Dalglish: Reds need to marry form

Kenny Dalglish believes Liverpool's unbeaten home record since he took over in January gives an indication of what his squad is capable of.

Since replacing Roy Hodgson, Dalglish has gone nine matches unbeaten at Anfield in all competitions.

The Scot's record in the Premier League is even more impressive, with 17 points taken from a possible 21.

In contrast, away from home it is 10 points from seven matches, with defeats coming at Blackpool, West Ham and West Brom - all teams in the bottom third of the table.

And 10 of their 12 defeats all season have come away from Anfield.

The Reds host Newcastle on Sunday looking for a fourth successive home win, which would make it 17 league games in a row in which they have scored.

Although Liverpool's success in the past was built upon a formidable home record, Dalglish knows they have to address their form on the road to challenge for the top four or better next season.

"You cannot have great home form and terrible away form. You need to marry the two together," he said.

"We've had a lot of positive results at Anfield and that's a step in the right direction. We know that if we can do it at home then we can do it away too.

"The away form is something everyone would like to improve upon and if we do there will be a better chance of being successful."

It could be Liverpool's home form, however, which allows them to sneak into Europe again.

They are three points behind fifth-placed Tottenham, who have a game in hand, but host Spurs on the penultimate weekend of the season.

But Dalglish refuses to even acknowledge there is a real prospect of getting back into the Europa League again.

"We will play every game as it comes and see how many points we get," he said. "The more points we get the better chance we have of finishing higher up the table.

"That is our ambition, to get three points against Newcastle on Sunday, and let's see where it takes us."

Asked whether he could allow himself a longer-term view, the 60-year-old added: "Three days is long enough to focus. When you get to my age more than three days is a problem!"