Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1

Bad Bad Start! As the rest of the big guns won their first game, Liverpool did not perform and did not get the results at White Hart Lane. However, let's not treat this as a be all or end all result like some pundits and fans are doing. For God's sake, I know the Premier League is tough but it's only the first game.

On the night, Liverpool showed they are missing Alonso. Lucas has clearly improved a lot as a player from last season. However, his presence is nothing near Alonso's. His partnership with Mascherano clearly hasn't gelled. He strays forward more often and can be at times all over the place. His passing range is also nowhere near Alonso's. Despite all that, I have hopes for this young boy. Yes, he is still very young and we must remember that. He can only grow and time played alongside Mascherano will improve their partnership as well as understanding.

"Reina's brilliance on the night was just not enough"

I also see some problem with Mascherano. Maybe he hasn't really cleared his mind and focus on playing for Liverpool. It was clear he wanted to go to Barcelona but was not permitted after Alonso's departure. I really hope he forgets about that real quick and focuses on taking bigger responsibilities and leadership to cover the gap left by Alonso. He can improve his distribution of the ball and his partnership with Lucas.

As Rafa said, the midfield needs to keep the possession of the ball better and play with better understanding. It's the start of the league already and the team must really work it out in training to adjust to a playing system without Alonso.

"Torres couldn't break the Tottenham's defence"

Another worry for me would be the defence. People are asking Rafa to buy an attacking player but I think Liverpool should strengthen the defence. Before the game Agger, Carragher, and Skrtel were all not confirmed as fully ready for it. When Carra and Skrtel played, they went for the ball at the same moment and clashed their head with the former having a 2 inch gash on the head while the latter a bloodied mouth and injured jaw. It's really worrying that Liverpool don't have quality cover for them. If all three are not fit, then Liverpool will be in deep trouble as all they are left with are the youngsters in Ayala and San Jose.

In the friendlies that they have played in, they have shown some qualities. They can clearly defend but they are inexperienced and that can prove costly for Liverpool. Reina wouldn't be able to pull off saves like he did against Spurs every matches and he can't be afforded to be exposed too much. Not to undermine his ability but no 'keeper can keep out every shot on his own. He did extremely well to keep out the some of the chances by Spurs. With the defence a little short now, I am eager to see some business in the transfer market. However whatever Rafa does, I will have confidence in him as he should be the one knowing better.

"Gerrard scored Liverpool's first of the season"

During the game, Gerrard was the only scorer for Liverpool. He scored in between Spurs' goals from a spot kick. The penalty was the result of Glen Johnson's daring run into Spurs' penalty box. He dribbled and dashed into the box and was brought down by Gomes. In this game, he showed he is a more attacking right back than Arbeloa. However, I didn't see much quality overlapping from him. Spurs' defenders did well to keep him from running along the flank and forced him to make some diagonal runs which were clearly to his disadvantage.

On the other side, Insua defended well but his contribution up front is not good. He lacks confidence and skills to take on players. Aurelio is best in it while Dossena is better than Insua. However as a defender, he defended well. Like Lucas, he is still young and can only grow. He can learn lots from Aurelio. In friendlies, he did some quality crosses and I hope he can do more in the league.

It's alright that Liverpool failed to win their first league and away game. However I am sure all of us will not want to see this too often. We saw it only twice last season and hopefully this season will be the same. The focus has been changing the home draws to wins and we'll see if Liverpool manage to do that in the next two games. Come on, Reds!!!


"You'll Never Walk Alone"