Dirk Kuyt Savours ‘Special’ Talent Of Steven Gerrard

In the most prosaic terms, Steven Gerrard’s goal for Liverpool against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday was enough to win a football match and earn his team three much-needed points. But, as has so often been the case in the career of a genuine sporting tour de force, Gerrard’s strike meant so much more than that.

It rendered criticism of his early-season form if not futile, then certainly misplaced. Gerrard may not have hit the heights in Liverpool’s opening fixtures, but with one majestic swipe of his right foot the midfield player again underlined his importance to a team who are utterly reliant on him.

“That’s why he’s the captain and, for me, the best midfielder in the world,” Dirk Kuyt, the Liverpool forward, said of his team-mate’s latest rescue act.

“Everybody expects that from him. If the team is in a difficult position, we expect something from him. He brings something special. Once again he did it for us against Bolton and we’re all really happy to have him.”

Perhaps the criticism that hurt Gerrard most after Liverpool’s defeat by Aston Villa eight days ago was that of his own manager, Rafael Benítez, who ordered his captain and his senior players to take more responsibility. Tellingly, and perhaps disappointingly for Gerrard himself, the censure did not come in the confines of the dressing room, it came in a post-match press conference, an uncharacteristic departure by the Spaniard.

Kuyt, though, says that Gerrard did not allow the situation to get to him. “Stevie didn’t worry about Villa,” the Dutchman said. “That’s why he’s such a good player. He is always looking forward to the next game. No matter if he’s playing bad or good, he always wants to play better in the next game. That shows what a good professional he is.” Jamie Carragher is in full agreement. “He has taken a bit of criticism this week and it’s never a clever thing to write Stevie off because even when there are times when he doesn’t play well, he will produce a goal like that,” the defender said.

Rafael Benitez Charged With Improper Conduct After Tottenham Outburst

Rafael Benitez could face a touchline ban after the Football Association charged the Liverpool manager for improper conduct over his criticism of referee Phil Dowd following his side’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on the opening day of the season.

Benitez stated after the game that “with this referee, it is impossible” to be given two penalties in an away game, as well as indicating his belief Dowd needed glasses during his post-match press conference, after the official waved away a late appeal from Andriy Voronin for a spot-kick. Steven Gerrard had earlier drawn Liverpool level from 12 yards following Heurelho Gomes’s foul on Glen Johnson.

The FA revealed it was investigating the incident on Aug 21 having requested “all available materials” of Benitez’s comments, including television footage and newspaper reports, and later wrote to the Spaniard to ask him to explain his remarks.

A statement released by the FA on Tuesday confirmed that investigation has resulted in a charge after he was found to have transgressed new directives, established in a meeting held before the start of the season, banning managers from calling into question a referee’s neutrality and integrity.

The statement added: “The charge relates to comments made about the match official immediately following the match at White Hart Lane. Benitez has until Sept 15, 2009 to respond.”

While the Spaniard could face a touchline ban for his comments, it is believed he may be let off with a fine and a warning as to his future conduct, though the FA, keen to enforce its Respect campaign, may choose to make an example of the Liverpool manager.

Gerrard Backs Quick-Fire Fishy Business At Anfield

Steven Gerrard has led a host of Europe’s top players in contributing and promoting a new book produced by the World Heart Foundation and UEFA.

Labelled ‘Eat for Goals’ the book aims to promote quick and healthy eating options amongst children and lists players’ favourite recipes including the Liverpool captain’s crunchy sea bream with herbs, Barcelona defender Carles Puyol's pasta with pesto and grilled vegetables and a power omelette nominated by Bayern Munich’s Miroslav Klose.

Former Manchester United star Ruud van Nistelrooy and ex-Arsenal hero Thierry Henry also lend their culinary tips to the recipe collection.

A total of 13 recipes are presented with the aim of educating youth and their families on the interdependency between a balanced healthy diet and performance.

Talking about the importance of the project Steven Gerrard stressed:

"Eat for Goals! shows young players and lovers of football how to cook and eat like champions."

Dutch star Ruud van Nistelrooy, added: "It's vital that children have a healthy lifestyle based on healthy food and exercise. I'm looking forward to cooking the recipesin Eat for Goals! with my children when they're older."

