I got up on Sunday with a sense of optimism. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt for the best part of two years prior to a Liverpool match. The last season and a half has seen the club slip inexorably down the pecking order in English football and the standard of football, especially away from home, has been absolutely abject at times. If Roy Hodgson was still in charge for the match against Manchester United, I would have probably let it out a long sigh on waking up, knowing that another defensive, lifeless away display was on the cards.

Although we still lost to Manchester United, there was enough in my mind to tell me that something was slightly different to previous displays away. There was some spirit. Certainly the players are still lacking in confidence, and the hardworking but disappointing performance by Fernando Torres is testament to that, but it was clear from the outset that they were not going to lie down without a fight like they had done against Blackburn just a few days before. That 3-1 defeat had cost the previous manager his job but any such display would be unacceptable to a personality such as Kenny Dalglish.

There can be a case to be made that the spirited display was down to just the change of manager, and we will come down with a bump against Blackpool tonight, but I think it is plain to see that King Kenny has an ability to get more out of players. He has that X Factor: Charisma, to inspire confidence in people where no inspiration seems apparent. In his post match press conference and his unveiling as manager today, it was clear that the old flame still burns brightly, and his enthusiasm for the game hasn’t diminished since his last managerial role ten years ago.

One of the most fundamental consequences of his appointment will be the fact that every Reds fan will be behind him. No more 10,000 empty seats or sarcastic chants about the manager. He will be given all the time in the world to succeed and if he fails there will be no murmurs about his management whatsoever. This, on top of giving the club a much needed lift, will give the player’s the freedom to play under far less pressure and can ensure them the 100% backing of the Anfield support without side issues of the owners or the manager getting in the way. The Kop can now finally focus on football rather than on any other burning issue.

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Of course, this will not be enough to make the club succeed on the pitch. As a fantastic man manager, Kenny will get the best out of his players but he will need to be tactically astute as well. Being so long out of the game has led some to question whether he has the knowledge of the modern game to succeed. He has however kept following matches over the years, and in his Academy Ambassador’s role he has learned a lot and knows more than most about the youth talent at the club. He gave Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey opportunities at the weekend and we will no doubt see a lot more youngsters play in future matches. On the tactical side, he showed enough tactical nous yesterday to show he has still got it.

Playing 4-5-1 rather than a rigid 4-4-2, the players looked instantly more comfortable and kept possession better. He played Meireles in the middle rather than on the right and put Gerrard in behind Torres, with Agger and Aurelio both starting at the back. These seem simple changes, but they were ones Roy Hodgson was seemingly reluctant to make. I would still like to give a word of caution though. Giving Dalglish the job for six months is a complicated matter. FSG no doubt have considerations about a young manager who can fulfil their long term aspirations, and although Damien Comolli did say Dalglish would be considered, what happens if Dalglish does an OK job but FSG decide to give the job to someone else? Perhaps that’s a debate for the future and a different article. For now, I am just glad to be looking forward to Liverpool’s next match, for the first time in a long time.

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Written by David Tully at the excellent Live4Liverpool

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When Michael Owen popped up to equalise for Manchester United at the weekend it made me question whether his decision to join the Red Devils was the right one for his career. Although making several appearances from the bench this season, it was only his second start for United since a League Cup tie against Scunthorpe – where he was on the score sheet twice. So has Owen wasted his exceptional scoring talent by joining United rather than joining another Premier League club that would’ve seen him play regular first team football?

Any player can be forgiven for wanting to join Manchester United if they’re interested in them and this was the case when Owen joined Old Trafford on a free transfer in 2009. However, he was strongly linked to joining the likes of Hull City, Stoke City and even Wigan Athletic to name a few before Sir Alex Ferguson came in for him. In hindsight, Owen probably expected to have started more games, especially this season where he seems to be the 5th choice striker with the likes of youngsters, Javier Hernandez and Federico Marcheda being more favourable behind Rooney and Berbatov.

