Frustrated bosses seek cup final relief

Manchester City must make up a one-goal deficit in the penultimate semifinal leg of the Carling Cup against Liverpool Wednesday evening (live, 2:30 p.m. EST, FOX Soccer).

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Any other week, this pairing of Premier League heavyweights would be a major rumble. This Wednesday’s game has the added sizzle of having two very fed up managers coaching teams headed in very different directions.

In one corner, you have “King” Kenny Dalglish, a man who’s not looking very regal at the moment. His Liverpool team has drawn a shocking seven games at home and, without the suspended Luis Suarez in the lineup, have had grave difficulty scoring. Dalglish’s tactics and philosophy have been widely questioned, and on Saturday, they were miserable in a 3-1 loss to bottom-feeders Bolton.

Dalglish came out swinging after the game, calling it the worst performance he’d seen since his return, in a televised rant that captured all his frustrations.

“If that's the level they expect this football club to play at, they won't be here long,” said Dalglish of his players to BBC cameras. “If they think they can just turn up and get a result and not be competitive and not match the opposition for effort, then they have had a lesson today.”

Dalglish refused to back off his words Tuesday in the pre-match press conference, saying, “I think what was said had to be said.”

That is probably true. But it also true that Liverpool have been lurching from crisis to crisis this year — and some of the blame for that has to fall on Dalglish. He badly mismanaged the Suarez affair; he has failed to spark striker Andy Carroll into producing; and his tactics in midfield have been very dubious. At the start of the season, Liverpool had a clear chance to finish in the top four; now, they sit six points off Chelsea and don’t look to have many ideas on how to close that gap.

In the other corner you have Roberto Mancini, who has to be tearing his hair out over the latest antics of childish Mario Balotelli. His striker has been both a star and an impossible, uncontrollable burden — and this past Sunday, he was both in the same match. Balotelli calmly sunk the winning penalty kick against Tottenham to give City a vital win to stay top in league. But, the Italian striker now faces four games out after he inexcusably kicked Scott Parker in the face. Referee Howard Webb missed the incident, but the video evidence was withering, and the FA acted on Monday.

City are likely to accept the ban, meaning that they will be without three key men for the must-win game, with Vincent Kompany serving the final game of his four-match ban and Yaya Toure on African Nations duty with his brother, Kolo.

In fact, so furious was Mancini that he didn’t address the media on Tuesday, instead sending out assistant David Platt. Platt made the lame claim that Mancini’s difficulties with the nuances of the English language were to blame, but it’s just as likely that the manager is sick of taking fire. Like Dalglish, Mancini has taken heavy criticism in recent weeks for his habit of waving imaginary cards, and he continues to be embroiled in the interminable Carlos Tevez saga.

Yet City are riding high and remain the favorites to win the league. Liverpool are heading the other direction and badly need to win this match to set up a final against Cardiff City. But with goals for Liverpool at a premium — and City showing the ability to get critical wins — this may prove to be a long night for the Reds.