Euro Cup Vital To Keep Liverpool On Track

Liverpool’s shaky start to the season poses a fresh threat to the American ownership of the club.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett Junior's business model depends on Champions League qualification.

Just three weeks into a campaign which began with grand hopes of securing the title, key Anfield figures are gravely concerned about fending off the top four bids of Manchester City and Spurs.

And if they do fail to make that Champions League slot, the owners would come under intense pressure to sell off valuable assets.

That would put the futures of key players such as Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and Javier Mascherano under the spotlight.

Liverpool have secured bank loans based on regular Champions League participation and the money raised from Euro campaigns is used to invest in the squad. That is worth up to £20million a season.

Hopes for a record £80m shirt sponsorship deal, which is due for renewal, will also be hit by Liverpool's poor start, as advertisers negotiate on the basis of elite Euro involvement for the next few years.

Most worrying for Kop fans is a deep split at the club about who is responsible for the lack of quality in the side.

The Americans' view is "don't blame us." Hicks and Gillett insist they have consistently provided millions to strengthen the squad - including £30m of their own money - and cannot be held responsible for imbalances within it.

They also argue the business model they have put in place is identical to Manchester United and Arsenal, where the budgets are based on regular Champions League involvement.

Manager Rafa Benitez has felt since the day he arrived at Anfield he has not had the same resources as United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

But Liverpool deny the fans' claims of 'missing millions' from summer transfer dealings. At least £7m of the budget was allocated to salary increases over the next year. And around £100m has been committed to new contracts over the next four years.

Twenty-seven backroom and coaching staff also left Anfield over the summer. Some were paid off but battles for unfair dismissal claims are ongoing.

Club sources also point to unpublicised but significant hidden costs such as agents and signing-on fees.

They also began last season 'in the red' to the tune of £9m in terms of transfer deals when they signed Albert Riera. That was balanced by the sale of Robbie Keane back to Spurs for an initial £12m.

But it underlines how the publicised 'ins and outs' column does not paint the full picture. Irate Liver-pool fans demand more funds for their manager, while paradoxically campaigning against the levels of debt.

Benitez did try to ship out more players to raise funds. But Ryan Babel, Riera, Andriy Voronin and Phillip Degen could not be shifted.

Ironically, Benitez's position is safest of all. The club can't afford to sack him as he would collect a £25m pay-off under his new five-year-deal. Also, no one on the board has the sole authority to take major decisions about the manager's position.

The whole scenario underlines Liverpool's tightrope walk since the Americans took over.

A season which started with dreams of securing the first title in 20 years is heading towards further confrontation between those who believe Benitez has been denied resources and owners who insist they have backed him as much as financially viable.

Caught in the middle are the fans, united in their desire to see an end to the American regime, but deeply divided on whether the manager should accept his share of the responsibility.

Liverpool: Just Another Day

Today, as we all know, is the final day of the summer transfer window as this closes at 5pm. Many clubs are a hive of activity as final reinforcements are added to squads, however Liverpool are not expected to be doing much on this day, if anything at all.

Most of the Premier League title rivals are all expected to be fairly quiet today as most of the business that they would've wanted to do has been done already.

I'm sure that Rafa would like to delve into the transfer market at least once more to strengthen the squad but it doesn't look like he'll have the finances to do this, as if he didn't have this over the past two months or so this isn't suddenly going to become available today is it?

In my honest opinion I'd have still liked another striker to arrive but on the whole, even if we might not have strengthened that much on last season we've not become that much weaker either, even if Xabi Alonso is proving a big miss at the moment. We have to wait for Alberto Aquilani to become fit to see just how much we're missing the Spaniard.

It would be a pleasant surprise if Rafa was able to conduct some business today but this isn't something that we're expecting really is it? You can also buy for the sake of buying and this isn't something we want.

Rafael Benitez Happy With Improvement In Injured Players

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is delighted with the progress that his injured players have made in order to regain full fitness.

The Reds boss began by explaining that Fabio Aurelio will be back by the time the club host Burnley at Anfield on September 12.

"Fabio is back training and playing football," Benitez is quoted by The Liverpool Daily Post as saying.

