Liverpool got their pre-season under way on a positive note with victories against Crewe Alexandra (3-0) and Werder Bremen (3-2). Scoring freely, they showed they mean business.

 The recent tour of Asia proved fruitful, too, and Rafa Benitez has come back with a bag of positives to look forward to. Losing on penalties to Portsmouth can hardly be taken too seriously, and as Pompey boss Harry Redknapp said after the game: "They're a bloody good team."

While it would be immature to read too much into pre-season form, it is an important time for the squad to secure their first-team places, or at least make enough impression to be part of Benitez’s season plans. One man who seems to be building his credibility is new signing Andriy Voronin. The He-Man/Thor lookalike has been on a solo mission to prove his doubters wrong.

'Voronin has been on a solo mission to prove his doubters wrong'


After an impressive debut against Crewe, he scored twice against Werder Bremen, both goals showing a brilliant reading of the game, and more importantly his fine-tuned finishing prowess. It must be said appearances may be deceiving, and at first glimpse you would be forgiven for not expecting too much from the pony-tailed poacher. This could well work to his advantage when he steps into the defenders' world that is the English Premier League.

Voronin is deceivingly pacy, and his first goal for the Reds showed he could well be the opportunist that Liverpool have lacked in their line-up. Fernando Torres will be more of a working striker, and his assist rate will most probably be as high as his goal rate. Having carried Atletico Madrid on his shoulders for so long, it will take a while for the Spaniard to adjust to the fact that he will not have to work as hard as he’s used to, and will be able to concentrate on the his main purpose, which is to bulge the back of the net (for Everton fans, this means scoring goals).

With Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso creating chances, Torres will soon comprehend the exact role Rafa has for him in the upcoming season and beyond. Ryan Babel has still to turn up the heat, with the Reds shelling out piles of pounds for the young Dutch attacker. Maybe he should forget the “I’m the next Henry” quotes and speak with his feet! It's early days and he is only 20. Once he learns to swim with the other fish, he could well grow into the killer shark anxious Liverpool supporters will be hoping we’ve caught.

Benitez has been using the pre-season to do some experimenting and Mohamed Sissoko seems to be getting forward with defenders pondering whether to back out as he bulldozes his way up front. He appears to have spent weeks perfecting his passing - credit to Benitez for never fearing to try new things and managing to keep his managerial counterparts on the back foot.

This season will see a more realistic attack on the big four by Spurs, who have just wrapped up a successful pre-season tour of South Africa. Arsenal looked good in the Emirates Cup victory but they seem to lack the depth that will be needed. Like all Liverpool fans, I remain excited, knowing we have the firepower to ultimately push with more authority than in the recent past.