Rafa Benitez may be trying to pour cold water on Liverpools title ambitions but try telling that to any Kopites that witnessed Saturday`s 6-0 mauling of Derby, which was just one of the great performances that have got Liverpool of to that ever elusive flying start.
Make no mistake Saturdays destruction of Derby is a sign of things to come, despite the Ram`s being a very poor team, Liverpool teams of the past would have won but probably struggled to do so but this new look, hungry squad of players that Benitez has assembled is capable of not just putting Derby to the sword but any team that plays below par, and this result added with how Liverpool have played in all their opening games must send a shudder of fear through all Premiership teams, and those unlucky enough to meet the Merseysiders in Europe. Simply put, a message of intent has been sent out by Rafa Benitez and his men.
And even more impressive, Saturdays result was achieved without the two stalwarts of Liverpool Fc, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, how they must have looked down on the Anfield pitch and wished they were involved, but more importantly they got a birds eye view of the all new Liverpool, a team that can demolish teams in the fashion that they did, and now for the first time in a long time, the two scousers that are the heartbeat of the team know that their new teammates are up to their standards and are very capable of thrusting Liverpool to the pinnacle of English football once again.
Of the new faces that Benitez has imported Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun, are the players for me that will have a big impact this season, he has signed many more but i think those are for the future. Babel is a superstar just waiting to happen, his goal against Derby had all the hallmarks of a master and in every game he has shown glimpses of what he can become.......a true worldwide superstar. Voronin looks like he was born to play in the Premiership, and seems to score at every opportunity no matter how small his cameo appearance may be.
Benayoun is that bit of creativity that we have been missing for years and over time it will be hard for Benitez to leave him out of the team, but fitting him in will not be easy either.
But Torres is the main man, in his previous games he has shown that he is good, but with every game he plays it becomes more obvious why the Athletico Madrid faithful idolised him, and his clinical finishing against Derby shows that he will in all likely hood be idolized in the same way at Anfield...the boy is just pure class.
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The players that were with Liverpool last year, two players have improved vastly, Jermaine Pennant and Momo Sissoko. Over the last year i have been one of Sissoko`s biggest critics his inability to complete a pass has had me pulling my hair out but in the last few games he seems to have totally solved the problem and when he plays like that is one of the best central midfielders in Europe, if only he can keep that standard of passing and tackling up he will become a main contender to start alongside Gerrard.
Pennant is finally starting to show the potential he had as a youngster, Benitez`s faith that he showed and the added pressure on his place in the team from the new signing`s really is bringing out the best of Pennant and he must be by now pushing for a starting place for England if like Momo he can keep this new level of talent up.
Rafa Benitez is right in saying that it is so early in the season that it is premature to dream about winning the Premiership, but if Liverpool keep playing the way they are right now then they are going to be very hard to beat, and we must remember that with so many new players, when they finally gel they are going to be an even better team than we have seen over the opening weeks.
Benitez has every managers dream of a headache in team selection, every week he has to disappoint some players but it does not seem to matter who he puts out, competition is so fierce that all players know they have to give it their all just to have a chance of starting the next game.......great problem to have.
Liverpool fans have endured more false dawns over the years than any other team, but believe me this is no false dawn, this new look, ruthless, hungry Liverpool is the real deal and will take some serious stopping in their quest to bring the league back home where it belongs after a long long barren spell.
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