Football Shirts

This week, the Liverpool squad will take a great deal of satisfaction from the sight of the Barclay’s Premier League table – or rather they would do if Kenny Dalglish allowed them such moments of reflection. They currently occupy sixth place following four consecutive wins, lavishly furnished with matching clean sheets – their highest position so far this season – and will now have a top-four finish clearly in their sights and the footballbetting reflects this.

The arrival of Dalglish has invigorated a club about which there was so much doom and gloom just two short months ago. Whilst no-one is suggesting that Liverpool have suddenly become the finished article, the degree of freedom which the Scot is allowed by the Kop, coupled with the fans’ tremendous support is certainly a step in the right direction, even if no one would bet on Premier League glory coming their way this season.

From being a club which – despite a fine and long-standing tradition of never washing its dirty linen in public – had become somewhat used to seeing its name adorn the back pages of newspapers for all the wrong reasons, all of a sudden there is a quiet dignity about the place. In the wake of Torres’ departure to rivals Chelsea, there was no animosity and no backlash – the club simply viewed a potentially emotive change of allegiance for what it was: a piece of business.

Dalglish has made it perfectly clear that there is no one and nothing which is more important than the individuals directly connected to the club – be they on the payroll or filling the terraces – and for all Sky Sport’s dramatic talk of Sunday’s game being a case of Torres vs. Liverpool, the Reds’ manager simply viewed it as a chance to take three points and in doing so, to put his club into a better position than the one they started the day in. That done he is now preparing his side for the visit of Wigan on Saturday, before a double-header against Sparta Prague in the last-32 of the Europa League.

There is no doubt that Liverpool now look like a top seven side again, but whether or not they can mount a serious challenge for a Champions’ League qualifying spot remains to be seen.

Given the careful, yet slightly manic stage-management of transfer deadline day by Sky Sports, with reporters stationed outside every stadium or training ground, you could be forgiven for thinking they also had a hand in the fixture list as well.

Because, just a week after completing that record-smashing £50million switch from Liverpool to Chelsea Fernando Torres will make his Blues debut at home against his former employers.

For a broadcaster who likes to make football a cinematic experience, it is a script they certainly would have written had they had the chance.

For it will be a fixture that needs no hype or false excitement placed on it. For Liverpool, the old guard with a glorious past, will be determined to put the cheeky cockney, nouveau riche upstarts from West London in their place and fans from both sides will be keeping a close eye on the goalwire livescore.

Make no mistake Reds fans were deeply hurt by Torres’ defection. They aren’t used to players wanting to leave the club, especially not to a league rival. It is usually the other way round, which explains the amount of vitriolic abuse Torres has received and will receive on Sunday.

It also explains why new signings Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll have been received so warmly. The supporters, with their egos bruised, are keen to block out the fact they are no longer seen by some as a club where you can win trophies. It has only firmed up their belief – or determination to believe – that Kenny Dalglish can lead them to another glorious era. Livescore football fans will see this as something of a test for the new era.

For Chelsea some nagging doubts must remain about which Fernando Torres they have actually bought. Is it the player who hit 33 goals in his debut Premier League season? Or the one who, in recent years, has spent more time either on the treatment table or, when he does make it onto the field, sulking and whining to himself about perceived injustices?

We won’t get the full answer on Sunday, but we may just get the first glimpse, which is more than enough for the Sky Sports hype machine to go into overdrive.