Although Ferguson can be forgiven for wanting to give these young forwards as much first team appearances as they can get in order for them to develop, he may be overlooking the experience and skill that Owen brings to the game. It’s already been highlighted in the past that he has lost his pace that made him electric during his Liverpool career, but he still possesses a strikers instinct for finding the back of the net.

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The player’s ambitions have been questioned however, with his reported love for horse racing and being one of the richest Footballers in the world suggests a lack of desire to play week-in-week out for the likes of a Stoke or Wigan in order to prove his critics wrong. Although he’d have more chance of playing time  for these teams, at least at United he can add to his winning medals. And when a player’s career ends it’s the medals that really show for something – just ask former United and Blackburn Rovers defender, David May.

Although Owen may now be given more starts by Ferguson, considering the current form of Rooney, there is a question over his fitness. In his debut season for United, Owen played an important role as a back-up striker like scoring the winning goal in stoppage time against City, a hat-trick in the Champions League away to Wolfsberg and scoring in last year’s League Cup final against Villa. But the latter game was the end to his season when that reoccurring hamstring injury needed surgery once again.

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On the bright side, Owen has been without any serious injuries this season and if he continues to contribute when called upon by Ferguson, perhaps he will gain more minutes on the pitch. If so then his move to Manchester United could be seen as a good one, having a main part in their continued success. However, his contract is set to expire at the end of the season so perhaps Owen could look elsewhere to finish his career – I for one hope that Owen is given a chance to show he can still produce goals at the top level rather than drift out warming up the bench at United.

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While all eyes will undoubtedly be on the Premier League this weekend as Fernando Torres’s old club takes on his new club at Stamford Bridge, there will be another reason to focus attention on the capital’s sporting events – and it has the backing of Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn.

Saturday morning will see the Fred Perry Table Tennis Urban Cup 2011 reach its crescendo. But this is a football website, I hear you ponder. It is, and while the sport being played at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington will involve tables rather than turf, football will be well represented on the day.

The competition is the result of a collaboration between the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA), Sport England’s Sportsmatch initiative and the Premier League 4 Sports (PL4S) campaign. Over 100,000 youngsters aged 11-14 representing all 20 of the Premier League’s clubs have been taking part in the tournament over the past year and on Saturday, a winner will finally be crowned.

Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn, who has been backing the campaign at the Emirates Stadium this week, says: “When you look back at what the Premier League clubs have done, with the sponsorship of Fred Perry, the community and the initiative of the clubs, it does unbelievable things not only for the sport but also for the kids playing it. A lot of kids have maybe not even thought about table tennis.”

Winterburn, who won the Double under manager Arsene Wenger, has always been a fan of the sport and has a table tennis table at home today. He says: “Obviously I played a team sport, so I love looking at the individual sports and at how someone pits themselves against somebody else, not only through their talent but their mental strength.”

Also backing the initiative is Darius Knight, a 20-year-old British table tennis star and 2012 Olympic hopeful. He says that a lack of funding in the sport is what is holding it back: “With the recession and all the financial problems, they’ve had to cut a lot of the funding and table tennis is one of the sports that got cut massively so it’s been quite difficult financially. I can still do it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a bit more of a struggle. For England in table tennis there’s only one me but if there was the funding and support, there’d be twenty of me.”

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If you fancy getting yourself down there to support your team (the youngsters will be in club colours), the finals of the Fred Perry Table Tennis Urban Cup 2011 will be held at the Business Design Centre on Upper Street in Islington, between 11am and 5pm on Saturday 5th February.

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Well, well, well. All the pundits are going crazy at the moment, discussing just how long it will take Fernando Torres to settle in with the Blues, after already causing somewhat of a dressing-room uproar by shifting Didier Drogba to the bench on Monday night’s derby against Fulham.

Chris Baird already warned Chelsea that the Cottagers were not afraid of the Spaniard, as they had tactics to contain him the same way they did at Anfield. Torres lasted just five minutes longer than his debut spell against Liverpool last week, and wasted two very good opportunities to score.

There is no doubt that the 26-year-old will come good, but the recent performances of Daniel Sturridge, who is currently on loan at Bolton Wanderers for the rest of the season, is showing that he can also score goals.

