Five reasons for Reds fans to be positive

1. The League Table
Benitez knows that things could have been so much worse. Losing four of their first ten league games, Liverpool
theoretically could have been 10 or 12 points adrift of the league's
summit, especially with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and
Manchester City enjoying useful starts to the season.
Instead they sit just six points behind Chelsea, and four behind
Manchester United. Those two sides meet at Old Trafford next Sunday,
meaning that if Liverpool can maintain a winning run, at least one of
those gaps will be closed further.
Furthermore, it is often said that all teams suffer a bad run at one
point or another. Liverpool's often comes around this period - October
and November have never been especially kind to Benitez - and, in
recent years, the form of others has been sufficient to blast the Reds
into the 'also-rans' section. Not this time.

2. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres
The groans which greeted the news that Steven Gerrard had failed to
recover from his groin injury in time to face Manchester United last
week may have told a story, but the fact that Benitez's side managed to
beat the Champions - and deservedly so - without their influential
skipper and with Fernando Torres less than fully fit tells another.
It is regularly pointed out that Liverpool have a dependence on
their prized duo, yet many of their best results in the past year or so
have come when deprived of one or the other. Two victories over
Manchester United, and a momentous win at Stamford Bridge are testament
to this.
Neither are expected to be 100 per cent for tomorrow's trip to
Fulham, and in truth neither have been at their very best form this
season - save for Torres against Hull perhaps - yet they have 12 goals
between them already. Imagine the damage they can do when their injury
worries are behind them.

3. Alberto Aquilani
It was the most delayed debut in Anfield history, surely. Three
months since the Italian landed at John Lennon Airport, passing Xabi
Alonso on the way through, he made his first senior outing.
And he looked useful. Not that it should be a surprise, of course.
Any player with caps for Italy and seven years' experience playing in
Serie A and the Champions League is likely to have ability. What was so
promising about Aquilani's 15-minute cameo was the manner in which he
settled.
Demanding the ball from the first minute, the Italian looked at
home, confident and eager to impress. His passing and technique looks
beyond reproach - fans of Roma will agree on that front - and with
Benitez's physical and tactical preparation behind him, the 25-year-old
will surely improve with each passing game.
There may be a few teething problems, as with embedding any new
signing (especially one unaccustomed to Premier League football), but
the signs are promising with Aquilani. He has Javier Mascherano for
protection, Fernando Torres to feed, and Steven Gerrard and Yossi
Benayoun to share the creative burden. Promising signs indeed.

4. The defence
Liverpool, it has to be said, have not looked like a Rafa Benitez
side at times this season. Slack marking at crosses, an inability to
clear their lines effectively, and a worrying propensity for conceding
dangerous free kicks have all contributed to a less-than-impressive
defensive record. Thirteen goals conceded in 10 league fixtures may not
be terrible, but for Benitez it represented a problem.
Reassuring then will be the way his side responded in the face of
the champions' threat. Led from the back by the immaculate Jamie
Carragher, Benitez's side defended like a Benitez side, and recorded
their first clean sheet in five games.
Daniel Agger's return has undoubtedly helped. The Dane brings a
composure to the defence that is spreading fast, and his distribution
skills far outweigh those offered by the man he has usurped, Martin
Skrtel. With Glen Johnson settling in well, and both Emiliano Insua and
Fabio Aurelio securing call-ups for their respective countries, the
signs are promising that the early season hiccups were exactly
that - hiccups.

5. Pepe Reina
The question of 'who is the best goalkeeper around?' is one that
crops up every so often, and inspires plenty of debate. Usually, there
are two or three standout contenders dotted around Europe, and it is
simply a case of choosing one.
Not so, it seems, at the moment. Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon,
Petr Cech and Edwin Van der Sar all have their champions, and rightly
so. But at Liverpool a player who cannot break into his national team
is fast staking a claim to be Europe's top glovesman.
Pepe Reina may sit behind 'Saint Iker' in the pecking order for
Spain, but Liverpool would not swap him for anyone. The 27-year-old has
matured from a good keeper who dropped the occasional clanger, to
arguably the most consistently excellent netminder in the business. As
Liverpool's form has stuttered this season, Reina's has remained at an
all-time high.
And, if recent reports are true, it seems the Spaniard is blissfully
happy at the club. A new, long-term contract is in the offing, and
Liverpool fans will be suitably thrilled if they can secure the
services of one of Europe's best for the foreseeable future.