THE GLEN JOHNSON, LUCAS LEIVA AND YOSSI BENAYOUN SHOW

A 4-0 thrashing of Stoke was just what the doctor ordered following our drab loss at White Hart Lane.
The first half was a disappointing affair, with Liverpool failing to get into any sort of gear against a very mediocre Stoke.
Still, we went into the break two goals up.
But it was the second half when the Reds really came to life and filled us with a sense of optimism for the new season.
What a joy it was to see Lucas Leiva bossing the midfield.
I've been a persistent critic of the Brazilian over the last 12 months, but credit where credit is due, he was excellent.
The new confidence with which he played was tangible. He was wanting the ball, not hiding.
His passing was crisp, he was moving forward into dangerous areas, and he can now put in a hefty and well-timed tackle.
Lucas was four times the player we saw last season and if he continues to show this form against better teams, the loss of Alonso won't be so keenly felt.
Along with the South American, the jinking and lively probings of Benayoun was another real feature on the night.
He's a must in the Liverpool starting line up for the whole of the season, surely.
The Israeli gets behind the bank of four midfielders and runs dangerously at a defensive line.
He's always looking to slide a pass through, he has quick feet and is intelligent in his link up play.
Rafa, give this lad a full season and we'll reap the benefits. Babel or Yossi? It's no contest.

Added to the mix was another good second half display from Gerrard who created Torres' opener with a lung bursting run.
And the mid-air spin turn which took him past Higginbotham on the right wing was a real thing of beauty.
You could see that Gerrard genuinely was enjoying playing with like-minded footballers, players who moved with him, who could pass, who saw openings.
The quartet of Torres, Yossi, Lucas and Gerrard was really refreshing and created countless holes in the Stoke rearguard in the second half.

Which brings us onto Glen Johnson, the clear Man of the Match.
I must admit to being unimpressed with the weighty £18m transfer fee from Portsmouth, but on this showing, he could be worth the money.
He was outstanding and had a hand in two of our goals, and nearly all of our best moves.
There seemed no stopping him at times, strong, pacey, and an ability to ping over a really good ball, this was the width that has been missing from Anfield for years.
Shame it's taken a full back to finally do it.
The test for Johnson will be to show he can defend up against the league's best wingers, ie a Lennon or a Arshavin running at him.
But early signs are that we've signed a huge attacking weapon on the right hand side.

Insua continued to look quietly assured, and Aurelio faces a tough fight to wrestle the number 3 jersey from him when he's fit.
As for Ayala, the lad did what was asked of him, and despite defedning a spate of long throws in the first half, he didn't have to do too much.
His bafflement at what to do with the ball at his feet was a touch alarming, even owing for his age.
Twenty is hardly a kindergarten age these days, so when he received the ball in front of our penalty area, with oceans of unoccupied space in front of him, the frightened look on his face, and initial turn to pass back to Reina, was eye-opening.
Still, he did all the basics and performed decently enough when called to make a clearance or a block.
Thankfully, Stoke were so poor that the young defender was never once out through his paces.

So, how good is this Liverpool team and squad? Dispatching a very poor Stoke side isn't something to crow from the rooftops, but still, we only drew nil nil against the same side this time last year.
If this is the way we're going to set about unambitious defensively-minded sides at Anfield, based on a our second half showing, I'm all for it.
On a pure comparison basis, we notched up one point from Tottenham away and Stoke home last season.
So, you could argue, already we're ahead of that schedule.

Time will tell if we have enough quality in the squad to really push probable front-runners Chelsea for the title.
The suspicion is we need one more big attacking weapon to really open teams up, but I doubt our frugal owners are going to come with arms bearing bundles of cash.
There's Aquilani to look forward to, of course, in October, but will that be enough?
As for the loss of Alonso, I'll keep repeating that I don't think we'll miss him as much as everyone thinks.
It's an easy get-out, isn't it? Liverpool lose, and the pundits trot out, 'AAAH, they miss Xabi's passing and calmness on the ball.'
Xabi would ferry the ball out to the wing, or to Gerrard/Torres, but then wouldn't be seen again in the attacking third.
We didn't seem to have much trouble getting the ball into dangerous areas on Wednesday, and once the ball WAS there, we had individuals like Benayoun and Johnson to do exciting things with it.

That 45 minutes against Stoke has brought a raft of positives to look forward to over the coming campaign.
Let's build on it.