Liverpool to draw upon George Michael to scratch nineteen year itch

And so we come to the most important component. Rafa.

It's his fifth year and this is finally the squad he wants. He never really wanted Cisse, Bellamy or Pennant. He could have gone for Quaresma, Silva, Villa, Moutinho... but he has chosen Barry and Keane.

He saw what a lot of us saw last season, particularly in the second half of it. A side that is capable of winning the league with a few missing ingredients. Forget all this "last piece of the jigsaw" nonsense, because Rafa would never adhere to such a strict structure. He has identified his targets and, it would appear, he has got them.

For anyone who complains that we need to sign "world class wingers" are missing two vital components of that: one, there aren't any around; and secondly, we don't play with wingers. We have three players who drift in and around Torres, but very rarely do they go massively wide.

That's why we've signed two attacking full-backs. If you noted the first few glimpses of them, they don't bomb crosses into the box... they simply get forward and support the front four. This is how we gained the most goals last season and Rafa has acted upon this.

As George Michael sang: "Whose place is in the past // Hand in hand with ignorance and legitimate excuses." For the past seventeen years, we've seen ignorance (Evans' lack of a back-three; Houllier's persistence with his mediocrity) and also some legitimate excuses (Houllier's illness possibly the ultimate one).

Rafa is not perfect. He has shown signs of ignorance at times which has hindered us, although it isn't the media-driven claims of rotation or zonal marking; it is more the inability to beat the other top three. He's also had legitimate excuses; boardroom squabbles, lack of funds, inability to get the players he wants for this football team. Next season though, it will stop. I've never been more confident of anything in my life.

The man knows what he's doing and as a result, this team knows what it's doing. We've got a brilliant Torres/Gerrard partnership, an excellent back five, a rejuvenated Kuyt and most importantly: the team and squad he has been striving for, for the past five years. George and Tom need to keep their noses out and we need to keep our noses in front of those down the motorway.

It's apt to finish with another line from a George Michael song. You've gotta have faith.

If George and Tom show Rafa the faith he deserves, as well as the fans inside the stadium, then number nineteen could be underneath the Christmas tree come May.

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