Friday, July 29, 2011

Kenny's Istanbul Verdict

Kenny Dalglish acknowledged his disappointment at seeing Liverpool go down to a 3-0 friendly defeat to Galatasaray on Thursday, but believes the game can stand his squad in good stead for the season ahead.

Two first-half goals from former Anfield forward Milan Baros and a stunning volley from Johan Elmander condemned the Reds to defeat in Istanbul.

But while unhappy with the result, Dalglish feels the workout his players were given at the Turk Telekom Arena will assist in ensuring their primed for the start of the Barclays Premier League season next month.

He told a post-match press conference: "I think they looked a bit sharper than us at the start of the game. It was the same as at the weekend in that we played a lot better in the second half than we did in the first half.

"But the players worked hard and they'll benefit from the effort they put in. It won't do us any harm for the season ahead, but we've got to get ourselves a bit sharper, a bit more clued up and lively when we're not in possession of the ball."

He added: "I think the benefit is it's another game. They looked a bit sharper than us and are maybe a wee bit ahead of us. Their season was due to start but I think it's been put back for a number of days."

"We've just got to get ourselves street-wise on the pitch and get up to speed with our thoughts when we're not in possession of the ball. August 13 is a big day for us when the season starts, and we'd like to think this will stand us in good stead getting towards that date."

Liverpool named a youthful squad for the trip to Turkey, with the likes of Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger remaining at Melwood to prepare for Monday's trip to Valerenga.

Asked about his team selection, Dalglish told reporters: "It's pre-season. We've another game on Monday and we've got to pick another team.

"We'll have people back who weren't eligible for this game. For the young boys who played it will have been a great experience for them, and for the players who played it will be good for fitness.

"We don't want to lose a game, but we've got two games in four days and a long trip home tonight, so we had to take that into consideration when we were picking the team - and we'll also take it into consideration when we pick the team on Monday."

Meanwhile, local journalists asked Dalglish for his thoughts on the performance of Galatasaray star Arda Turan as well as the atmosphere inside the Turk Telekom Arena.

He replied: "It was a good atmosphere, Galatasaray played well, they were sharp at the beginning and quicker than us, but I wouldn't have picked out any of their players because we were only watching our own players."

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