"After the end of the international break I don’t think he will have any problems and he will be able to be involved in normal training sessions and be in the squad."

The former Valencia manager also indicated that Daniel Agger and Nabil El Zhar are on the road to recovery following back and knee injuries respectively.

"Daniel Agger is walking again after his back operation and Nabil El Zhar’s knee injury is also improving so that is very positive," he remarked.

The gaffer finally touched on the subject of his biggest signing of the summer, Alberto Aquilani, who had an ankle surgery in May and has spent the last three weeks at Melwood continuing his rehabilitation programme.

"Alberto is improving," said the Spaniard.

"We were talking before about six to eight weeks [on the sidelines] and after a few weeks his ankle is much better but he will need time.

"He’s in the swimming pool and in the gym and working with the physios but he’s not jogging yet."

The tactician of the Merseyside club did not reveal how long it will take for Aquilani to make a full recovery, but maintained that the player has shown improvement in his rehabilitation programme.

"We cannot put a date on things and it’s important to just see how he progresses," said 'Rafa'.

"We are checking on him regularly and he had a scan in the past week which showed he is much better.

"It’s just a case of keeping an eye on him every day."

The manager signed off by hinting that he expects big things out of the former Roma player.

"When he does start to play everyone will see what a clever player he is," the Spaniard concluded.

Dirk Kuyt: Liverpool Can't Worry About Arsenal, Chelsea & Manchester United

Four games into the season, and some pundits are already musing that Liverpool's dreams of bagging a maiden Premier League crown are all but shattered.

Rafael Benitez's men have kicked off the 2009-10 campaign in see-sawing fashion, with two losses (against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa) and two wins (over Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers).

Meanwhile, their rivals are flourishing. Manchester United overcame their Burnley embarrassment to deal Arsenal their first setback of the season last weekend, whilst Chelsea are cruising at the summit.

But Dirk Kuyt isn't all that worried, and he believes the Reds must block out what's going on near the top of the table and concentrate on finding their rhythm.

"At this stage it is not important to look at where Chelsea, Man United or Arsenal are because we've got to think about our own game and the win at Bolton was very important after our bad start," he told The Guardian.

"We will be up there soon and we want to show that we belong at the top of the Premier League."

Furthermore, the Netherlands native is certain that all the big boys will suffer this season at the hands of the fast-improving - and hugely ambitious - mid-table teams.

"Chelsea are a top side, we knew that at the start of the season and we've seen that so far. But every team will struggle this season," Kuyt continued.

"Spurs have spent a lot of money and have had a really good start. Manchester City are up there as well and they will take points off teams.

"We just have to concentrate on ourselves, win our games and then see where we are in a couple of months."

Liverpool currently sit seventh in the standings, six points behind the leading pair of Chelsea and Tottenham.

Benitez Puts His Hopes In Lucky Break

International breaks are always an anxious time for Rafa Benitez. Three times in the past two seasons the Liverpool manager has waved off Fernando Torres only for the Spain striker to return to Anfield injured. Ryan Babel, Sami Hyypia, who has since left, and Yossi Benayoun have also been wounded in the heat of international battle in the past 12 months.

So Benitez can hardly be blamed for feeling some trepidation over the course of the next 10 days. Yet the Spaniard has reason to be feeling jitterier than ever as he monitors the progress of his players across the globe.

If the likes of Torres, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, one of the few consistent performers in an inconsistent start for Liverpool, and Javier Mascherano can return unscathed, then Benitez can look forward to the rest of the season with much more optimism than before his side's laboured victory over Bolton.

By the time the Premier League resumes, Fabio Aurelio, the Brazilian full-back who has yet to play this season because of a knee injury, is expected to be pushing for a return, along with Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.

The restoration of Agger and Skrtel, who was missing at the Reebok because of a jaw injury, to the heart of the defence will at least ensure Benitez a less stressful afternoon than the one he experienced on Saturday when Sotirios Kyrgiakos, the Greece international defender, had a debut to forget alongside Jamie Carragher.

While there has been frustration among the club's followers about their team's indifferent start, Liverpool's players now report for their countries frustrated that they will have to wait until Burnley's visit to Anfield on 12 September for the opportunity to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.

