while on the road this season. This places the team in the top 5 category of worst away records. Even West Ham United has found a way to produce a better record away. What this speaks volumes to is confidence. Every game this season it seems that the Reds are not just outclassed but out played by the physical strength and will of the opponent to lay the “John Cena smack down” on the underperforming defensive backs. Having Carraghers arm about to fall off wont help matters but even his form has been disappointing thus far. I hate to admit it but Rafa’s strategy as manager consisted of an incredibly solid and well disciplined defense which should be a benchmark for going forward. While his 4-2-3-1 formation was heavily criticized at times, it was able to prove most effective in providing clean sheets and producing tremendous form at home, just ask Pepe Reina.

Utilizing the players at Dalglish’s disposal will prove to be the most significant and challenging task of this potentially short managing career. One of the prime examples of this is finding a way to implement Joe Cole into the offense and utilizing his abilities as a wide or fit in behind striker. He also must figure out how to run his midfield which comprises of a bipolar Lucas Leiva, an in form Raul Meireles, and a thus far lackluster Steven Gerrard. The transfer market this January seems quite bleak for Liverpool as their trust fund will most likely be quite small and should consist of the purchase of youth players if Comolli is to have a say. Plus with Dalglish’s role seemingly only temporary, his say in the transfer market for the next few months should be minimal. Thus he will have to do the best with what he has and what he has is a group of under performing and overrated players that seem to think they can perform on talent alone.

While Dalglish has two games under his belt, we must cautiously tip toe around the idea of being optimistic. Yes, Dalglish is an experienced manager and there are possibilities that he can improve the team in the coming months. But let it not be forgotten that his most important role is not to salvage, but rather to appease the Anfield faithful by just physically standing in the managers box. Until Liverpool set out on a long term future comprising of a modern manager with modern tactics, the Reds of Merseyside will never fully reach there true and what could be dangerous potential. For now though I’ll pray for just a draw this weekend over Wolverhampton.