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* WATCH brilliant video footage of Fernando Torres in action for Atletico Madrid juniors here

GRABBING the winner in the final against Germany was obviously a great way for Fernando Torres to end the Euro 2008 tournament and I reckon that he was probably the only player on the pitch capable of scoring that goal.

We're all well aware now that Torres is a special player and when you look at where he was and the fact that Jens Lehmann was hurtling towards him, he did incredibly well to get his goal.

With that little bit of pace and little bit of power he was able to get the better of the German goalkeeper and secure Spain's first silverware in 44 years.

I THINK Liverpool's opening game up at Sunderland could suit Rafael Benitez's side.

It looks like there will be no Kenwyne Jones for the hosts as he picked up a nasty injury in Trinidad & Tobago's friendly with England and although Sunderland seem to have plenty of cash burning a hole in Roy Keane's pockets it's unlikely that he'll know his best team for the opener if he brings in a few new faces.

It's a good fixture for Liverpool as the pressure will be off and Sunderland will be trying to win rather than looking at their own points tally so early in the campaign.

GARY ABLETT compared promising Hungarian youngster Krisztian Nemeth to Kenny Dalglish this week.

Liverpool's reserve team boss didn't say the 19-year-old will be as good as the man still revered as "King Kenny" on the Kop, but he did argue that the way Nemeth sticks his backside into opposition defenders before twisting and turning away from them brought back memories of Dalglish.

The comparison is an apt one because Nemeth can undoubtedly boast that particular talent in his wide repertoire of skills.

RAFAEL BENITEZ can search the globe for solutions to his defensive problems this summer all he wants. But if he wants to cut down on the number of goals his team conceded from set-pieces last season then it's not individuals he should be concerned with - it's tactics.
Liverpool employ a zonal system, which has generally worked just fine during Benitez's reign.

But once teams know you are going to set up like that, they work out ways of getting an extra man off to capitalise if the ball goes loose in the area.

From Benitez's own analysis, Liverpool conceded 10 goals more from set plays than they did in the previous campaign and that is a worrying statistic.
One which suggests that something somewhere clearly isn't working.

OVERALL VERDICT

A GOOD season, especially in the Champions League. If it had not been for John Arne Riise's late own goal in the first leg of the semi-final against Chelsea, then Liverpool would have been in Moscow.

A fantastic debut season for Fernando Torres, while Martin Skrtel has the look of a young Sami Hyypia about him and is clearly one for the future. Impressed in the UEFA Cup tie for Zenit St Petersburg against Everton, and although he suffered an uncomfortable start in the FA Cup against minnows Havant & Waterlooville, he has grown in stature as the season has progressed and looks a good signing.