"You could say the international break has come at a bad time, but it gives us time to get the likes of Fabio Aurelio and Daniel Agger fit," said Gerrard, scorer of Liverpool's late winner in a thrilling five-goal encounter.

It required the dismissal of Sean Davis for Liverpool to enforce their authority. Bolton were leading 2-1 thanks to goals by Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen when Davis was dismissed in the 55th minute for his tackle from behind on Lucas.

Bolton believe the Liverpool midfielder made a meal of the challenge yet Davis needlessly picked up a first-half booking for kicking the ball away after the visitors had been awarded a free-kick.

The end of Davis spelt the end of Bolton's game plan. Gerrard, subdued after being man-marked by Fabrice Muamba, rattled the bar within seconds of Bolton having been reduced to 10 men before Torres equalised.

Liverpool, who had levelled first time round through Johnson, scored the winner seven minutes from the end, Gerrard's trademark finish from 16 yards going some way to erasing the pain of the 3-1 reversal to Aston Villa earlier in the week. "It was a difficult first 45 because Muamba was like my shadow," Gerrard added. "I'm sure if I'd have gone to the toilet he would have followed me, but he wasn't able to do that when they were down to 10 men.

"I've had a difficult start to the season. I held my hands up in the dressing room after the Aston Villa game and said I wasn't good enough."

The Bolton manager, Gary Megson, preferred to concentrate on Liverpool's tactics instead of reading Davis the riot act. "Did they take the rule out that if someone throws themselves over and they don't get booked that they can get punished for that?" he asked. "I think it is still in there but when did you last see that happen? Twice people chanced their arm on trying to get a penalty. I am not saying who they were. Tell me the last Bolton player you saw throwing themselves all over the place."

Agent Dismisses Dossena Exit

Andrea Dossena's agent claims his client is unlikely to leave Liverpool during the transfer window.

The Italy international has been the subject of much speculation this summer, with a return to Serie A widely touted.

The full-back only moved to Anfield from Udinese last year, but has struggled to make an impact in England.

That has helped to fuel exit rumours, with Juventus and Napoli both believed to be keen on offering him a route back to his homeland.

However, the Italian transfer window is set to close on Monday and Dossena's representative believes there is little chance of a deal being struck.

"I am about to arrive in Milan," said Roberto La Florio to calciomercato.it.

"I know nothing regarding those rumours (Juve and Napoli).

"I have read those stories myself, it's only rumours.

"I don't think he will return to Italy, it's difficult for an agreement to be reached today.

"I really think it's too late."

Meanwhile, Liverpool are hoping to welcome Daniel Agger back into their first-team fold in the not too distant future.

The Danish centre-half is currently recovering from a back injury, which required an operation, and has only recently resumed full training.

He is making positive progress in his rehabilitation, though, with countryman and Reds team-mate Nikola Saric delighted to see the commanding 24-year-old back in action.

"Agger played with a lot of pain, but now that has gone and that's the most important thing," Saric told TV2.

"He has been working with the physio and he says that things already feel a lot better."

Juventus, Napoli & Roma Tracking Liverpool's Andrea Dossena

Juventus' search for a left-back has apparently come to rest on Liverpool's Andrea Dossena, but Napoli and Roma are also competing with the Bianconeri to sign the 27-year-old.

"The situation is still in the balance - Napoli, Roma and Juventus are after him," Dossena's agent, Roberto La Florio, explained to Il Corriere dello Sport.

"There is still everything to decide on, the day is long. For now, he is still a Liverpool player."

Juventus have been well-documented in their chase for Olympique Lyonnais' Fabio Grosso, while the Giallorossi were thought to be interested in Dossena in order to replace John Arne Riise.

The Norwegian had been linked with Bayern Munich, but looks set to stay at the Stadio Olimpico.

Meanwhile, Napoli are believed to be preparing to make one further signing this summer, as there are strong suggestions that Manuele Blasi will leave for Palermo, and Dossena could be the player they are lining up.

Roma To Replace John Arne Riise With Liverpool’s Andrea Dossena

Reports emerging over the past 48 hours suggest that Roma’s John Arne Riise could be on his way to Germany, to join Bayern Munich.