Of course, it would be absurd to say that Chelsea made a mistake in splashing £50 million on Torres and should have kept Sturridge because of his recent run of good form, but the England U-21 man is doing exactly what he should be doing: keeping his head down and proving his worth.

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The youngster has scored three goals in three appearances at Bolton so far and has produced worthy displays in each match. Of course, there is already speculation that Bolton want him on a permanent deal, but it would be surprising to see him make the switch as he is one of the Blues’ best youthful prospects, right behind 17-year-old Josh McEachran of course.

However, whilst Torres, Drogba, Anelka and Malouda all battle for a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s XI, Sturridge has slipped in nicely with the other Bolton strikers Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies. Some suggest that the kid was merely in the right place at the right time, but I disagree as he has produced his best form of the season so far at Bolton.

Sturridge does not need to do anything else at the moment apart from stay out of the drama and let his feet do the talking on the pitch. There was no way in hell that he would push into the starting line-up at Chelsea at 21-years-of-age, but there is a good chance that, should he prove his worth at Bolton and has a good season next year, he could push one of the aging strikers out at Chelsea by the summer of 2012.

So keep up the good work Daniel, because scoring is exactly what gives any striker in the world his starting position.

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New Roma boss Vincenzo Montella says he will focus on the side’s psychological problems rather than make wholesale changes to the squad.Montella was appointed as an interim replacement for Claudio Ranieri, who resigned after watching his side throw away a 3-0 lead before succumbing 4-3 to Genoa over the weekend.The defeat left last year’s Serie A runners-up in eighth position on the standings.”I think the team’s main problem is above all a mental block,” said Montella during his official unveiling on Tuesday.”The players are sensitive and they are carrying inside them this big weight.””They need to free themselves from this burden, and this is the first step we need to take so that they can play to their true potential.”The 36-year-old Montella is the youngest manager in the Serie A but does not think his inexperience will be an issue.”This was not my idea but I have accepted this role with calmness.My aim is to do well until the end of the season, when my contract expires.””I will bring out my best to help the team, but the future does not interest me. I’m just concentrating on the task at hand.”Montella’s first game in charge will be Roma’s Serie A encounter at Bologna on Wednesday.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has revealed he was unaware of the attempted airport knife attack that left a security guard injured.Mourinho was signing autographs at La Coruna airport on Friday when a man tried to attack the Portuguse manager with a blade.The incident left a bodyguard with a four-centimetre wound, but Mourinho apparently had no knowledge of his lucky escape.”I don’t know anything,” Mourinho said.”I haven’t seen or felt anything. I got there, arrived at the hotel and went back to Madrid… I didn’t see anything. If something happened, then I didn’t see it.””There is no story … we had the normal security that we always have. It isn’t to protect against attack, rather against the passion of the fans. Nothing happened to me.”Mourinho also confirmed that Kaka will not be rushed back as the Brazil midfielder struggles to regain form following a knee injury.”That is something for Kaka and the medical department,” Mourinho said.”I got the information from the player about a small problem that limits his movement and agility, that he doesn’t feel happy when he isn’t at his best.” “For that reason, he and the medical department have decided that -for his self esteem as much as anything- that he will return when he is convinced of being 100% better.”Real travel to Racing Santander on Sunday without injured star Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho admits the team will be weaker without the Portugal captain. “Cristiano is too important for us to say that we won’t miss him,” Mourinho said.”We won’t have the same power without him.” “We aren’t going to be hypocritical and say things that we don’t mean. We know that it will be difficult – more difficult without Cristiano – but we still have the same aims for this match.”

