Like a fantastic meal spoilt by a pretty awful dessert, Liverpool fans will view last season with mixed feelings. Gerard Houllier has built a squad capable of competing with the top sides in the Premiership, but a collapse in form during the last month of the season proved there is still a lot of work to be done if they are going to add silverware to a trophy cabinet that is only just getting used to a lack of attention. If success is to be achieved, Houllier will need time, but as he starts his third season at the club, he will be aware that patience may not be a commodity in abundance over the coming months.

However, credit where credit's due. Liverpool now look a different set-up to the side that has been prone to lapse in concentration, especially in defence, an area that was in desperate need of a makeover. Rather than a back line that throughout the Nineties resembled a group of shy strangers desperate to be introduced, Houllier has put together a solid unit well worthy of the best record in last season's Premiership. Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz have had a vital impact, and while a number of eyebrows were raised this time last year, Houllier has proved himself a shrewd operator in the transfer market.

This summer, signings such as an ageing Gary Mcallister and the relatively unknown Bernard Diomede may well have stirred worries among the Liverpool faithful, but they seem willing to now start giving him the benifit of the doubt, as the Frenchman tries to build a squad ready to challenge for prizes on both domestic and European fronts.

Having said that, it is time for certain members of the squad to come into their own. Houllier's high-profile signings, such as Emile Heskey and Vladmir Smicer, have a lot to prove, with the former hoping to put a disappointing summer voices behind him and prove some doubting voices wrong. Smicer, no doubt also disappointed with his country's fortunes at Euro 2000, will have to transfer his improving form in a Czech shirt to the red of Liverpool if he is to win over the sceptics at Anfield.

There is no doubting the depth of talent at the club (plenty of sides would love to have the likes of Dietmar Hamann, Steven Gerrard, Gary McAllister and eventuallyJamie Redknapp competing for two central midfield positions), but the coaching staff cannot afford to rest on their laurels, especially after last season's English cricket-like collapse.

Markus Babbel has been brought into add some quality at right-back, while Houllier will hope that the side's best strike partnership manifests itself sooner rather than later (though again, that is a problem that many Premiership managers would enjoy being faced with).

Expectations are high, and while last season, a Champions League spot alone would have been hailed as a success, both Liverpool and Houllier may need a cup victory as well as a top-three finish if they are to alleviate any doubts remaining among their support.

就像一頓豐富的晚餐被一客差勁的甜品糟蹋了, 利物浦球迷上季應該百般滋味在心頭。侯利亞建立了一支足以和列強抗衡的強大球隊, 但是季尾那接連的敗仗證明了利物浦要奪標還要下一番工夫。

侯利亞改善了利物浦令人咎病的脆弱後防, 使之成為聯賽內最穩固和最值信賴的防線。起用對於球迷來說可能略嫌陌生的希比亞和軒索斯為後防的重心, 而侯利亞亦因此證明了他是一個轉會市場上的一個精明買家。

侯利亞的隊中有著眾多高質素的球員, 這個暑假他再買入了已屆高齡的麥亞里士打和不見經傳的迪奧美迪, 配合配合一條由夏文、謝拉特、列納組成的中場線。後防線上有巴布加入, 而上季的主要收購的希斯基和史米沙都是時候證明一下自己, 剩下來是希望隊中最佳的前鋒組合能夠顥示他們的作用。 大家對利物浦當然有很高的期望; 利物浦和侯利亞應該需要一個盃賽冠軍和看來至少是打進聯賽的三甲位置以示交代了。