With this in mind, the Giallorossi have been on the lookout for a direct replacement for the Norwegian, and they seem to have found one in the form of Andrea Dossena from Liverpool.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 27-year-old Reds defender is keen on a return to Serie A, as he feels it will enhance his chances of earning a place in Marcello Lippi’s Italy squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Napoli have also expressed interest in the former Udinese man over the course of the summer, but at this late stage of the transfer period Roma seem to be Dossena's sole suitors.

Title Charge Starts Now, Insists Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 victory at Bolton will kick-start their title challenge.

The skipper grabbed a stunning late winner at the Reebok Stadium to ensure the Reds bounced back from their defeat to Aston Villa.

The international break means Liverpool are without a game for a fortnight but Gerrard is confident they will build on Saturday’s triumph.

“It’s been well documented that it’s been a tough week and this is a big win for us,” he said.

“No-one expected us to lose two of our opening three games and there was a lot of pressure on us to deliver three points.

“The performance played second fiddle today and it was all about the result.

“People were writing us off after three games which is madness.

“But we responded in the right way and we can take a lot of confidence from this result.

“I think things will settle down now and we will go on a good run of results.”

Gerrard admitted the recent criticism aimed both at himself and the team made Saturday’s winning strike extra sweet.

“All the players knew the performance wasn’t good enough against Aston Villa,” he said.

“I’ve had a difficult start myself and I held my hands up in the dressing room after the Villa game and said I wasn’t good enough.

“I’m man enough to do that. I needed to react personally today and I felt I did that.

“It’s always nice to win and score but if throughout the week you are under extra pressure and you hear people sniping away, trying to put the team down, then you get a little bit more satisfaction.

“We needed to react today and everyone stood up to be counted. We controlled the game all the way through and it was well deserved in the end.”

Gerrard was closely marshalled by Fabrice Muamba in the first half but the sending off of Sean Davis gave him the chance to run the show after the break.

He said: “I played a little bit deeper today and tried to get on the ball. It was the same role I played here last year.

“It was a difficult first 45 minutes because Muamba was like my shadow.

“I think if I had gone to the toilet in the first half he would have probably followed me!

“When they went a man down they couldn’t man mark me. That’s when the game opened up and we could punish them.”

The Reds are six points adrift of early pace-setters Chelsea and Tottenham but Gerrard insists that gap is of little concern at this stage.

And after a testing opening few weeks he expects the Reds to be a different proposition after the international break.

“After finishing second last year everyone expected us to get off to a flying start and go straight to the top of the table,” he said,

“But we didn’t have a perfect pre-season. Players joined up late and we had bad luck with injuries. I’m not looking for excuses but we had disruptions.

“We always knew at times it was going to be difficult and we’ve been a bit edgy.

“I think the league this year is a lot different to last year when the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United were winning every game.

“I don’t think that will be the case this year. I think there are seven or eight top clubs in this league now who will be taking points off each other and the total needed to win the league will be lower this time.

“You can say the international break has come at a bad time because we’ve won and you want the next game to come as soon as possible but we can use this time to get people back. “Fabio Aurelio isn’t far away and Daniel Agger won’t be far away either.

“Hopefully the boys who are off on international duty can stay fit, win for their countries and come back stronger.”

The Reds wore black arm bands on Saturday following the death of Diego Cavalieri’s father. The Brazilian keeper missed the game to fly home to South America.

Gerrard Shouldn't Be The Only One Praised For Liverpool's Return To Winning Ways

The Sunday papers overlooked the bigger picture as they hailed a return to winning ways for Liverpool after the dramatic 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers.

Rafael Benitez called for his senior players to raise their game following the embarrassing defeat to Aston Villa last Monday. The manager had singled out Steven Gerrard for criticism in the aftermath of that game and his words had the desired effect as the Reds’ skipper ran the show for his side at the Reebok Stadium.

Despite scoring the winner that snatched all three points for the visitors, Gerrard wasn’t alone in stepping up to the plate and putting in a shift. Dirk Kuyt deserves credit for his usual faultless work rate, especially the way he played Torres in for our second goal as it wasn’t easy to divert the ball into El Nino’s path from the angle he met the ball.

