Source: Daily_Mail
Sparta Prague 0 Liverpool 0: Dalglish kept in Czech on European adventure
A wait of 9,394 days came to an end in Prague last night but there was no fairytale attached to Kenny Dalglish's first European match as Liverpool manager.[LNB]While it was expected Dalglish would make up for being deprived of the chance to lead his all-conquering team of the mid-1980s by sealing a comfortable win in the Czech Republic, the reality proved somewhat different.[LNB] High point: David Ngog rises above the defence in a rare Liverpool attack[LNB] [LNB]Liverpool remain favourites to take care of Sparta Prague in next Thursday's home leg but there is little doubt they will have to improve on an insipid attacking performance if they are to progress into the Europa League's last 16.[LNB]MATCH FACTSSPARTA PRAGUE (4-4-1-1): Blazek 6;Kusnir 6, Repka 7, Brabec 6, Pamic 7;Keric 6 (Sionko 73min, 5), Vacek 6,Matejovsky 7 (Pekhart 90), Kadlec 6(Zeman 89); Abena Biholong 7; Kweuke 6.Subs not used: Zitka, Podany, Bondoa,Husek. Booked: Repka.[LNB]LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Reina 7; Johnson 6, Kyrgiakos 6, Carragher 7, Wilson 6;Aurelio 5 (Cole 38, 6), Lucas 7; Kuyt 6,Meireles 6, Rodriguez 6; Ngog 5(Skrtel 83). Subs not used: Gulacsi,Pacheco, Jovanovic, Kelly, Coady.Booked: Ngog, Cole.Man of the match: Pepe Reina.Referee: Florian Meyer (Germany) 6.[LNB]'It was a special night for me,' said Dalglish. 'But it is special every time you go into the dugout for this team. This was my first opportunity to be in Europe and it was fantastic. It is something I will look back on with fond memories.[LNB]'It was a difficult game. We would rather have been more offensive but, with the injuries we have, circumstances dictated otherwise. While 0-0 is not the worst result it's not the best, either. Next week we anticipate it being a completely different game.'[LNB]Out of sorts for much of a humdrum contest, Dalglish's men failed to carry their impressive Barclays Premier League form into a competition they are bidding to win for a record fourth time and they never threatened to pilfer an advantage.[LNB]'It would have been nice to get an away goal so we've got to make sure they don't get one now,' said Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher. 'The last few weeks we've been winning games and scoring goals and tonight we didn't do that. We've got to make sure we do the job at Anfield.'[LNB]The presence of teenage prodigy Raheem Sterling in the travelling party had created a buzz of anticipation that a club record might be in jeopardy but, with this being Liverpool'slast opportunity to win silverware, Dalglish took no chances.[LNB] Marked man: Liverpool's Lucas stays close to Sparta Prague's Leony Kweuke[LNB]There was no place in the 18-man squad for the 16-year-old and the make-up of Dalglish's line-up reaffirmed the notion that he wanted to see a professional job done.[LNB]Pragmatism was firmly in Dalglish's mind but the fact Liverpool were so cagey in the opening exchanges invited their hosts - who had not played a competitive game for two-and-a-half months - to prod and probe and it led to some uncomfortable moments.[LNB]Fortunately for Dalglish, Pepe Reina's standards never dipped and Liverpool were indebted to the Spaniard for two saves either side of half-time; his parry from former Reading midfielder Marek Matejovsky late in the game was particularly impressive.[LNB] No surprise: Sparta Prague's Tomas Repka is booked by ref Florian Meye after a clash with Ngog[LNB]Matejovsky caught the eye during an opening 45 minutes Sparta dominated by taking advantage of Liverpool's indecisiveness. He would have put his side in front but for a flying challenge from Sotirios Kyrgiakos.[LNB]After so much positivity following a four-game winning spree that culminated with a thrilling victory at Chelsea, the first half provided a reminder more is required than just Dalglish's return to the technical area to restore former glories.[LNB]Worth the wait? Kenny Dalglish's side had to battle for a draw[LNB]For starters, without the cuptied Luis Suarez and the injured Andy Carroll, Liverpool had no bite up front. David Ngog might have scored plenty of goals against FC Rabotnicki and Trabzonspor in the preliminary rounds but he struggled to land a blow.[LNB] The closest Liverpool came to scoring before the break was when Dirk Kuyt narrowly failed to turn in an Ngog knockdown and not even the introduction of Joe Cole for the injured Aurelio on 38 minutes suggested Dalglish would see his side develop a cutting edge.[LNB] This was Cole's first taste of life under Dalglish and, in a move that would have pleased the one-time England midfielder, he was given the chance to play in the 'hole', floating behind Ngog and darting ahead of Raul Meireles.[LNB] It was unfair, however, to expect miracles from Cole straightaway. He has endured too many interruptions to his Liverpool career so far and his first thoughts here would have been to try to find some rhythm.[LNB] There were a couple of neat touches and his willingness to act as an outlet was admirable but he did not receive any passes in areas where he could do real damage, as Sparta defended stoically, and his over-exuberance led to him being booked late on.[LNB] 'That hour won't do Joe any harm whatsoever,' said Dalglish. 'He is a valuable asset but he is not going to pick his form up immediately. We don't expect to see the Joe Cole who arrived here in the summer straightaway.[LNB] 'It would obviously be a real bonus if he did that but we want to take our time with him. We want to give him a bit of time to get himself up to speed and then we want to see him produce something for us.' [LNB] Kenny Dalglish savours special day despite Liverpool stalemateSparta Prague v Liverpool match zone: Why Tomas Repka's still ragingSparta Prague v Liverpool: Alll the Europa League action as it happenedLiverpool thrilled by verdict as former owner Hicks loses court battle All the latest Liverpool news, features and opinion [LNB] Explore more:People: Jamie Carragher, Pepe Reina, David Ngog, Andy Carroll, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Cole, Dirk Kuyt Places: Prague, Liverpool, Germany, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Europe
