Have Liverpool made a giant leap? Or in fact, just a small step..

At the turn of the year, Liverpool were faced with the worst FA cup 3rd round tie possible. United away. The mood around Anfield had been glum for some time, with Hodgson’s reign leaving many reds fans wondering why Benitez was actually sacked. Torres was performing erratically, Joe Cole hadn’t lived up to expectations and the likes of Jovanovic, Poulsen and Konchesky were proving to be flops, to say the very least. The new owners acted sharply in admittance that the team were not moving forward under Hodgson, they turned to Liverpool’s greatest player, the last man to actually win a title with the Reds – King Kenny.

With just minutes to go at Old Trafford, Liverpool were trailing 1-0 against their great rivals, Gerrard had been sent off for a vicious tackle, but Old Trafford echoed with ‘The fields of Anfield road’. The reds faithful were jubilant, although the team were bettered on the day, the man they all adored, the man everyone wanted back at the helm stood on the sidelines. And after that day, a fire erupted amongst the Liverpool squad. The second half of the season was a huge improvement, players like Maxi Rodriguez and Jay Spearing who had previously been lauded by the Kop faithful, began playing with passion and a class that had not been seen before. Youngsters like Robinson and Flanagan did excellently in covering for injuries in the wing-back positions and of course, Luis Suarez arrived and lit up the Premier League. After a respectable 6th place finish, the summer arrived and Liverpool fans rubbed their hands together at last, knowing a big war-chest was available to Dalglish.

The new signings came flying in – Henderson, Adam, Downing – British players, each who had made a good impact last season. Dalglish ousted players who in truth, were not good enough to put on the red shirt – players such as Cole, Jovanovic, Poulsen, Ngog and Aquilani. The new boys were followed later by Enrique, Bellamy and Coates and the squad boasted a great depth, one which hadn’t been seen at the club for many a year. Kenny’s greatest achievement last season was bringing back an attacking form of football, unseen since way back in Roy Evans’ era. With the new acquisitions, the squad appeared to have a scary variety of attacking flair. All of a sudden, a Champions League spot seems a real possibility.

The reds start to the season has been a real mixed bag. A half-time breakdown against Sunderland, a deserved victory against a crumbling Arsenal, a good performance against an under-par Bolton, perhaps unlucky against Stoke and lest we forget, undisciplined and unconvincing against Spurs. Although the Spurs loss was the worst The Reds featured in for over eight years, obviously the sendings off ensured the scoreline was more one-sided than it could have been at 11 vs 11. However, looking at Liverpool’s new recruits, the words brilliant or excellent would not be apt to describe their impact. Both Henderson and Adam scored well-taken goals against Bolton and Downing has been involved in some good Liverpool play but none of the three have been ultra-effective.

Amongst the vast platter of summer transfer rumours, Liverpool were also linked with Ashley Young, Phil Jones and Juan Mata. Each of them has exploded into life as some of the best performers in the early season games. With the money Liverpool spent, none of these three were out of Liverpool’s price range, it could be said that each had a strong wish to join their respective new clubs. Even still, Liverpool must have obviously seen something different and more unique in their acquisitions. Although these are early days, so far United and Chelsea are proving they were clinical and smart in their shopping. While their new stars are shining brightly, Liverpool’s could soon prove to be over-rated and over-priced.

The other major problems facing Liverpool at the moment go by the name of Carroll and Carragher. Ok so 35 million pounds was an inflated price but it is not so much his talent which is coming into question at Liverpool, but his suitability to the team. Suarez and Kuyt proved an excellent attacking combination at the end of last season and in their performances this, however when Carroll plays, Liverpool’s free-flowing gameplan changes and the momentum often dies. As for Carragher, one of the greatest servants to the club, his presence and consistency are not what they once were. One main issue is that in Stevie Gerrard’s absence, as Vice-captain, Carragher really has to play. But surely the time is nigh for Kenny to make a huge statement, drop Carragher and play a combination of Skrtel and Agger or perhaps in time, Coates may step up.

Lucas has come on leaps and bounds, Suarez has proven to be a scary attacking force, bright young talent is coming through, their is solidity at last with 2 solid full backs and Gerrard’s return is likely to be a massive influence on the spirit of the team. Dalglish has a winning mentality which he clearly instills in his players and their failure will most likely be a result of a gap in talent between them and their rivals and not a commitment and passion to the cause.It seems that Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool will be playing in a mini-league for 4th spot and although Spurs started slowly and Arsenal are trying to crawl out of a state of depression, Liverpool’s hopes of a return to the Champions league could be premature.