There has been a lot of discussion recently over the individual merits of Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney. Both have had great starts to the new season, and both are vitally important to their respective clubs...but who is the better player? It's a tough question to answer objectively, but the following in-depth, objective analysis shows quite clearly that Torres is the more consistently effective performer.

After trying his best to engineer a move away from Anfield in the summer, rumours are flying again that Javier Mascherano wants to leave Liverpool. So where's the problem? Why can't Liverpool just let him leave?! There seems to be this idea that Mascherano is somehow integral to Liverpool's success, but I disagree.

Actually, yes, and the facts prove this. Dirk Kuyt is, for all intents and purposes, undroppable. And what have Liverpool gained this season as a result of Rafa Benitez's favouritism? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
I'm sorry to belabour this point but favouritism is on the things that I despise the most in football.

Fernando Torres - what a player. Here is his superb hat-trick from today's game at Anfield.
First goal
Second goal
Third goal
Two great assists from Yossi Benayoun too. As I've argued for ages - start Benayoun and he will invariably score or create goals.

In the wake of the recent new sponsorship deal with London-based bank Standard Chartered, new Liverpool-Kop writer Joe Rimmer believes it's about time somebody praised the job that 'managing director' Christian Purslow has done since he arrived at Liverpool in June 2009.

Image via Wikipedia

Criticise the Americans all you want, but the one thing they seem to have done well since they arrived from across the pond is to increase the commercial value of the club.

OPTA's latest statistics have revealed some surprising facts about the effectiveness of two of Liverpool's key midfielders.
According to OPTA, Javier Mascherano is the top passer in the Premiership this season, with 547 completed passes and an accuracy rate of 87%. Chelsea's Michael Essien has the same accuracy rate but has completed a lot less passes.

In an amusing display of off-field petulance (makes a change, eh?) Manchester United's resident diver, Wayne Rooney, threw a massive strop last night after being substituted against Besiktas. We feel for you Wayne, we really do.
Karma for being such a massive diver, perhaps?

There has been a lot of heated debate about Rafa's signings and overall effectiveness since the ‘leaked' conversation between George Gillett and a member of the ‘Spirit of Shankly' group. How much cash has Rafa really spent since becoming manager and how much has he brought back in through sales?

No matter what happens from now until the end of the season, and whether we finish in the top 4 or not, there are a number of recent transfer deals that bother me greatly - signings, sales or missed opportunities that could've improved our squad and afforded us more depth than we currently have.
The deals relevant to last season may even have turned some of those nagging draws in wins, maybe giving us enough points to have snatched the title from Man Ure.

A few weeks ago I looked at the creative impact of Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney over the last two complete seasons. Torres was streets ahead of Rooney in almost every way, but some people (i.e. Man U fans in denial) argued that it was an unfair comparison as they played in different positions. Well, since Torres and Rooney are both now playing the striker role, I've taken a look at the last 10 games to gauge how things are going this season.

Rafa Benitez has revealed the five players from his current squad that he would have in an LFC 5-a-side team. And, as is often the case with Rafa's team selections, you may be surprised at who is omitted from the starting line-up.
Members of Liverpool's ALL RED official membership scheme receive, amongst other things, an exclusive 'The Real Rafa Benitez' DVD, and it is on this DVD that Rafa makes his selections.

The moment all Liverpool fans have been waiting for came last night when Alberto Aquilani made his competitive debut for the club. (hurrah!) Here is footage of all the moments in which he was involved during the game.
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If you believe what you hear - and what you saw against Fulham - you'll probably believe the wolves are at the door for Señor Benitez. However, I'll try to put things in perspective without using an array of cringe-worthy Halloween puns.
What happened against Fulham was a disaster, and a game we shouldn't have lost going into.

After trying his best to engineer a move away from Anfield in the summer, rumours are flying again that Javier Mascherano is on the verge of leaving Liverpool. So where's the problem? Why can't Liverpool just let him leave? There seems to be this idea that Mascherano is somehow irreplaceable and integral to Liverpool's success, but in my view, Liverpool could cope perfectly well without him.

