Boss eyes London double

The Reds have taken seven points from their opening four Barclays Premier League matches so far this term, but slumped to their first defeat when they went down 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium last time out.

The Scot maintains that his side were unlucky to come away with nothing against the Potters and feels his players will be ready to give a response in North London.

Dalglish told his pre-match press conference: "The performances have been very, very good so far.

"It's only 45 minutes in the second half against Sunderland - that is the least effective we've been. But it was by no way, shape or form a bad performance by us though. We've been happy with the way the players have gone about their work.

"With a little bit of luck we could have been sitting there with more points but we'll just get on with it."

He added: "There are lots of things for everybody to be happy about. The supporters, the staff, the players - everybody. As we always say, if we stick together we are going to be a formidable unit.

"That's the most important thing, for everybody to stick together. If we lose a game we have to stick together. There is a disappointment which is good, but no-one is walking around with a petty lip or feeling sorry for themselves.

"They've trained well all week and I'm sure they will go into the game on Sunday in the right frame of mind and with the right attitude."

Click on the play button below to watch Kenny's Melwood press conference

A first-half penalty from Jon Walters was enough to secure a narrow win for Stoke in a match that saw Liverpool denied what appeared to be two clear-cut spot-kicks themselves.

Dalglish insists the Reds did not get the rub of the green in the Potteries and believes that his team will play worse this season and still pick up points.

"I have the same impression as what I had there and then. We played very well and had a lot of possession," he said.

"But we didn't score and if you don't score, you are not going to come away with the three points.

"No-one can say we didn't play well, apart from scoring. We aren't happy at losing a game but you have to accept that at some stage in the season you won't get what you deserve.

"Other times we'll not play well but get the three points. They say it evens itself out over the course of a season, so we've got a lot to look forward to I think."

Asked about his meeting with the General Manager of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, Mike Riley earlier this week, the boss said: "If you understand we have a meeting and have read the quotes on Liverpoolfc.tv, then I don't think we need to add to that.

"Everybody can speak to Mike Riley. He was coming here anyway so it didn't make any difference. Mike is very approachable and will speak to any manager who wants to speak to him. It's not as if we got preferential treatment.

"Mike will visit all of the clubs and so he should. We should work together.

"That's all we have to say on the matter. We'll continue to treat them with respect and dignity and I don't think we've failed on that point."

Liverpool head to Tottenham in the knowledge that their opponents' preparations will have been disrupted by a Europa League clash that takes place later tonight.

However, Dalglish is adamant it will have no bearing on Sunday's game and claims that it remains to be seen whether the Reds will benefit from an absence from Europe this year.

"They have a game tonight but he's (Harry Redknapp) only taken one player who played last Saturday, so they will still be at their strongest on Sunday," said Dalglish.

"Harry has done a fantastic job there. They are a very exciting and attacking team. They had a fantastic year last season when they did well in the Champions League. Maybe getting into the Champions League acted against them last season in trying to get back in this year. They finished fifth which was just one spot away.

"We know what Spurs and Harry stand for. We know what type of game we will be in for and we know it will be a good game."

He added: "As I've said, Harry has only taken one player who played last Saturday, so nobody is going to get any benefit from being in or out of Europe.

"It depends what type of team you want to put out. Each team will run it and see the importance of it in their own way. For us, we want to do as well as we possibly can in every game that we play in. We'll go into every competition and try to win it. If we had been in the Europa League we would have put out a strong team and we will do the same in the Carling Cup.

"I don't know if it will be beneficial or detrimental to us not being in Europe. It's a long time since this club has been out of Europe so we'll have to wait and see what happens. Only time will tell."

Tottenham have endured a difficult start to the season, suffering heavy defeats against both Manchester United and Manchester City.

The Londoners have seen a number of key personnel ruled out through injury so far, but Dalglish insists that they remain a tough proposition on their own patch.

He said: "I don't think they were at full strength were they? If you look at it in realistic terms, going to Old Trafford is a difficult place for anyone to go. And regarding the home game with Manchester City, they are capable of putting in top class performances and unfortunately for Harry, that day they did turn one in.

"They were both very difficult games, but I don't think they were at full strength. I don't think they are at full strength even now, so it's great credit to them that they went to Wolves last week and won 2-0."

Asked if he felt the trip to White Hart Lane was the toughest match of Liverpool's season so far, Dalglish added: "If you look at the stats, Arsenal finished above Spurs last season and we've already been to Arsenal and won. That was a really difficult place to get a result but we did it. So going to Tottenham is going to be equally hard. We'll see what we can do. If we do as well as we possibly can then we'll take our chances.

"They've got quality players throughout the team. There won't be a team in the Barclays Premier League that we come up against who don't have quality. Tottenham are the same as everyone else. Maybe they have them in different areas but certainly Adebayor is formidable and Defoe is a decent player.

"There is a lot of good in their side but I don't think we are too bad either."