LIVERPOOL: Kenny Dalglish wants Liverpool to keep their feet on the ground against Stoke today after a frenetic finale to the January transfer window saw the Anfield great involved in two huge deals.
Liverpool sold Spain striker Fernando Torres to English champions Chelsea late on Monday’s deadline day.
Dalglish, in his second spell in charge of Liverpool, was appointed on an “interim” basis by the club’s new American owners after Roy Hodgson was sacked in January.
Widely regarded as Liverpool’s greatest player, Dalglish is revered in the ‘red’ half of the city.
And the fact big-money moves have happened on his current watch will strengthen the belief among the Anfield faithful that the former Scotland striker is to become a permanent rather than a caretaker manager.
Certainly results have picked up since Dalglish replaced the hapless Hodgson, with Liverpool winning their last two games – and keeping clean sheets in both as well – to maintain hopes of Europa League qualification.
“We’re delighted with two clean sheets in two games – and we’re delighted with two wins in two games but we know there is a long way to go,” Dalglish, speaking before Liverpool’s late flurry of transfer activity, said on Monday.
“We know we have moved a significant number of places up the table, but we also know our ambitions lie further afield than that,” added Dalglish of a Liverpool side who are currently seventh but still a massive 19 points behind Premier League leaders and arch-rivals Manchester United.
“We don’t think we’ve done what we’re capable of doing as of now. We enjoyed winning the two games and that should take us forward.
“Once you enjoy something, you want to repeat it – and we will be trying our best to repeat it on Wednesday.”
Liverpool will have Jamie Carragher available for the first time since the veteran defender dislocated his shoulder against Tottenham Hotspur in November.
Stoke, currently 10th and two points behind Liverpool, will present Carragher, should he play, with a testing challenge because of their uncompromising style.
Dalglish refused to criticise Tony Pulis’ side though and new Stoke loan signing John Carew, who has joined from Aston Villa until the end of the season, insisted there was more to the Potters than physical threat.
“People say to me I must enjoy playing in this team because I get so many balls in the air,” said Norway striker Carew.
“But, first of all, I want to kill that rumour a bit because I think I got more long balls at Villa when I was playing there than here.
“Here we also get the ball on the ground. We also have football players.”
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