Filed under: Liverpool, Premier League, Football
Kenny Dalglish has done his best to remain under the controversy radar since returning to Anfield in January.Yet if the criticism of Andy Carroll continues, he may well decide to poke his head above the parapet and go on the offensive.
In March, England manager Fabio Capello accused Carroll of drinking too much and the topic has again been brought up after Capello opted to drop him completely for last Friday's Bulgaria victory before giving him just 60 seconds from the bench against Wales on Tuesday evening.
Capello's decision has reignited the idea that Carroll is too much of a party boy to care about producing his best for England but the strength of Dalglish's defence on Thursday underlines he still has a huge ally at Anfield.
And Capello may well be getting a phone call from Dalglish to ask him to lay off the 22-year-old.
"I think Andy is very appreciative of advice from anyone who has a good standing in football," Dalglish said at Liverpool's Melwood press briefing.
"I think he appreciates Fabio Capello's advice because he has great respect for Fabio Capello and I think Fabio Capello has great respect for Andy Carroll.
"His fitness would stand up against anybody's.
"I don't think his lifestyle is anything like you want it to be to write a story.
"As we've said before Andy was not properly fit last season because of a knee injury but we have been pleased with his level of fitness this season because he has lost that injury."
It is the second time Dalglish has defended the £35 million striker after Capello's initial complaints earlier this year.
In fairness to the England manager, Carroll has not had the sparkling start to his Liverpool career that his transfer fee demanded.
While fellow January signing Luis Suarez has already cemented himself into the affections of the Kop, Carroll still has work to do to prove he is worth the money and worth the hype.
What Dalglish does not need at the moment is more pressure heaped on the 22-year-old's shoulders and that is what Capello's questioning has done.
So from that angle, Dalglish deserves praise for trying to protect his player - it remains to be seen how many times he will have to do it this season.
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