Liverpool have come a long way since Rafa Benitez last took his side to White Hart Lane on the opening day of the Premier League season.
August 14 2004 was the Spaniard’s first competitive domestic assignment in the Anfield hot-seat but he headed to the capital with Gerard Houllier’s team.
Josemi and Djibril Cisse were the only new faces but even the later had been bought by Houllier before he got the bullet.
Cisse’s first half strike was cancelled out by Jermain Defoe in a 1-1 draw but early promise failed to blossom as four league defeats by early October dashed any hopes of a title challenge.
Of course European glory ultimately made it a season to remember but in the league the Reds finished a distant fifth – losing 14 games and securing a haul of just 58 points.
Fast forward five years and only skipper Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher remain.
Slowly but surely, Benitez has compiled a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League crown.
With third, third, fourth and second placed finishes, Liverpool have closed the gap and now the challenge is to take the hardest step of all.
“I remember that first game very clearly and a lot has changed since then,” Benitez admitted.
“Clearly the club has been going in the right direction.
“You can see the value of the squad we had back then compared to the value of the squad we have now.
“Now we have more players with quality and experience. But we also have exciting young players who are improving all the time.”
Benitez knows his side will be hard pressed to beat last season’s remarkable haul of 86 points, which left them four points adrift of champions Manchester United.
Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Sami Hyypia have departed with the boss’ summer spending limited to £17million right-back Glen Johnson and £20million midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
However, Benitez insists the Reds are better equipped for domestic glory this time around.
“By selling Arbeloa and Alonso and bringing in Johnson and Aquilani I believe we are more or less in the same position but with different kind of players,” he said.
“Johnson is an attacking full-back who will hopefully help us turn draws into wins. Aquilani is also more attacking than Alonso.
“One really important thing for me was extending the contracts of our key players.
“We got 86 points with more or less this squad. We know what this team can achieve.
“We can talk about players who have gone and who have just arrived but we have young players already here like Insua, Lucas, Babel, El Zhar, Ngog, who can improve and make a big difference.
“The players know we were very close last year and everyone wants to improve.
“Pre-season has been difficult with a lot of players coming back late but we will be ready to face Tottenham.”
Tomorrow will be the sixth successive campaign Liverpool have started on their travels and Benitez is looking for his side to continue where they left off last season.
After losing at Middlesbrough in late February the Reds won 10 and drew one of their last 11 league matches, scoring 34 goals in the process.
August 14 2004 was the Spaniard’s first competitive domestic assignment in the Anfield hot-seat but he headed to the capital with Gerard Houllier’s team.
Josemi and Djibril Cisse were the only new faces but even the later had been bought by Houllier before he got the bullet.
Cisse’s first half strike was cancelled out by Jermain Defoe in a 1-1 draw but early promise failed to blossom as four league defeats by early October dashed any hopes of a title challenge.
Of course European glory ultimately made it a season to remember but in the league the Reds finished a distant fifth – losing 14 games and securing a haul of just 58 points.
Fast forward five years and only skipper Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher remain.
Slowly but surely, Benitez has compiled a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League crown.
With third, third, fourth and second placed finishes, Liverpool have closed the gap and now the challenge is to take the hardest step of all.
“I remember that first game very clearly and a lot has changed since then,” Benitez admitted.
“Clearly the club has been going in the right direction.
“You can see the value of the squad we had back then compared to the value of the squad we have now.
“Now we have more players with quality and experience. But we also have exciting young players who are improving all the time.”
Benitez knows his side will be hard pressed to beat last season’s remarkable haul of 86 points, which left them four points adrift of champions Manchester United.
Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Sami Hyypia have departed with the boss’ summer spending limited to £17million right-back Glen Johnson and £20million midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
However, Benitez insists the Reds are better equipped for domestic glory this time around.
“By selling Arbeloa and Alonso and bringing in Johnson and Aquilani I believe we are more or less in the same position but with different kind of players,” he said.
“Johnson is an attacking full-back who will hopefully help us turn draws into wins. Aquilani is also more attacking than Alonso.
“One really important thing for me was extending the contracts of our key players.
“We got 86 points with more or less this squad. We know what this team can achieve.
“We can talk about players who have gone and who have just arrived but we have young players already here like Insua, Lucas, Babel, El Zhar, Ngog, who can improve and make a big difference.
“The players know we were very close last year and everyone wants to improve.
“Pre-season has been difficult with a lot of players coming back late but we will be ready to face Tottenham.”
Tomorrow will be the sixth successive campaign Liverpool have started on their travels and Benitez is looking for his side to continue where they left off last season.
After losing at Middlesbrough in late February the Reds won 10 and drew one of their last 11 league matches, scoring 34 goals in the process.
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