Gerrard’s goal will no doubt be a contender for August’s Goal of the Month award but Glen Johnson’s first-half equaliser was also one of great technique and finishing. The England full-back has been a breath of fresh air on the right-hand side. He gives us more options than Alvaro Arbeloa or Steve Finnan ever did during their days at Anfield.

Unfortunately, the win only papered over the cracks in terms of the overall performance. Defensively, we were at sixes and sevens. Jamie Carragher had yet another stinker and Emiliano Insua’s marking was lax during the corner that led to Kevin Davies’ opener. Sotirios Kyrgiakos had a mixed debut and gave away the ball on a few occasions but recovered well in the second half. Had it not been for Pepe Reina making some crucial saves, we would have been further behind before Gerrard’s rescue mission.

Looking at the positives, we will be going into the international break having played four, won two and lost two. Admittedly it’s not our best start to a season and it wasn’t the best performance in the world. However, as we proved last season, a win is a win, regardless of how scrappy or poorly fought. A fortnight’s reprieve lies ahead for us long-suffering Kopites before we welcome Burnley to Anfield. Hopefully, injuries permitting, we will come back stronger and ready to right the wrongs of the past three weeks.

Liverpool Allow Charles Itandje Join Kavala On Loan

Charles Itandje, 26, formerly of Racing Club de Lens, where he established his first-team credentials, accumulating 170 first-team appearances in the league, has left Liverpool to join Greek side Kavala on loan, according to the BBC.

The move, scheduled to be complete at the end of June 2010, was perhaps cemented in April last season, when various members of Liverpool's congregation during the Hillsborough memorial service complained about inappropriate behaviour from Itandje.

The Frenchman was perceived to be nudging team-mates, and giggling, and the club indicated that they would be imposing the most severe of punishments. Itandje later apologised for his actions.

The Bobigny-born glovesman amassed just seven first-team appearances for Liverpool during his two seasons on the Mersey, none of which were in the league.

Kavala are top flight new-boys in Greece, having placed third in the Beta Ethniki last season.

Steven Gerrard Shocked By Liverpool’s Premier League Start

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he has been shocked by his side’s start to the season, which has seen them lose two of their opening four games.

An opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a home loss to Aston Villa mean Rafael Benitez’s men have lost as many games already as they did for the entirety of last season.

Speaking to the club’s official website, the skipper admitted he was shocked by the Reds’ start but backed his team to still challenge for the title.

"To lose two games was a bit of a shock to us all but it's all about reactions,” he said.

“We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now,” he stated.

The Merseysiders flirted with defeat again yesterday, coming from behind twice to beat Bolton Wanderers and Gerrard claimed his team had shown huge character to win the game.

"It would have been difficult going into the international break, if we didn't get the result we wanted, and this was all about a reaction to the Aston Villa defeat, and I thought we got that,” added the skipper.

"We played really well, showed character and deserved the three points.”

The 29-year-old also confessed that the Reds had been poor in the defeat to Villa, and even conceded that his own display had been below-par.

"Against Villa, we never showed enough character and we didn't play well enough. I certainly didn't play well enough, on a personal level, and this was all about individuals and the team reacting,” explained Gerrard.

“The manager questioned the whole team after Monday and rightly so. We were no way near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.”

Gerrard - Rafa Right To Criticise

Steven Gerrard has shrugged off suggestions that Rafa Benitez singled him out for criticism and feels Liverpool got their just rewards after twice coming back to beat Bolton on Saturday.

The Reds responded to Monday's disastrous 3-1 humbling by Aston Villa as Gerrard netted a thunderous winner at the Reebok to reignite the Merseysiders' 20-year-long quest for domestic glory and silence a few critics along the way.

It had been widely stated that boss Benitez had been one of those to slate the 29-year-old talisman after the Villa defeat, especially when the Spaniard admitted the England international had been below his normal high standards twice this term.

But Anfield's pride and joy dismissed claims that he alone was on the receiving end from the manager, while claiming strong words in the camp had the desired effect on the team at Bolton.

Gerrard said: "The manager questioned the whole team after Monday's home defeat by Aston Villa, and rightly so. We were nowhere near good enough and we didn't play close to our standard.

