Make no mistake, Liverpool's destruction of Derby is a sign of things to come, despite the Rams being a very poor side.

Liverpool teams of the past would have won but probably struggled to do so. But this hungry new-look squad of players Rafa Benitez has assembled are capable of not just putting Derby to the sword but any team that plays below par.

This result, added to the way Liverpool have played in all their opening games, must send a shudder of fear through all Premier League teams, along with those unlucky enough to meet the Merseysiders in Europe. Simply put, a message of intent has been sent out by Benitez and his men.

'With every game Torres plays it becomes more obvious why the Atletico Madrid faithful idolised him. His clinical finishing against Derby shows that he will in all likelihood be worshipped in the same way at Anfield. The boy is pure class'


Even more impressive, Saturday's result was achieved without the club's two stalwarts, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. They must have looked down on the Anfield pitch and wished they were involved, but more importantly they got a bird's eye view of the all-new Liverpool - a team that can demolish teams in impressive fashion.

Now, for the first time in ages, the two Scousers who are the heartbeat of the team know that their new teammates are up to their standards and are capable of thrusting Liverpool to the pinnacle of English football once again.

Of the new faces Benitez has imported, Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun are for me the players who will have a big impact this season. Rafa has signed many more but I think the others are for the future. Babel is a superstar just waiting to happen; his goal against Derby had all the hallmarks of a master and in every game he has shown glimpses that he can become a true worldwide superstar.

Voronin looks like he was born to play in the Premier League and seems to score at every opportunity, no matter how small his cameo appearance may be. Benayoun is that bit of creativity that we have been missing for years and over time it will be hard for Benitez to leave him out of the team. But fitting him in will not be easy, either.

However, Torres is the main man. In his previous matches, he showed that he is good, but with every game he plays it becomes more obvious why the Atletico Madrid faithful idolised him. His clinical finishing against Derby shows that he will in all likelihood be worshipped in the same way at Anfield. The boy is pure class.

Of the players who were with Liverpool last season, two have improved vastly - Jermaine Pennant and Momo Sissoko. I have been one of Sissoko`s biggest critics and his inability to complete a pass has had me pulling my hair out. But in the last few games he seems to have solved the problem totally and is playing like one of the best central midfielders in Europe. If only he can keep that standard of passing and tackling up, he will become a main contender to start alongside Gerrard.

Pennant is finally starting to show the potential he had as a youngster. The faith Benitez showed in him and the added pressure on his place in the team from the new signings is bringing out the best in Jermaine - and if he can keep this new level of performance up, he must be pushing for a starting place for England.

Rafa is right in saying that it is so early in the season that it is premature to dream about winning the Premier  League. But if Liverpool keep playing the way they are, then they are going to be very hard to beat. And we must remember that when all these new players finally gel, they are going to be an even better team than we have seen over the opening weeks.

Benitez has every manager's dream of a headache in team selection. Every week he has to disappoint some players but it does not seem to matter who he puts out. Competition is so fierce that they all know they have to give their all just to have a chance of starting the next game.. A great problem to have.

Liverpool fans have endured more false dawns over the years than any other team, but believe me this is no false dawn. This new look, ruthless Liverpool are the real deal and will take some serious stopping in their quest to finally bring the league title back where it belongs.

Are the new-look Liverpool the real thing - and is the Premier League title on its way to Anfield at last? Post your comments below or submit an article of your own to Sportingo.