“Any competition you enter you want to do the best you possibly can in,” Dalglish said. “In the league it is 38 games and at the end you finish in a position which tells you how successful it has been. In cup competitions there are obviously not as many games and if you get beaten you are out.”
Liverpool was involved in three separate competitions in Dalglish’s first full season as LFC boss (although this is his second time on the LFC hot-seat). It has already won the Carling Cup, and plays Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday at Wembley Stadium.
The Reds’ hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League were dashed with a frustrating spell in March. They can finish as high as seventh place. But missing out on next season’s UEFA Champions league does not make the 2011-12 campaign a failure in Dalglish’s eyes.
“There is an obsession with the Premier League simply because of what it holds for every club and the value financially for every club, the rewards you get for finishing in the top four and getting in the Champions League.
“But there is a satisfaction from winning a cup competition which you don’t get from finishing fifth or sixth in the league.”
Saturday’s final gives LFC a chance to win two of the three competitions in which it was involved this season. Winning the FA Cup would net LFC its second trophy of the season — a total that no other English club can match in 2011-12.
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