"There has been a lot of soul-searching this week. The manager asked for character, determination and intensity and I think he got the three things he wanted from us all.

"We have had a couple of good meetings this week and we couldn't wait for this game to come around.

"We went behind twice but again we showed what character we have in this team.

"Going behind twice there are times when you think you are not going to get a point, never mind three, but we got our rewards in the end and we could have ended up scoring four or five."

Gerrard added: "We now go away on international duty and when we get back we will have a few new faces back in the squad with the lads who have been out injured, so that will give us a boost.

"We played so well last season and everyone was expecting us to start strongly again and win matches, but we all expected that ourselves.

"To lose two games already was a bit of a shock to us all but it is all about reactions. We know we have got a good team, a team that is capable of fighting for the title and we have got to go and prove that now."

Benitez's Problems All Add Up To Some Clever Accounting At Anfield

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow claims Rafa Benitez had a transfer budget of £20million this summer which, on initial scrutiny, does not quite add up.

Liverpool sold Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Sebastian Leto for a total of £36m and bought Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani and Sortis Kyrgiakos for a total of £39m, leaving £17m apparently unspent.

Even for a club whose accountants were forced to warn over the summer their income might not be sufficient to meet their debts, this seems a maths error too far.

The explanation is that Liverpool have taken a cue from Arsenal's management, which presents Arsene Wenger with a transfer budget that is also expected to cover the cost of extending the contracts of current players.

Thus, Robin van Persie's signing-on fee and wages came out of Wenger's £15m summer transfer budget.

So Benitez saw £17m spent on new contracts for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Nevertheless, given the majority of Johnson's £18m fee was forgiven debt on Peter Crouch's move to Portsmouth, it could be argued Benitez had no new money to spend.

Glen Johnson Is The New Cafu

Glen Johnson netted his second goal for Liverpool against Bolton on Saturday, and it was a real beauty, too.

The former Chelsea right-back lashed home a stunner from 25 yards to equalise at the Reebok Stadium, and with his left foot, too. The goal came just 10 days after his acrobatic effort against Stoke at Anfield.

Glen Jonson’s goalscoring exploits got Mirror Football thinking about some of the finest attacking full-backs past and present. Here's their top six:

1) Cafu
The Brazilian bombed up and down the right flank for Roma and Milan all day long, earning his nickname from Cafuringa, a speedy Brazilian forward of the 1970s. Cafu didn't score that many goals, netting just nine during his time in Serie A, but he helped Brazil win two World Cups, and also won the Scudetto with both Roma and Milan, and the Champions League with the Rossoneri.

2) Roberto Carlos
Cafu's twin on the left flank for Brazil, Roberto Carlos is best remembered for his breathtaking banana kick against France at the Tournoi in 1997, when he bamboozled Fabien Barthez from a free-kick almost 40 yards old. In 371 games from Real Madrid, he scored an impressive haul of 47 goals, winning three Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

3) Ian Harte
The Irishman is the top scorer in Premier League history to have played exclusively at full-back, netting 28 goals in 219 appearances for Leeds United. Ten of them came from the penalty spot, with a large portion of the rest coming from free-kicks, including a memorable effort against Arsenal at Highbury in 2003 to help Leeds escape relegation. He got another 11 for the Republic of Ireland.

4) Josimar
For football fans of a certain age, the sight of the Brazilian right-back rampaging down the right wing was one of the memorable images of Mexico 86. He scored two stunning goals at that tournament: a long-range effort against Northern Ireland (on his debut) and a crafty angled strike against Poland, before demonstrating one of the most exuberant celebrations of all time.

5) Sergio Ramos
The Spanish right-back rose to fame at Sevilla before joining Real Madrid in 2005. In four seasons at the Bernabeu, Ramos has netted 18 goals and created countless more with his raids down the wing and his immaculate crossing. It might have something to do with the fact that he used to play as a striker as a teenager before he became a defender.

6) Stuart Pearce
Psycho scored an impressive 99 goals during his career, a fair few of them from the spot, but the Nottingham Forest left-back was also deadly from set-pieces, perhaps none better than his piledriver in the 1991 FA Cup final. Pearce also netted a thundering header against Peterborough that helped Forest seal promotion back to the Premier League in 1994.

