Tired Liverpool take deserved break

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was disappointed that his players could not finish their season on a high but urged them to make the most of their summer break.

The Reds finish sixth after a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on the final day.

“It’s disappointing for the players,” Dalglish said.

“They’ve done fantastic to do as well as they have done and it would’ve been nice to finish on a positive. We ran out of legs a little bit. Nature took its toll.”

“You get that at this stage of the season but the most important thing for us is that they did the best they possibly could. The disappointment is for them, not with them.”

“The challenge is to turn up in July and get ourselves going again.”

“They deserve their break and I hope they enjoy it.”

Dalglish is also adamant that Liverpool can attract top players to the club despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

“There’s more players who don’t play in the Champions League than do and I think Liverpool Football Club is a big enough attraction,” he said.

“If we want to bring someone in I’m sure we’re attractive.”

Meanwhile, Dalglish’s opposite number Gary McAllister was pleased his side secured a top-10 finish as a result of the victory.

“We’ve lost one of the last eight and we’ve finished on a bit of a high,” he said.

“We’re up in the top half of the table and we’re the top Midlands club.”

“Only three or four months ago we were in and among the teams at the bottom end so there should be a lot of praise for the players. There was a rallying call then and they’ve responded.”

“It has finished not bad and we have to be happy.”

“There was a nice reminder last week that they are capable and can compete against this level of team. Players at this level have to repeat and they’ve repeated it.”