Recently by Mark Lawrenson

RAFAEL BENITEZ enjoying an international break? Well, maybe he won't go that far.

But the Liverpool manager can sit back, relax and finally know his side has got what it takes to realistically challenge for the title.

The mark of champions is the ability to blow teams away and make sure the opposition can't cope with you. Liverpool won that game at Manchester City in the space of 25-30 minutes and in that time they could have made the margin of victory even bigger.

WHISPER it softly, but Liverpool are showing signs of putting together a genuine title challenge.

And it may be that manager Rafael Benitez is prepared to gamble more on Premier League success this year than in the past.

He is putting out his most attacking teams since arriving perhaps in the realisation that it is no use drawing games if you want to finish as champions.

Last season Liverpool drew 13 matches compared with just seven by table-topping Manchester United, who lost one game more. But turning a couple of those draws into wins - even at the risk of losing the odd game more - would make all the difference.

There is still a worry teams like United and Chelsea have more potential match-winners, which is why Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres may need to be wrapped in cotton wool. But if they stay injury free, Liverpool are in as good a position as they have been for some time.

LIVERPOOL were well within their rights to go nuts about beating Manchester United last week.

But in the end it hasn't really made any difference. Because, despite the way the league table looks at the moment, I know whose position I would rather be in.

Look at it this way. If Sir Alex Ferguson decides to play Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo as his top three and they aren't doing the business, what does he do? Probably bring on Berbatov and Nani. But whichever combination he chooses he is guaranteed one thing - match-winners.

SOMETIMES you don't mind being proven wrong. In fact, in the case of Liverpool's win against Manchester United on Saturday, I'm delighted to be.
I was pleasantly surprised not just by the result but by the performance as well.

I would never have written Liverpool off in terms of being able to beat United because anyone can win a one-off game against anyone else. But before the game I was convinced they would get nowhere near to challenging them for the title.

They had no width. Not enough strength in depth. They were too reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

IT'S no wonder players are going round saying losing with England never hurts as much as it does with their own club.
You'd probably feel the same if you'd been messed about as much as Jamie Carragher has by his country. But the fact that he should have won many more caps and was hardly ever played in his best position is just the tip of the iceberg in the club v country debate.

Most people I spoke to in the press room in Barcelona for the Andorra v England game on Saturday were pretty much of the same opinion. Good on Jamie for being so honest about it.