Liverpool's Rivals Will Suffer Soon, Says Benitez

He has been in the firing line like no other Barclays Premier League manager this week, but Rafa Benitez is adamant that others will be keeping him company before long.

The Liverpool manager looked a picture of despondency at Anfield on Monday night as he reflected on a second defeat in three games so far and conceded that productivity levels had to be raised significantly.

The smile was back on his face yesterday, though, placed there by a rousing training-ground response from his players and growing conviction that the misery of defeat will be visiting his main title rivals more often than usual.

While Manchester United looked untouchable at times on their way to another Premier League crown last May, Benitez is convinced the emergence of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa will prevent any repeat and keep even the defending champions within reach.

Predicting the most open title race for years, before today’s game at Bolton Benitez said: ‘A lot has been made of our two defeats so far, but it is clear to me that the others at the top are going to suffer the same problems and come under the same pressure.

‘Any side at the top can lose games this season, and you will see it happen. It won’t be like before, when some team reels off 10 or 12 wins and is out on its own in top place. It is going to be a lot tighter and a lot more competitive, and that is why we need to remain calm as well as positive.

‘I know everyone was expecting us to have nine points after three games and be champions by September, but it doesn’t work like that. Even less so this season.

‘We were all really disappointed losing to Villa on Monday after making so many mistakes and not playing to our true level.

‘But we have addressed what went wrong with the players, and they have reacted exactly as I hoped. When you have players of character and quality, you know they will look at a situation like this and want to do something about it. That’s exactly how it has been in every session, a real determination and no one pulling out of challenges.

‘I didn’t name anyone when I said senior players had to accept more responsibility, but everyone seemed to think I was referring to Steven Gerrard.

‘The fact is 80 per cent of those on the pitch were senior players, and I made it clear that we needed more from all of them. There had to be an improvement in all areas, and the signs this week suggest we are going to get it.

‘We’ve got to start winning games, but I am confident people will be writing a different story about Liverpool in a few weeks.’

Benitez is reluctant to disrupt Gerrard’s partnership with Fernando Torres up front but admits he may be forced to consider switching his skipper to a deeper role, if Liverpool continue to lack creativity in midfield.

‘Putting Stevie in the centre of midfield again is an option,’ he said. ‘It depends on circumstances, but it is something we have done before. I still have every confidence that Javier Mascherano and Lucas will continue to operate well together in the middle, but it helps that Stevie can change from one role to another without losing effectiveness.

‘One thing that we must strive to do is to avoid dropping points in drawn games. The focus has been on our two defeats, but it was the number of draws last season that cost us in the end.

‘If we can cut those out, it will make a big difference.’

Liverpool FC Must End A Hungarian Jinx In Champions League

Debrecen VSC being drawn out of the final pot to complete Group E of this season’s Champions League will hardly have sent shivers down the spine of Liverpool fans the world over.

Yet Hungary is traditionally one of Liverpool’s unhappiest hunting grounds. The Reds have never won there in four attempts.

Emlyn Hughes is the only man in a Liverpool shirt to score in Hungary, although his strike against Ferencvaros in the Fairs Cup in September 1970 levelled the match at 1-1.

Between 1967 and ’74 the Reds played Ferencvaros three times in Europe, losing the first 1-0 and drawing the last 0-0.

And prior to that hat-trick to forget Bill Shankly’s all conquering Reds side famously played out a 0-0 stalemate against Honved at Nep Stadium in March 1964, before winning the return leg 2-0.

But Rafa Benitez’s Reds won’t have to venture as deeply into the Hungarian wilderness as first thought.

Debrecen VSC’s current stadium – Stadion Olah Gabor Ut – boasts a capacity of just 10,200 which means that they will be forced to play their Champions League games in Budapest, almost 150 miles away.

That away tie on November 24 will be the Reds last away fixture of this year’s group stages after first visiting Fiorentina (September 29) and Lyon (November 4).

Most importantly all three away fixtures are followed by comfortable breaks before Premier League duties resume, a problem which has worried Benitez in the past.

Avoiding tiring trips was top of the Liverpool bosses Benitez’s wish list before the draw in Monaco yesterday.

He said: “The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games.”