Great piece on Gaol.com. 'Liverpool Outlook: Five Reasons For Reds Fans To Be Positive' :
1. The League Table
Benitez knows that things could have been so much worse. Losing four of their first ten league games, Liverpool theoretically could have been 10 or 12 points adrift of the league's summit, especially with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City enjoying useful starts to the season.
Instead they sit just six points behind Chelsea, and four behind Manchester United. Those two sides meet at Old Trafford next Sunday, meaning that if Liverpool can maintain a winning run, at least one of those gaps will be closed further.
Furthermore, it is often said that all teams suffer a bad run at one point or another. Liverpool's often comes around this period - October and November have never been especially kind to Benitez - and, in recent years, the form of others has been sufficient to blast the Reds into the 'also-rans' section. Not this time.
2. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres
The groans which greeted the news that Steven Gerrard had failed to recover from his groin injury in time to face Manchester United last week may have told a story, but the fact that Benitez's side managed to beat the Champions - and deservedly so - without their influential skipper and with Fernando Torres less than fully fit tells another.
It is regularly pointed out that Liverpool have a dependence on their prized duo, yet many of their best results in the past year or so have come when deprived of one or the other. Two victories over Manchester United, and a momentous win at Stamford Bridge are testament to this.
Neither are expected to be 100 per cent for tomorrow's trip to Fulham, and in truth neither have been at their very best form this season - save for Torres against Hull perhaps - yet they have 12 goals between them already. Imagine the damage they can do when their injury worries are behind them.
3. Alberto Aquilani
It was the most delayed debut in Anfield history, surely. Three months since the Italian landed at John Lennon Airport, passing Xabi Alonso on the way through, he made his first senior outing.
And he looked useful. Not that it should be a surprise, of course. Any player with caps for Italy and seven years' experience playing in Serie A and the Champions League is likely to have ability. What was so promising about Aquilani's 15-minute cameo was the manner in which he settled.
Demanding the ball from the first minute, the Italian looked at home, confident and eager to impress. His passing and technique looks beyond reproach - fans of Roma will agree on that front - and with Benitez's physical and tactical preparation behind him, the 25-year-old will surely improve with each passing game.
There may be a few teething problems, as with embedding any new signing (especially one unaccustomed to Premier League football), but the signs are promising with Aquilani. He has Javier Mascherano for protection, Fernando Torres to feed, and Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun to share the creative burden. Promising signs indeed.
4. The defence
Liverpool, it has to be said, have not looked like a Rafa Benitez side at times this season. Slack marking at crosses, an inability to clear their lines effectively, and a worrying propensity for conceding dangerous free kicks have all contributed to a less-than-impressive defensive record. Thirteen goals conceded in 10 league fixtures may not be terrible, but for Benitez it represented a problem.
Reassuring then will be the way his side responded in the face of the champions' threat. Led from the back by the immaculate Jamie Carragher, Benitez's side defended like a Benitez side, and recorded their first clean sheet in five games.
Daniel Agger's return has undoubtedly helped. The Dane brings a composure to the defence that is spreading fast, and his distribution skills far outweigh those offered by the man he has usurped, Martin Skrtel. With Glen Johnson settling in well, and both Emiliano Insua and Fabio Aurelio securing call-ups for their respective countries, the signs are promising that the early season hiccups were exactly that - hiccups.
5. Pepe Reina
The question of 'who is the best goalkeeper around?' is one that crops up every so often, and inspires plenty of debate. Usually, there are two or three standout contenders dotted around Europe, and it is simply a case of choosing one.
Not so, it seems, at the moment. Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Cech and Edwin Van der Sar all have their champions, and rightly so. But at Liverpool a player who cannot break into his national team is fast staking a claim to be Europe's top glovesman.
Pepe Reina may sit behind 'Saint Iker' in the pecking order for Spain, but Liverpool would not swap him for anyone. The 27-year-old has matured from a good keeper who dropped the occasional clanger, to arguably the most consistently excellent netminder in the business. As Liverpool's form has stuttered this season, Reina's has remained at an all-time high.
And, if recent reports are true, it seems the Spaniard is blissfully happy at the club. A new, long-term contract is in the offing, and Liverpool fans will be suitably thrilled if they can secure the services of one of Europe's best for the foreseeable future.
Neil Jones, talkaloadofbull.com UK
http://www.talkaloadofbull.com/en/news/1126/english-debate/2009/10/30/1593471/liverpool-outlook-five-reasons-for-reds-fans-to-be-positive