AC Milan’s Massimiliano Allegri will be not underestimate Palermo when he takes his Serie A leaders to the Stadio Renzo Barbera.Allegri’s team top the Italian top-flight table by five points ahead of defending champions and cross-city rivals Inter Milan.They could only draw 1-1 at home to Bari in their last match, but should have little trouble dispensing with a Palermo team that have lost five consecutive matches.Nevertheless, Allegri and his players must leave nothing to chance as they seek to capture their first Scudetto since 2004.”(Palermo manager) Serse Cosmi is a prepared coach who knows how to manage his team,” Allegri said. “It will be difficult because Palermo are coming off five straight defeats. They are playing at home and are a team in possession of undeniable technical qualities in midfield and in attack.” “We’ll find an opponent who can create a lot of difficulties for us. We know that they don’t joke in attack.” “Yes, the numbers says that on a defensive level they concede something, but every game is different. Milan will need to give a great technical performance.” “Palermo have players who can make the difference like Pastore, Miccoli and Pinilla, but I wouldn’t like to forget that we have Nesta, Thiago Silva, Pato and Seedorf.” “The team is good and if we manage to stay calm and collected at the Barbera we will give a great performance.”

Embattled Inter coach Leonardo has insisted Inter can still shake up the Serie A and make an impact in the Coppa Italia.Inter were handed an embarrassing defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals by Schalke 7-3 on aggregate, and also lost ground on their Serie A tilt.

But the Brazilian remains adamant Inter can still challenge for the domestic double.

“We can still say our bit in the League and in the Coppa Italia,” he said.

“For me, nothing has changed. I arrived in January to get to important objectives and I am here as if it were my first day.”

“We are constantly looking for a result and, like all trainers, I have to find it.”

“I am thinking about the remaining six games of the season in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.”

Leonardo enjoyed a bright start to his reign as Inter boss but a clutch of losses, including the 3-0 derby loss to bitter rivals Milan, have sent the reigning Italian and European champions in a downward spiral.

“It’s true that, in recent weeks, opinions have changed. But I am not doing a job to avoid criticism or to get praise. The criticism hasn’t made me change my mind. It helps on many occasions.”

“It’s a paradox, but at times criticism gives you freedom in your decision-making.”

“This is not the moment to give opinions on my future. Instead we need to concentrate in order to still do something important this season.”

Another Premiership season draws to a close, and whilst some managers will be content to have achieved the targets set at the beginning of the campaign, many more will be looking to make additions to their squads this summer following disappointing performances in the League.

Many believed Liverpool would have faired better this term than last, and although they now seem to be heading in the right direction, 2010/2011 will be a season to forget at Anfield. That said, there are several positives the club can carry in to next season as they bid to return towards the summit of the League, and here is a list of ten…

Raul Miereles:

The Portuguese midfielder joined the Reds after the World Cup as an instant replacement for the departing Javier Mascherano. The mostly tattooed Miereles was brave to join Liverpool at the time he did considering the less than warm and positive atmosphere surrounding Anfield and the prospect of living up to the heights of Mascherano. However, he has been one of the club’s best players this year, featuring in all but four of Liverpool’s League games and has scored 5.

Andy Carroll:

Although injuries meant he missed a significant number of games following his £35million move from Newcastle, Carroll will probably prove to be an important signing for Liverpool, and his two goals against Manchester City at Anfield last week have given Reds fans a glimpse of more to come form the pony-tailed giant.

Luis Suarez:

Arguably made more of an immediate impact than his new strike partner having been available for more games, Luis Suarez has already demonstrated some exciting attributes which should see him flourish in the Premier League. Of a similar build to Carlos Tevez, the Uruguayan adopts a similar style to Manchester City’s captain, underlined by a tireless work ethic, quick feet, endless skills and a sharp finish.

Martin Kelly:

Although the youngster made his debut under Rafa Benitez back in December 2008, Martin Kelly came to everyone’s attention during Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat of Chelsea at Anfield last November. Called up as a last minute replacement for Sotorios Kyrgiakos, Kelly completed the full 90 minutes and has since made another 26 appearances for the Reds this term.

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Kenny Dalglish:

Possibly the most important addition to the club this season and will be their most significant signing this summer if he signs permanent terms, Kenny Dalglish has transformed the Anfield gloom in to far-reaching optimism in just a few short months. The results have been erratic but Dalglish retains an exceptional tactical knowledge and a considerable familiarity with the club’s youth set-up, which should induce a steady stream of young talent in to the first team over the next 12 months. If he manages to guide Liverpool in to the Europa League next season, his recent tenure will be considered a remarkable success.

