Liverpool 1 Wigan Athletic 1:IF YOU wanted a hint that Kenny Dalglish is no longer just for the short term it came when the Liverpool manager was debating the impact of the midweek friendlies on his side's performance.

Dalglish was arguing that the late-night flights carrying his players back to John Lennon Airport from Wednesday’s internationals had dulled Liverpool’s edge.

In fact, only four of his starting line-up – Raul Meireles, Lucas Leiva, Glen Johnson and Dirk Kuyt – had been seriously involved internationally, although Daniel Agger, injured in training with Liverpool after returning from England’s 2-1 win in Copenhagen, would have been a fifth. Wigan, who also had players away including Maynor Figueroa who returned from Honduras on Friday morning, had as much cause for complaint.

More interestingly, the man who is nominally in charge only until the end of May added: “We had a look at the fixtures for next season, which starts on August 13th, but there is a friendly on the 10th. That is a Wednesday but why not play it on a Tuesday? We could have the players for the extra day and that might be beneficial for everybody. They have tried it in the European Championship qualifiers, where they have played on Fridays and Tuesdays, so maybe they can change it for next season.”

Despite seeing Dalglish’s run of four straight wins grind to a stop against a Wigan side who have been a jagged thorn in Liverpool’s flesh for a number of seasons, there would be nobody at Anfield who would not want the Scot to continue.

In November Liverpool had drawn 1-1 with Wigan after a display against Chelsea that was as impressive as their victory at Stamford Bridge at the start of this month. That initial win over Chelsea was Roy Hodgson’s fourth in a row as Liverpool manager. Finally, it seemed he could look further ahead than the next crisis only for the ground to be cut from beneath his feet for the last time.

Dalglish runs no such danger; he has too much credit in Liverpool’s bank and his is on the gold standard. It might, however, have amused Hodgson as he sat in the directors’ box at The Hawthorns, watching his new charges dragged back to earth by West Ham, to have learned that Meireles had scored his fifth goal for Liverpool. None had been for him.

When asked why, the Wigan manager, Roberto Martinez, suggested that Meireles, coming from Portuguese football, would always have required time to adapt, the kind of time Hodgson was never offered. Lucas Leiva thought the answer lay in the way Dalglish employed him. “He has given him a more advanced role and the belief to score goals,” he said. “The little advice he gives to us is massive. He wants us to play like Liverpool did in previous seasons. Every day he gives you a piece of advice that makes you think.”

Martinez, whose side earned a point when Steve Gohouri prodded in an equaliser, acknowledged this had been a different Liverpool from the one he encountered three months ago. Luis Suarez may know when to fall to the floor but his two drives against the frame of Ali al-Habsi’s goal were further proof he is an electric footballer.

“The intensity they play with now is a lot higher and it makes it far more difficult to face them,” said Martinez.

Dalglish, the stopgap manager, knows what he will be doing on August 13th. Martinez will be far less certain.

Guardian Service