Source: Daily_Mail
Dalglish praises on-song Meireles after Portuguese midfielder nets four in five
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists midfielder Raul Meireles' impressive goalscoring form of late is entirely down to the player's talent and his adaptation to English football.The Reds boss said he was no 'tactical wizard' and the Portugal midfielder's four goals in his last five matches were all a result of the 27-year-old's hard work.Meireles had not found the target in his first 21 matches after joining from Porto in the summer for ?11.5million but has suddenly burst into life in front of goal.Eye for goal: Raul Meireles has scored some crucial goals for Liverpool in recent weeksHe has been deployed in an advanced midfield role, occasionally alongside captain Steven Gerrard and sometimes on his own, and has been a revelation in the last month. 'Raul has always had the ability he has shown recently,' said Dalglish.'Maybehe's settled down a little bit and is more comfortable and confidentbecause he is playing well but there's been nothing drastic(tactically) for any of the players really.'Itis fantastic to see Raul doing so well. He has always been a talentedfootballer, he's always had what we are seeing now but it's been tryingto get it out and it is coming out now and he's scoring goals.'Meireleshas undoubtedly benefited from being given a role he is more accustomedto, having been played deeper and even wide on the right during RoyHodgson's ill-fated six-month reign.WhenDalglish took over early last month many questioned whether a man whohad not managed for more than a decade was equipped to deal with thedemands of the modern game.The59-year-old Scot has always insisted football has not changed that muchand their recent success as he has sought to return the pass-and-movephilosophy prevalent during his time at the club as player and managermore than 20 years ago demonstrate as much.However,having brought in coach Steve Clarke, Jose Mourinho's assistant atChelsea, Dalglish has shown he is also capable of making significanttactical decisions.Intheir last two matches of a four-game winning spell against Stoke andChelsea he has fielded three centre-backs in 3-4-2-1 and 3-5-1-1formations.FormerReds striker Fernando Torres drew a blank on his Chelsea debut onSunday and admitted Liverpool's formation had taken them by surprise.Dalglish, though, played down the tactics involved.'Thesystem change was beneficial to us. It is about the club, about theteam, and we are the most important people in our eyes,' he added. Resurgence: Meireles has been a key part of Liverpool's rise to sixth place 'I am not here to try to impress everyone by saying I'm a tactical wizard, I'm just here to get the best from our boys.'It is part of our responsibility to work out how to do that and we won't do anything to confuse anyone.'Liverpool'sbest run of the campaign has lifted them to a season's-best sixth placein the Barclays Premier League, six points behind Chelsea in fourth.Butwhile Dalglish publicly played down expectations of sneaking intoChampions League qualification is something, certainly privately, hehas ambitions to achieve.'It wasn't a realistic proposition last season so it is only this season we can worry about,' he said.'We've won four games, so that's moving in the right direction and that's what we want to do. Winner: Meireles beats John Terry to score the winner at Stamford Bridge 'We've had four results, four shut-outs, but that doesn't earn us anything for the game tomorrow against Wigan.'We'vegot to build on what we've done, but that doesn't mean to say thatbecause we've done it (improved their form) we're finished - we want tocontinue to do what we've been doing.'It's much more enjoyable to be winning matches than losing them, so that's the thing that will be at the forefront of my mind.'It's more enjoyable for everyone if we get a result.'Dalglishwill make a late decision on captain Steven Gerrard, who missedEngland's midweek friendly win over Denmark with a groin problem.However, 18-year-old midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been ruled out with a knee tendon injury which will sideline him for 12 weeks. Dalglish insists Reina won't join United and will stay at Anfield for a 'long time'All the latest Premier League team news for the weekend's clashesIf West Brom go down the plughole, so will Roy Hodgson's reputation.All the latest Liverpool news, features and opinion Explore more:People: Kenny Dalglish, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jose Mourinho Places: Liverpool, Portugal, Denmark