Liverpool Below Standard (Liege)

Liverpool continued to stutter their way through the start of the season with an unimpressive 1-0 aggregate win after extra-time against Belgian side Standard Liege.

We shouldn't beat around the bush, Liverpool were poor. Liverpool were the same Liverpool we have come to expect under Rafa Benitez in recent years... and again it was late drama that has got them through.

It seems tired and cliched to state that Liverpool need some width, but it is desperately true. When the team lined up with Benyayoun and Kuyt on the flanks you could mentally script the outcome of any Liverpool attack. It was painstakingly obvious to bring Babel on... but even when he came on he too often found himself wandering infield. This problem seems inbred into Liverpool now, no-one wants to get out wide, like they won't get to see the ball out there.

Last season (and against Sunderland), Torres' heroics saved Liverpool all too often, but when he has an off day (like he did against Standard Liege) Liverpool need to create a solution... Liverpool's goal, in the 118th minute, came from Babel getting out wide and putting in an excellent cross for Kuyt to scramble home... yet no-one is expecting Benitez to learn from this.

Benitez has been attempting to bring Gareth Barry to Anfield all summer, stating he was looking for a player that could play in the middle and on the left. BENITEZ WAKE UP! BARRY IS NOT THE WIDE PLAYER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! Rumour has it Albert Riera will turn up at Anfield before the end of the transfer window, but there are no guarantees he will be asked to get wide. Babel wasn't. And where's Pennant?! If Pennant does leave before the transfer window closes, I expect big things from him. He's a fast, tricky winger - much better than Lennon who seems to get all the hype.

What Liverpool really seem to miss is full-backs that want to get forward. Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea is now geared for attacking full-backs in Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa to provide the width when Ballack, Deco and Lampard have created the space coming into the middle. Arbeloa and Dossena, or Aurelio just don't have the enthusiasm to get forward down the wings to support the attack with width.

Foolishly, before the season began I had expected Liverpool to be a strong force this season, however whilst they have amassed 6 points from 2 games, they do not look like being capable of beating the rest of the Big 4... this weekend's game against Aston Villa could be a good test.

Liverpool's poor qualifying performance has been rewarded with a difficult group for the Champions League. PSV are one of the easiest second seeds to be placed with, but Marseille and Atletico Madrid are a tough challenge coming as third and fourth seeds.