Proud that in the last week, the team has become more like the teams of the 1970s-1980s. Way to go.

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE

When you walk through a storm
hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone,
You’ll never, ever walk alone.

The first thing concerns our manager. From all quarters this season people have suggested Rafa has taken this club as far as he can, that our best is behind us. Clearly if the last 2 games shows us anything, it shows this team can scale new heights under Rafa. Personally I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Liverpool under Rafa Benitez yet.

Second, those that have suggested Rafa has wasted money on sub standard players and has contributed to us having a weaker squad than utd should look to yesterdays game and use it as a model. With no Agger, Alonso or Arbeloa we were able to outclass the world and european champions in a way which nobody has on their own patch since 1992. And oh yeah, we had no Robbie Keane either. What a shame. OK overall we probably don’ have the squad of utd but that is purely down to resources.

Thirdly, we’ve had to listen to people calling us a two man team or the ‘Gerrard and Torres show’. Admitedly, those two were the difference yesterday, however, this massively underscores the contributions made by Masch, Aurelio, Sammi, Skrtel and Kuyt, whom I thought was superb yesterday. On the other hand, Gerrard and Torres are so important to us. The fact they’ve only statred together 9 times this season may be a bigger reason why we’ve slipped behind in the title race, rather than Rafa being a ranting clown,picking the wrong team, signing the wrong players or using negative tactics. Let me ask people this. Would the gap between us and Utd be closer if Gerrard and Torres had started together as many times as Rooney and Ronaldo? That brings me on to my next point. It has been shown that without that particular pair, utd are a decidedly average team. Both went missing yesterday and utd posed very little threat. Any they call us a ‘two man team’.

Before I talk about my final irritating myth, I want to point out something else. In head to heads against the other big 3 this year we’ve come out on top. With 2 wins against utd and 2 against chelsea and a draw at Arsenal. Utd’s record in this mini league puts them 3rd. So what does this say? It says to me that Utd’s table topping form has come against the teams they are expected to beat. The teams that they can afford to play a weakened team against and still win. A product of better more expensive players in reserve. A product of more resources.

Clearly Liverpool’s strongest 11 is as good as anyone else including utd. Teams tend to play their best 11 available players agaisnt the strongest teams. When we’ve done this agaisnt the top teams we’ve won more than any other side in the big four. Progress?

The final myth that irritates me is the suggestion that the current utd team is the best in history. Really? Yesterday, we showed that when they are given little space to play and come up against some pace they look quite ordinary. Blackburn did the same recently at old trafford and were unlucky not to win. Unfortunately, most teams go to old trafford looking to enjoy a day out rather than take utd on. Fulham sat back and admired utd last week in the FA cup and they were at home! Yet the media will tell you that utd gave us a ‘masterclass’ in how football should be played. Anyway enough of that, let’s keep believin that we can catch them nd we just might!