This is their year...FACT

Liverpool 1 - 3 Villa.

I was curious as to how this one was going to go down across the country, especially that undoubtedly glum pocket around Merseyside. Excuses? Villa sat in front of the goal for 90 minutes? Or just the usual down-playing of such a shock result because it's 'early days' (just as we were lucky to hide behind last Wednesday)? Or hows about none of the above, as not even the fat, angry waiter can shy away from this one...

"Benitez's body language was downbeat as he repeated the complaints he made about Liverpool in their defeat at Spurs - too careless in possession, lacking in precision. All words that once again drew attention to the Xabi Alonso-sized hole in Liverpool's team that Alberto Aquilani will be expected to fill when fit. How ironic that Benitez's programme notes went under the banner headline of "Long unbeaten home record shows we're doing right things" when they sprinkled their work with so many wrong things against Villa". - Phil McNulty on bbc.co.uk

"Rafael Benítez demonstrated the seriousness of Liverpool's plight in where he apportioned the blame. Not with the match officials, despite spending the final hour at Anfield in a running dispute with the fourth, nor simply Lucas, the Brazilian midfielder who gave sudden impetus to Aston Villa last night and fresh ammunition to his critics with a dreadful own goal. Instead, the Liverpool manager chose collective failure and a lack of responsibility from his senior players. Their problems, on this evidence and their manager's words, run deep". - Adam Hunter in The Guardian

"This was meant to be the year in which Liverpool's long wait for the title came to an end. But with the season a little over a week old, Rafael Benitez's best-laid plans are in tatters with the club having lost as many games this season as they did during all of last". - Ben Smith on timesonline.co.uk

"...Sir Alex Ferguson questioned whether Liverpool would pose much of a threat, in light of so many pundits and newspapers predicting that this would be their year: “Liverpool have just had probably their best season for 20 years, finished up with 86 points and still finished four adrift,” Ferguson said. “It will be hard for them to match that, let alone improve. Other teams will read Liverpool better.”...it appears as though our manager is getting it right again. Not because I’m writing Liverpool off simply due to their start to the season (I wrote them off long before then!) but because they lost two games all season during their best effort in 20 years in 08-09 and now they have lost two of their opening three in 09-10". - www.republikofmancunia.org

And here he is to join in with the Kop bashing (and even adding a tasty twist of 'Gerard's to blame')...

"...we scored at a crucial moment [then] we gave away a penalty. We made too many mistakes at crucial times. It was a clear penalty.

“It was not only Lucas. We have to be fair. Gerrard gave away the penalty. There were too many people involved. If you want to analyse the mistakes of each player, you would have to analyse a lot of things in the game. We are talking about some names, but clearly the team has to improve and it depends on the experienced players to take more responsibility". - Rafa Benitez

Or how about you listen to the fans, Rafa? As clearly they chat more sense than you:

"The poor start to the season has nothing to do with fan-favourite excuses like lack of money; the influence of Hicks and Gillett or injuries - Benitez has simply failed to utilise the players he has in the most effective way possible". - www.liverpool-kop.com