![Liverpool's competition for places has never been greater]()
Liverpool's competition for places has never been greater
Liverpool FanZoner Richard Garnett marvels over the competition for attacking places, and awaits the return of the Champions League to Anfield.
As always, a week is a long time in football. Liverpool's defeat to Manchester City was soon forgotten following last Sunday's comprehensive victory at White Hart Lane.
The team that had paid the price at the Etihad for squandering opportunities and defensive lapses could have been forgiven for approaching a tricky looking trip to Spurs with a degree of caution.
But this is Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool side - one that evolves with every passing game. A previously upwardly mobile Tottenham were stopped in their tracks by a red machine that looked vastly superior in every department.
If all the talk pre-match had been about new signing Mario Balotelli, then it was all about Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge at the full time whistle.
Balotelli merely played a supporting role to the England forwards, who ripped the home defence apart with blistering pace and dazzling skill.
A lack of sharpness saw the former Manchester City enigma miss a clutch of chances, but nevertheless, his presence should not be underestimated.
Against Southampton and City, Liverpool may have been struggling to find their trademark fluidity but it was no coincidence that they caused more problems in the box on both occasions following the introduction of Rickie Lambert.
Rodgers' interchanging formations feature an array of attacking players but the lack of two established strikers on the pitch made life easier for the Reds' opponents in the first two outings this campaign.
It came as no surprise to see Balotelli thrown straight into the mix, with the extra presence creating a headache for Tottenham's beleaguered defence.
Elsewhere on the pitch there was plenty of reasons to believe Liverpool are picking up where they left off last season, only with greater depth and balance.
Alberto Moreno atoned for his mistake against City with a solid performance that was capped with stunning solo goal, which delighted the travelling Kopites.
It never does a player any harm to score early in his Liverpool career and that memorable effort will give the former Sevilla full back plenty of confidence as he establishes himself in the team.
With the timely departure of Daniel Agger, Jordan Henderson must consider himself in the reckoning for the role of vice captain. He is a model of what Rodgers wants out of players - bags of energy, willingness to learn and an ability to execute his instructions to a tee.
Agger's replacement, Dejan Lovren, will be pleased to get a clean sheet under his belt. The back four is still very much in its infancy, but it was rightly ripped apart for this new campaign. Allowances can be made providing the magicians at the other end of the field continue to deliver.
The offensive weapons at Rodgers' disposal are serious. Sterling, Sturridge, Balotelli and Lambert supported by Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Phillip Coutinho. The latter didn't even get a kick on Sunday.
None of these players are marquee global superstars (the one player in that bracket now plays in Spain). Instead they are all young hungry players who know that Liverpool is a team going places.
As Coutinho will testify, any drop in performance will see another player come in who could keep his teammate out of the side for weeks. Competition for places has never been stronger.
But with the welcome return to Champions League football, keeping the squad happy should not be a major issue for Rodgers. There will be ample opportunities for everyone to be involved as Anfield competes on four fronts again.
The Champions League group draw may have served up serious challenge in the shape of European Champions Real Madrid, but that is only good news for Liverpool fans.
Anfield is built for the greatest stages in football and they don't come much bigger than Madrid. Rodgers will champing at the bit to make an impression in Europe.
It will be a real test of how far he has come as a manager strategically too. He should do okay.
By Liverpool FanZoner Richard Garnett. Follow him on Twitter here, and don't forget you can follow @FanZone too!
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