After Liverpool's opening day defeat to Spurs, Rafa Benitez shocked the football world with a tasteless, highly offensive gag at the expense of referee Phil Dowd. Football fans, players and managers around the world were outraged by Benitez's heinous conduct, which according to the FA, plunged football into a ‘state of almost irreparable disrepute'.

Much to the delight of Liverpool fans, Daniel Agger, Alberto Aquilani and Fabio Aurelio will all be ready to start soon, and while we all know what positions Agger and Aquilani will play upon their return, Aurelio's position and influence on the team is more of a mystery. New Liverpool-Kop writer Bikram Rana takes a look at how the infludential Brazilian will fit into the team.

Scaremongering about the extent of Liverpool FC's debt under Hicks and Gillett is rife these days, with fans groups and the media alike painting a picture of irreversible gloom and impending financial meltdown. What is the truth of the situation? Do H+G deserve such villification? TAF MCDONALD analyses the reality of Liverpool FC's debt level, and comes up with some surprising results.

What is Liverpool's form like in domestic games that immediately follow international breaks? To find out, I've examined all of the club's post-international games since the 2005-06 season. The results, surprisingly, are rather encouraging, which is great news ahead of the must-win Burnley game this weekend.

George Gillett's recent comments have caused quite a stir amongst Liverpool fans, with the media jumping on the bandwagon, gleefully trying to resurrect the ‘Rafa vs. the Owners' spat. There is one thing, however, that I believe many fans are missing about this situation...
The basic crux of the (predictable) media response to the comments has been "Gillett blames Benitez for poor performance' and "Gillett reignites public feud with Benitez".

Despite the doom and gloom of the last few weeks - and amid the continued misplaced vitriol towards the owners - there are plenty of reasons for Liverpool fans to be positive at the moment.
As many people who visit this regularly will know, I take a critical, realist approach to LFC. Within that approach, I always try and be fair, and there is plenty of evidence for that on the site.

As great as it is to see Liverpool embracing an attacking philosophy and scoring lots of goals in the league, the team has still been unable to win against anything other than comparatively inferior opposition. And with Chelsea coming up on Sunday, this does not bode well at all.
Here is a list of teams Liverpool has played so far:
Tottenham
Stoke
Aston Villa
Bolton
Burnley
Debrecen
West Ham
Leeds United
Hull City
Fiorentina
What do all the beaten teams (in bold) have in common?

Played 11 - Lost 4. It doesn't make for pleasant reading, does it? This is not the first time Liverpool have had such a poor start to the season, and while it is definitely too early to write off the club's title chances, history proves that when the team starts this badly, the season is usually a washout.

George Gillett's interview with a member of ‘Spirit of Shankly' has been the hot topic of debate this week, but did the alleged interview even take place? I'm not convinced.
Having re-read the transcript a couple of times and considered the context, I have now come to the conclusion that this ‘interview' with George Gillett is either:
a) Completely false
b) Cobbled together from other interviews/statements
I retract points A and B above from the list of possibilities.

As Anfield, the city of Liverpool, and every Liverpool fan jumped for joy during Sunday's humbling of Man United, one man stood still...emotionless; impassive, and controlled. That man was, of course, Rafa Benitez - the heartbeat and Commander in Chief of everything Liverpool FC.
If one was to spend the whole match against Manchester United watching Rafa, it would be hard to judge the scoreline at the end.

Last week I posted what I believed to be Rafa Benitez's 10 biggest transfer blunders. This week, as promised, I take a look at the 10 best signings during the Boss's 5 years in charge. And there have been some absolute corkers!
When you think back to the squad Rafa inherited (Traore, Biscan, et al), it is clear that our squad is now superior in almost every way.

Misfiring striker Andriy Voronin has told of his determination to help Liverpool get this season back on track. Does he have anything to offer or is he a lost cause?
The Ukraine striker has yet to find the back of the net in eight games this season, and to be fair, hasn't even looked remotely like scoring.

