Exclusive: Kenny Dalglish Urges Patience with Wirtz and Isak as Liverpool Find Their Feet

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish believes the Reds just need some time before they begin to play the kind of football that won them the English Premier League title last season.

The Merseyside outfit crashed to seven defeats in a row across all competitions, with their 2-0 win over Aston Villa on November 2 finally ending that torrid run.

The Villa league win was clearly a much-needed confidence boost, as they followed that up with another massive result as they edged Spanish giants Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League on November 4. 

It was a timely arrest to their slide, and even Dalglish did not shy away from the challenges Liverpool are facing at the moment.

The 74-year-old, who is widely regarded as Liverpool’s greatest player of all time, remained optimistic about the current team.

“They’re Going Through a Spell at the Moment”

“Even last year I don't think I predicted they were going to win it. I'm not going to predict it this year either,” Dalglish told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview at the Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational.

“But they're going through a spell at the moment.”

“They’re not winning as often as you like to win. But if you have so many new players bedding in, then that takes a wee bit of time.”

With a number of selection headaches still facing Arne Slot in his second season in charge, the desire of the Liverpool players alone would not be enough, believed Dalglish.

“But they won't go down easily [without a fight]. They'll be competing. They're very competitive."

“We've had their success last year. By the way, they've got the ability to be successful."

“But you don't get it just because you say it. You have to work for it. So I'm sure they'll be working extra hard to get themselves back on track for any success that they want to have."

Credit: Michael Sherman (SportsBoom)

Integrating Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak

The big selection dilemma at Liverpool at the moment centres around big-money signings Florian Wirtz in the midfield and Alexander Isak up front. 

Though Wirtz finally produced a top performance in the Madrid win, it potentially poses more questions as to how Slott will field both he and Isak in the same team. 

With Wirtz costing Liverpool €138m and Isak €132, it’s natural to assume that the intention will be to find a way to play both. In fact, Isak has missed Liverpool’s last four games due to a groin injury, but has also been included in the latest Sweden squad for their World Cup qualifiers later this month. 

When asked by SportsBoom.com about the hefty price tag of the duo, and how they will fit into the Liverpool side in the future, Dalglish responded: “Listen, they'll all be good enough. Give them time to settle down. When you started in your job, did you have a tough start at the beginning? Just give them time.”

It’s clear Dalglish did not want to be drawn too much into the Wirtz-Isak debate, but his reluctance to criticise the pair who have been much-maligned may just reveal a fair bit of respect from the Reds elder statesman.