Kenny Dalglish admits keeping Liverpool’s bulging squad happy could prove one of his biggest managerial challenges this season.
The Anfield outfit has embarked on a major summer recruitment drive with more than £50m spent on signing Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique and Alexander Doni.
However, Liverpool have struggled to move on many senior players during the transfer window, with only Nabil El Zhar, Daniel Ayala, Paul Konchesky and Milan Jovanovic having departed.
The substantial playing staff was illustrated when Joe Cole, Maxi Rodriguez and Alberto Aquilani didn’t even make the bench for last Saturday’s Premier League opener at home to Sunderland. Dirk Kuyt, an ever-present in recent seasons, was only a substitute, and a lack of European football means there will be significantly less first-team opportunities for fringe players this season.
And while insistent everyone will have a part to play, Dalglish admits ensuring morale stays high among the fringe players is a priority.
“It is a squad, not a team,” says the Liverpool manager, whose team visit Arsenal in today’s early Premier League kick-off. “We are a squad and the team will change throughout the season.
“People will play and people won’t play. You won’t get any success with 11 people. You’ll have success when you have got about 20 to pick from. Everyone will play a part.
“The most difficult thing I found in management first time around was the players who were not playing. There were only one or two subs in those days and you had to keep them happy.
“The happier they are, the better they play and train and that means the players who are playing are under more pressure. You are only as good as the players that aren’t playing.”
El Zhar was this week released from his contract, and is expected to join Spanish side Levante.
Another player heading for Spain could be Dani Pacheco, who is poised to join Rayo Vallecano on a season-long loan.
Dalglish, meanwhile, has intimated he may have been asking too much by selecting four debutants and two players with only limited training to start Liverpool’s Premier League campaign last week.
Henderson, Downing, Adam and Enrique all began the match, along with Lucas Leiva and Luis Suarez, who had recently appeared in the Copa America.
Liverpool appeared to run out of steam after the interval, but Dalglish said: “It's a huge ask. It was an emotive day for a lot of people. Lucas had only been back 10 days, Luis a week.
“Maybe it was my fault for going along those lines. But there's no problem with the players' fitness.”
Martin Skrtel could be in contention for a starting role after returning to training this week, but Glen Johnson is still struggling with his thigh problem.
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