The removal of George Gillett and Tom Hicks:

In the two years before the Americans became Liverpool’s owners, the club had won a Champions’ League and an FA Cup. They achieved nothing during the next three years under the Gillett and Hicks authority and the feuding pair left Anfield with the team languishing in the Premier League relegation zone. The club’s new owners, Fenway Sports Group, invested heavily in the playing staff at the first opportunity last January and can be credited for appointing Dalglish as temporary manager, so for the time being at least, they are held in high regard by the Anfield faithful.

Beating Manchester United 3-1:

Not only was this victory significant in terms of Liverpool’s European qualification hopes, but a victory in any game against the club’s most aggressive adversary is always welcomed. Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick was met with as an emphatic reaction as Javier Hernandez’s consolation was applauded sarcastically. Although this result has had little effect on United’s title challenge, it was an encouraging sign that the Reds can take in to next season.

Alberto Aquilani:

Although his first season in England was generally considered disastrous, the Italian has blossomed on loan at Juventus this campaign and several Liverpool insiders believe he will have something to offer the club next season. Aquilani has also forced his way back in to contention within the Italian national set-up having played 28 times for the Old Lady this season.

The Academy:

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Liverpool are considered to have one of the most developed and promising youth systems in the Premier League. Academy scholars have been tutored by the experienced Pep Segura, who was previously the technical director at Barcelona’s academy, and of course current manager, Kenny Dalglish, whose influence on the club’s youngsters has been invaluable over the last two years.

Its Nearly Over:

Well, it is.

Follow Josh Sheridan on Twitter

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Portuguese giants Porto and Benfica will head into the return leg of their respective Europa League semi-finals in commanding positions.Porto striker Falcao bagged four goals in his side’s emphatic come-from-behind 5-1 win over Villarreal in the Europa League semi-final first-leg on Thursday, while Benfica will take a slight advantage into the second leg against Braga after they edged their compatriots 2-1 at the Estadio da Luz.

Falcao’s four-goal haul helped Liga Sagres champions Porto build an unassailable lead as it looks to lift its first continental trophy since Jose Mourinho steered the side to Champions League glory in 2003/04.

But it was the Spaniards who drew first blood at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, giving them what looked to be an important away goal heading into the return leg.

Yellow Submarines midfielder Cani’s headed effort went beyond the reach of Porto goalkeeper Helton on the stroke of half-time, sparking celebrations from the visiting fans.

But Andre Villas-Boas’ men responded shortly after the break.

Falcao raced onto a Fredy Guarin through-ball and was fouled in the box by Villarreal glovesman Diego Lopez.

He dusted himself off to dispatch the ensuing penalty, making the score 1-1.

The Portuguese side grabbed the lead in the 61st minute as Guarin headed in a rebound after initially striking the post.

Falcao then doubled the advantage when he applied the finish to Hulk’s cut-back, before the Colombian added his third for the night with a bullet header in the 75th minute.

Porto then stretched their advantage in the final minute of regular time, with Falcao nodding in his fourth to make the score 5-1. Falcao’s performance will only add more value to his price tag, with the highly rated frontman now boasting 15 goals in 12 Europa League appearances this term.

A little further south in Lisbon, an all-Portuguese affair saw Benfica collect a 2-1 lead over surprise package Braga, who had eliminated former European champions Liverpool in the last stage.

Jardel’s opened the scoring in the 50th minute for the home side after stabbing in a Oscar Cardozo’s rebounded header from close range, but his goal was cancelled out shortly after by Braga’s Vandinho.

The Brazilian headed in from the edge of the penalty area with after connecting with former Newcastle United midfielder Hugo Viana’s cross.

Paraguayan striker Cardozo, however, restored the lead when he spun a delicious free-kick into the top right-hand corner of Artur’s goal.

The corresponding Europa League legs will be played next Thursday.