King of a false dawn

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Rex Non Potest Peccare, or in English, ‘A king can do no wrong’, was a well recognised legal principle till the mid-twentieth Century. It is highly probable that this phrase went through the mind of a certain John W. Henry when he appointed Kenny Dalglish as the manager for his recently acquired club, Liverpool, in January.

Dalglish, referred to as ‘King Kenny’, has remained one of the most popular personalities among the Anfield faithful for the better part of three decades. Henry would have known that the first thing a new owner must ensure is fan support. Firing the much hated Roy Hodgson was the first step; hiring King Kenny put the fans in a delirious frenzy. The messiah was back, success would be back as well.

Eight months down the line, the King can still do no wrong in the eyes of the fans. Adoration still precedes his every footstep. Liverpool must have improved drastically, right? Statistics suggest otherwise. Liverpool, under Hodgson, played a sum total of 31 matches with a win percentage of 41%. King Kenny has been in charge of 29 matches and his win percentage stands at 48%. Not much of an improvement considering the fact that Dalglish has spent close to a £100 million on transfers during this time.

In 2009, when Liverpool finished second, their failure to recapture the Premier League crown was put down to the fact that they were over-reliant on two players, Torres and Gerrard, to produce a piece of brilliance. Looking at the current team, though, it is even more difficult to pick out World Class performers. Torres has left, as have key players such as Alonso and Mascherano. Gerrard looks past his best. Suarez might show glimpses of artistry, yet he has not had the same impact on the league that someone like Aguero has had. Andy Carrol might be the most expensive English player in history, yet he has shown nothing to distinguish himself from Emile Heskey circa 1999. As a team Liverpool play with neither flair nor purpose and back to back losses against Stoke and Tottenham should be a harsh reminder of the fact that Liverpool are nowhere near the level that they must aspire to be at. For King Kenny, at the moment, its Veni Vidi, but no Vici. Not even close.