Fingers Crossed, Aquilani Will Not See The (Stadium Of) Light Of Day...

So news has broken that fans of Liverpool FC now have a date on which they can see what many are hoping is the elusive "final jigsaw piece" in the flesh. Alberto Aquilani is set to return early from his rehabilitation, and be a member of the squad to travel to Sunderland.

It's rather fitting that fans hoping for a revelation get to journey to the Stadium of Light to have their hopes fulfilled, but I pray that Aquilani never has to leave his seat on 17 October, for two reasons.

First, the team is on the verge of taking off - our attacking verve is rapidly approaching what  so many of us reveled in after the games against Villa, United, and Real. The only issue we have at present to suggest that we haven't just picked up where we left off is the defensive uncertainty blighting our early record.

But Aquilani wasn't really bought to shore up the back line, was he?

Secondly - and I am proud to say that I was one of the (seemingly) few to have predicted this - his introduction would surely be at the expense of my newest favorite Red, Lucas Leiva, who has been essential to the attacking form that we are currently enjoying.

This would be detrimental for a number of reasons. Most obviously, the momentum that Lucas is building as both a Premier League player and a (budding) Kop Idol would surely be muted, simply because many labeled him as merely a placeholder for Aquilani's first-team spot, and practically every other central midfield player we've fielded has been less effective or more inconsistent than Lucas.

And that's not exactly the best way to reward hard work and application, is it?

It would also heap undue pressure on Aquilani to adapt immediately to the rigors of the most combative league, in the most competitive area on the pitch. Granted, everything I've heard about the man suggests that he is loving life in Merseyside, but Italians don't exactly have a sterling reputation for fitting into the league, do they?

So - and I may be the only one - here's hoping Rafa leaves well enough alone and Aquilani plays little or no part in what will hopefully be another impressive win at Sunderland. Heck, simply for the sake of symmetry Rafa should just save him for the next fixture on the list and just plan to bring him on as a late sub.

After all, who can forget the last time we brought on an Italian as a substitute in a game against Manchester United?