For me there is one man in the Liverpool dressing room who has helped in equal measure to Dalglish in turning both Torres and the team’s overall form around. Behind every manager, there is a good coach, and Steve Clarke has so far proved to be an excellent addition to the coaching staff. Dalglish advocates a positive pass and move style, and the positivity was evident against Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Torres is playing better fundamentally because he has more support, in stark contrast to life under Hodgson. In most Liverpool counter attacks on Saturday, Torres had at least 3 players supporting him, a number unheard of under Hodgson and even perhaps under Benitez away from home. Rather than be told to stick rigidly to an organised system, they are allowed to roam across the pitch and make threatening forward runs to support Fernando. Kuyt compares it favourably with the Dutch style:
“It comes close to the Dutch style. Playing with early pressure on the opponents and a passing game with the ball low on the ground. Not all those long balls anymore. The combination of Dalglish and Clarke is a really good one. Clarke has come in from outside the club. He has the same role as he had earlier with Mourinho at Chelsea. Under Clarke we now do totally different training sessions. We do a lot of positional play in small spaces. And while Clarke is doing sessions with us, Dalglish will talk all the stress away from the players.”
The Clarke/Dalglish combination, with Kenny taking care of the mental side while Clarke has responsibility for coaching, looks to be a really potent team at the moment. Jose Mourinho, another man manager, was heavily indebted to Clarke for his success at Chelsea, and the two Scots at Anfield could really help Liverpool mould into an attractive attacking team. The changes that the pair have employed are not revolutionary but they are seemingly getting the best out of Fernando Torres, and long may it continue.
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AMEN brother!