Kenny happy despite Euro miss

Published May. 22, 2011 9:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Reds have undergone a superb revival under the Scot since January, moving from near the bottom of the Premier League to taking Tottenham right to the final day of the season in the battle for fifth place. Their 2-0 defeat to Spurs at Anfield left them with a difficult task of claiming the Europa League place and they were unable to bounce back as Stewart Downing's first-half strike was enough to give Villa victory. Dalglish, who brought Joe Cole and Fabio Aurelio into the starting line-up, and introduced Jonjo Shelvey as a substitute for Jay Spearing, still had praise for his team, but acknowledged it was disappointing to ultimately lose out. "They've done fantastic since we came in January so while we were disappointed with the last two results, they've really lifted their effort and commitment," said Dalglish. "It would have been nice to get a victory and have a feel-good factor right throughout the summer but as I say the effort and the determination was there for the players. "After their efforts to get this close (to fifth place) maybe it was a wee bit too much. Joe (Cole) has not played for a while so it was good to see him on the pitch because his attitude has been fantastic. "Fabio (Aurelio) hasn't played that often and Jonjo (Shelvey) is struggling a bit now. His knee has given him a problem and that's why he hasn't been involved so often. "It was a pretty even game. I think in the second half we played better than we did in the first. "We had a really good chance, I'm not sure whether it was Richard Dunne or Brad Friedel who saved it. The boys have done fantastic to get this close and they gave it all they had." When asked whether there will be any changes to the playing staff over the summer, Dalglish admits it will be an inevitability. "It's part and parcel of football that there will be ins and outs this summer so it will be no different," he added.