Blame players not Kenny - Enrique

[the count]

Blame players not Kenny - Enrique

ESPNsoccernet staff

March 27, 2012​

« Balotelli drops in on Inter Milan​

​

Jose Enrique joined Liverpool from Newcastle in the summer © Getty Images

Enlarge​

​

Jose Enrique insists Liverpool's players must take the brunt of the criticism being levelled at the Reds and not hide behind manager Kenny Dalglish.
Despite winning the Carling Cup and making the FA Cup semi-finals, five defeats in the last six Premier League matches have rendered the club's aim of qualifying for the Champions League a distant dream.
A home defeat by relegation-haunted Wigan on Saturday was the latest disappointment, and Liverpool now trail fourth-placed Tottenham by 13 points with just eight games remaining. They are also eight points behind Newcastle, who are sixth.
The Reds were booed off after their defeat by the Latics while Dalglish found his judgement, signings, tactics and suitability for the job all questioned. The Scot blamed their tenth defeat of the Premier League season on tiredness but Enrique believes the squad must address the situation.
"The manager takes pressure for us and of course that is good,'' the Spaniard said. "But the truth is, when we make mistakes or have a bad game, we know where the mistakes come from.
"Who plays the games? The players. Who has to win them? The players too. The players are frustrated just the same (as the fans). We have played good football in many games but against Wigan we didn't deserve to win.''
Spaniard Enrique was one of seven summer arrivals and is in the minority having largely escaped criticism of his performances, with Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing bearing the brunt of the flak, largely due to their hefty price tags.
It has left many questioning Dalglish's transfer choices but left-back Enrique is naturally keen to repay Dalglish for bringing him to Anfield from Newcastle. "I am really grateful to him,'' said the 26-year-old.
"Of course I want to do my best for the team and for Liverpool first, but also for the manager because he signed me.''
Enrique thinks the side need more time to gel but accepts that seventh is not good enough for a club of Liverpool's standing. Even if Dalglish's side can add to their Carling Cup triumph, which ended a six-year trophy drought, with another piece of silverware, criticism will still remain over their league form.
"In the cups we are doing well. Liverpool went many years without winning something and already we have one cup and we are playing for another one,'' he told the club's official website.
"In the league I think we deserve more than where we are now but the truth is we are in seventh position. This team is in production; the owners have signed young players. I think we have a really good squad already but of course we have to improve - everyone.''

 

[Woland]

They all say this kind of shit

 

[Fabio]

If it's the players fault why don't they fucking TRY

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Or give their wages back.

 

[spider-Neil]

Or give their wages back.

do you give your wages back when you have a shit week?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

do you give your wages back when you have a shit week?

I don't have shit weeks

 

[spider-Neil]

I don't have shit weeks

good answer 😎

 

[refugee]

I don't have shit weeks

You're posting from work aren't you...

 

[Modo]

Blame it on the rain

 

[SummerOnions]

Blame it on Traore

 

[spider-Neil]

blame it on traore

 

[spider-Neil]

Blame it on Traore

you beat me but a second!!!

 

[SummerOnions]

you beat me but a second!!!

Blame that on traore

 

[spider-Neil]

he just can't
he just can't
he just can't control his feet

 

[Rosco]

If it's the players fault why don't they fucking TRY

Individual mistakes are killing us, but overall the players just don't look motivated. That's clearly a managerial problem.

it needs sorting, whatever the behind the scenes issue is but it's not hard to pinpoint when things went tits up

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Individual mistakes are killing us, but overall the players just don't look motivated. That's clearly a managerial problem.

it needs sorting, whatever the behind the scenes issue is but it's not hard to pinpoint when things went tits up

I mentioned this in a thread yesterday ... It's either Kenny or the fact we've blown it in the league (probable).

 

[Modo]

The league, naturally.

 

[Gary25]

Individual mistakes are killing us, but overall the players just don't look motivated. That's clearly a managerial problem.

it needs sorting, whatever the behind the scenes issue is but it's not hard to pinpoint when things went tits up

Well put.

 

[gene hughes]

Thank God it's not collective mistakes. They're the worst.

 

[gkmacca]

I blame it on Kevin Keen. I don't know how he's doing so that's quite enough for me to dismiss him as a noxious presence and a blight on our season.

 

[SummerOnions]

I blame it on Kevin Keen. I don't know how he's doing so that's quite enough for me to dismiss him as a noxious presence and a blight on our season.

I've not seen him running with cones, so i'm not sure what he could possibly be doing

 

[gkmacca]

* rubs hands*

 

[Y1]

I blame Ireland, the person, the two haves and Scotland and Wales and while I am at it, England as well!

 

[spider-Neil]

Individual mistakes are killing us, but overall the players just don't look motivated. That's clearly a managerial problem.

it needs sorting, whatever the behind the scenes issue is but it's not hard to pinpoint when things went tits up

managers don't make a difference

 

[Rosco]

managers don't make a difference

Given Dalglish is so much better than Hodgson, that appears to be the case.

 

[mark1975]

If you're judging them over one season, yeah, the problem is, Kenny has had us playing better than Hodgson ever did, for a spell last season anyway and fleetingly during this one. Given time who would you think would do the better job? Kenny has won the title before, allbeit a long time ago, but that's better than Hodgson winning some Scandinavian title.

I'm torn on this, we've had a disastrous campaign, but however badly we personally handled the Suarez situation, it still hit us, something that was largely out of the clubs hands (blame Suarez, Evra, Fergie, the FA or whoever). It had a massive impact on the season regardless of how we approached it in the press.

We've made mistakes in the transfer market, though as said elsewhere, I'm not sure how much you can attribute Carroll to Kenny and I still think Downing and Adam would have been solid buys under normal circumstances for the squad, at the right price and when accompanied with us buying the quality attacker we clearly lack.

If we get to the final of the FA Cup and he keeps to his word re changing things and starts giving a few of the fringe players a go, then I'd be tempted to give him another season. Reaching two cup finals is no walk in the park and he's already intimated that he's willing to change things and not quite be as stubborn as his predecessors. Let's hope he sticks to his word and that it's not all hot air, like we've seen countless times before over the years.

 

[Rosco]

I mentioned it before but I think it's more important to judge a manager on the process moreso than the results. While the results are essentially the same as last season, the way we've gone about it couldn't be more different.

You can get the right result through bad process and you can get the wrong results through the right process and it's important to identify correctly which one is happening at any given time.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

I mentioned it before but I think it's more important to judge a manager on the process moreso than the results. While the results are essentially the same as last season, the way we've gone about it couldn't be more different.

You can get the right result through bad process and you can get the wrong results through the right process and it's important to identify correctly which one is happening at any given time.

So ... what are you feelings re: the process currently?

 

[Rosco]

So ... what are you feelings re: the process currently?

There's more right than wrong, but it's going to take a bit of time for it all to come together.

And that we'll improve regardless of whether we sack Kenny or not.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Ok - I agree overall (though I do feel Kenny can do more right here than most managers). How long is a 'bit of time'? Is it too soon to hope for some major positives next year?