Gerrard leads by example as Pool make early statement

ON various tour stops during a hectic pre-season schedule, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been at pains to ensure all feet around Anfield remain firmly on terra firma and not become distracted by the hype generated by his flamboyant spending in the transfer market.

It remains to be seen whether that is an obvious and sensible ploy from the Spaniard, who has raided the wallets of the new owners to the tune of over €73m in an attempt to spend his way closer to a Premier League title, or whether it is a cunning ruse to disguise the real title potential lurking on Merseyside this season.

Certainly the addition of ‘El Nino’ Ferando Torres, Ajax’s Ryan Babel, Jossi Benayoun and Andriy Voronin, with the possible acquisition of Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United, has raised the bar of expectancy around the red half of Merseyside.