Has Rafa Benitez lied over the fitness of Alberto Aquilani? Is it fair to label Liverpool's manager a liar over the regularly changing estimates about the Italian's return to fitness? That is the question being considered here.
Let's take a look at the evidence.
AUG 7th 2009: Statement on the official Liverpool FC website:
"Liverpool FC confirmed this evening that Alberto Aquilani has successfully completed a medical and agreed a 5-year contract with the club.

Rafa Benitez's rather dubious explanation for Yossi Benayoun's perennial bench status over the last two seasons is (arguably) as ludicrous as it is inaccurate.
In a recent interview, Rafa made the following observations:
'I was talking to Yossi about how he has always been fantastic coming off the bench and he told me he could do even more if I gave him a chance from the start'.

Albert Riera has become the latest victim of Rafa Benitez's regrettable habit of dropping players after they score goals. How long is this damaging trend going to continue?
After being stuck on the bench for most of the season, Riera started the 6-1 thrashing of Hull and had a fantastic game.

Liverpool fans should hopefully see Alberto Aquilani in a red shirt for the first time at the end of this month, but where will the Italian fit into the team and will he be used effectively?
With three defeats in 8 premiership games already, the pressure is on for Liverpool to start producing premiership winning performances on a more consistent basis.

Alberto Aquilani showed a few good touches on his debut against Sunderland reserves last night. Now let's get him in the first team!

Liverpool are on a disastrous four-game losing streak in the league at the moment. How does this compare to the club's worst runs over the last 100 years? LFCHISTORY.NET investigates.
Liverpool have not lost 4 games in a row since the 1986-87 season, when Kenny Dalglish was in charge and the Reds finished 2nd.

Rafa Benitez has admitted that Fernando Torres is carrying a hernia injury. Given the consequences of aggravating that injury, should Torres be rested against Lyon to avoid a longer-term problem...or should Rafa take a risk and play him anyway?
Yesterday, Benitez had this to say about Torres' injury:
"We know Fernando has a [hernia] problem, and we have to manage it.

For the last few months, this site has attacked Liverpool FC fan's group ‘Spirit if Shankly' for its juvenile, counter-productive approach to ousting Liverpool FC's owners. After raising awareness, putting SOS under public pressure and showing how the majority of fans are against their ‘Yank Liars Out!

In an interview prior to the Everton game, the ever-cautious Rafa Benitez explained how the physical nature of the Premiership was the main reason Alberto Aquilani was persistently warming the bench. In the same interview, he blatantly contradicted himself over the state of the player's fitness, something that arguably sheds light on the real reason the Italian is being held back.

Much has been made of Liverpool's catastrophic start to the season; out of the European Cup; out of the Carling Cup, and in danger of finishing outside the top four. As they would if any of the top four were doing badly, the media has overreacted and (predictably) come up with age-old clichés to explain Liverpool's problems.

I had to include Klinsman's infamous dive in the series as it is arguably one of the most shameful examples of football play-acting ever.
Argentina's Pedro Monzón admittedly hurls himself into the tackle, but as you can see from the video, there is no contact. Klinsmann theatrically vaults the tackle, and upon hitting the deck, writhes around in apparent agony, his body squirming as if he's having some kind of seizure.

..from taking corners and (some) free kicks for Liverpool. Why Rafa Benitez allows one of Liverpool's key match-winners to continue taking them is beyond me, especially since Gerrard is often very effective at getting on the end of balls into the box.
Gerrard is a fantastic player but let's be honest, his corners are not the greatest.

Romanticism and nostalgia - both are integral to the Liverpool fan experience, and when one hears the words "Liverpool Football Club", you almost expect the word ‘history' to pop up somewhere. But what exactly does history mean in this day and age, and is it actually important to the club's prospects of success?

Liverpool's exciting young striker Krisztián Németh has scored his first two goals for AEK Athens.
Goal v Giannina – 20 September 2009 (0:43)
Goal v Olympiakos – 23 September 2009 (0:22)
That's two goals and one assist in four appearances for AEK.