Liverpool went into the Rotterdam tournament looking to take their pre-season preparation into final gear as the opening week of the English Premier League draws ever closer. Rafael Benitez used the tournament to give almost all of his sizeable squad a run-out, and let his troops know that they would be playing for their places in the opening match against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Playing against realitively unknown Shanghai Shenhua, it was the ideal opportunity to turn on the heat and a chance for former Feyenoord superstar Dirk Kuyt to show the home supporters what they had missed last season.

'Two new faces showed considerable promise, Brazil Under-20 captain Lucas Leiva and Argentinian left winger Sebastian Leto'


Huge cheers filled the stadium when the Dutch forward eventually came on. He faces stiff competition up front with the likes of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel , Peter Crouch and Andriy Voronin all trying to get the nod from Rafa. Yossi Benayoun impressed with his vision, movement off the ball and exciting interplay with Steven Gerrard and Momo Sissoko, and the Israeli deservedly earned himself the Man of the Match award in the first game.

Jermaine Pennant seems fired up and showed some good touches and managed to get in some crosses.Two new faces showed considerable promise, Brazil Under-20 captain Lucas Leiva and Argentinian left winger Sebastian Leto. They brought a new dimension to the Liverpool line-up and Harry Kewell will have to raise his game if he is secure his spot on the left flank.

Leiva has to displace Xabi Alonso, Sissoko, Javier Mascherano and Gerrard, but seems up for the challenge, and what a challenge! Babel, coming on, faced a barrage of boos but showed he is one for the present and future. His quick feet, lightning pace and rifle right foot showed Liverpool surely won’t be lacking in the final third any more. He showed enough to convince supporters that with time, he could well put himself into Anfield folklore and will surely fill the void that Luis Garcia left with his special strikes.

Garcia scored a stunner for Athletico Madrid at the weekend, and as a Liverpool fan, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that he surely will be missed for his ability to turn the outcome of a game in the blink of an eye. Torres seems to be ready to repay the trust Rafa has placed in him as Liverpool’s record signing, and has already got off the mark in scoring the opener against Shanghai. He was clearly delighted and his deft chip over the keeper showed his cool temperament in front of goal.

Steven Gerrard reminded us all of his goal-getting gift by scoring from outside of the box into the top corner which had all the trademarks of his midfield partner Alonso.

The second match against a young, determined Feyenoord saw Benitez field a different team and a changed formation. Voronin started together with Kuyt, but both players will have wished they hadn’t been selected on the night. Voronin barely hit a shot in anger, and Kuyt, apart from hitting the bar and preferring to play as a midfielder for most of the game, didn’t do enough to convince. And when Torres came on, he didn’t manage to get enough decent service. But as we all know, this is pre-season , a chance to get all the off-season rust out of the system, so when it does count, the team is running in full force.

Speaking of force, the referee on the night was determined to show his authority and support for Feyenoord, controversially handing the Rotterdam team a penalty and almost allowing a boxing match to fill the final minutes, a period that saw yellow cards coming out every few seconds. And the violent outburst at the end was all a result of the poor refereeing. Gerrard picked up Man of the Match, and his lightning burst into the box from the left side to put the ball in the net reinforced his importance. He always seems to come to the Reds' rescue in times of need.

Benitez seems quietly content with the workout his charges had been put through. He will be scheming, chopping and changing and ready to get this season off with a victory and keep the pressure on the Chelsea and Manchester United from the start with more determination away from home as they show at Anfield. The stage has been set, now the stars must come out and give it their all.