Manager Kenny Dalglish accepts he is going to have to manage Luis Suarez carefully to make sure Liverpool see the best of the Uruguayan this season.
The Reds recorded a 2-0 victory at Arsenal on Saturday - their first away Barclays Premier League win over the Gunners in a decade - following the introduction of Suarez and Raul Meireles.
It was the duo who combined to force the breakthrough after Arsenal had been reduced to 10 men in the wake of Emmanuel Frimpong's red card when Ignasi Miquel's clearance bounced off Aaron Ramsey and into the net. Suarez then tapped in a second goal in the final minute.
Suarez, 24, impressed in Uruguay's Copa America win this summer, and Dalglish feels if he can keep all of his frontmen fresh, then that can only benefit the long-term good of the squad.
"Last week (against Sunderland) maybe I was being a wee bit romantic with Luis," the Scot said.
"It was unfair on him, he was coming back and was on such a high and looked sharp in training. I thought I would give him a game.
"Maybe last week it was the wrong decision from me.
"He still scored the goal, still played well, but he just never had the energy he normally has. Maybe we just brought him back a wee bit too soon."
Dalglish added: "We have got to manage Luis' circumstances the same as we have everybody else's. There were another four or five lads there who we had for the first time.
"Raul Meireles has had a difficult pre-season with injuries so we have got to look after him as well as Luis."
Liverpool have spent millions strengthening the squad, which Dalglish believes can help them go better than last season when they failed to qualify for Europe despite rallying once the Anfield legend was back at the helm.
The Scot hinted there could yet be more comings and goings ahead of the transfer deadline, but is also content with the current group.
"It is inevitable that movement goes on in football," said the Liverpool manager.
"If someone taps on your door for whatever reason... but if everybody stays here I don't have any problems."
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Christian Poulsen's agent has revealed Liverpool are willing to let the midfielder leave the club.
The Denmark international has found himself out of favour at Liverpool after failing to make an impact since arriving from Juventus last summer.
The summer signings of midfielders Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam have pushed Poulsen further down the pecking order at Anfield and the club are now prepared to offload the 31-year-old.
Poulsen's agent, Jorn Bonnesen, has confirmed the player has been told he will not be playing regularly for Liverpool this season and that he is looking for a new club for the midfielder.
"I've talked with Liverpool now. They have said that they are not confident that they can meet Christian's desire for playing time, and they understand that we are trying to find a new club for Christian," Bonnesen told bold.dk.
"We look about us and explore the options.
"There are clubs interested, but I can not tell more about the possibilities."
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New signing Jose Enrique dreams of making his debut in the Champions League with Liverpool but admits the battle for the top four will be closer than ever this season.
The 25-year-old made his debut for the Reds in last weekend's opening match of the Barclays Premier League against Sunderland, just over 24 hours after completing his £6million transfer from Newcastle.
He enjoyed a solid debut at left-back in which the team dominated the Black Cats in the first half but faded after the break and had to settle for a draw.
Enrique said part of the reason of moving to a big club like Liverpool was the lure of the Champions League, in which he is yet to play.
"Everyone wants to be there. I've never played in the Champions League and it's a dream for me," he said.
"You have to be realistic, it's really difficult this year because the Premier League is the best league in the world and six or seven or eight teams here are really good.
"It's very difficult to be there but if we play like we played in the first half against Sunderland I think we can be there."
Enrique is seen as the solution to what seems to have been an almost perennial problem at left-back for Liverpool.
But despite being thrust into the side after just one training session - as a result of a late injury to Fabio Aurelio - he is taking nothing for granted, although he is expected to start at Arsenal on Saturday.
"We have an amazing squad. There are two or three left-backs here, maybe more," he added.
"Fabio Aurelio is a really good player. He's been unlucky with injuries but he's really good. I saw him playing for Valencia.
"It's good for the players to have competition because you know your work is never done.
"I still need more time. I hope in the game [against Arsenal] I can play like I did for Newcastle but I think I need more matches to know the players and of course they need to know me more too."
Manager Kenny Dalglish was more than happy with the way the likeable Spaniard fitted in almost seamlessly against Sunderland.
And the Scot said it had been the same off the pitch.
Dalglish put that down to the fact the player already had plenty of experience of English football, having joined Newcastle from Villarreal in 2008.
"Jose has settled in very well. He is a good player, has experience in the Premier League and has settled into the way of life in England and that is helpful to us as well," said the Reds boss.
"It is always helpful when you know the environment you are in and for us that was an important factor when we were looking for a full-back.
"We wanted someone who had a knowledge of the game in the Premier League and certainly he had that last season and also the season when they got relegated."
And Dalglish joked: "He's been here three years; his English is better than mine and his football is better than mine - we are quite happy with the signing of Jose."
When it was pointed out it was a bold statement to say the Spaniard played better football than the Liverpool icon Dalglish quipped: "You've not seen me play recently."
The Scot said Enrique's arrival did not signal the end of reserve team defender Jack Robinson's first-team chances but pointed out it would have been unfair on the 17-year-old to expect him to withstand a gruelling league campaign while he is still developing.
"It is a position we had to strengthen," he explained.
"Young Jack Robinson has fantastic potential but we have to be responsible to Jack because he is 17 and to throw him in and expect him to play a full season would have been wrong.
"But he will be there or thereabouts."
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New Liverpool defender Jose Enrique is targeting a top four finish this season and hopes his move to Anfield will bring him international recognition.
The Spaniard made his debut against Sunderland on Saturday just over 24 hours after completing a £6million move from Newcastle.
Enrique made a quietly confident start to his Reds career but knows he and his new team-mates will have to perform much better if they are to break back into the top four having missed out for the last two seasons.
"We want to get back into the top four this season and if we could win the Premier League that would be fantastic, but we have to be realistic," he said.
"A lot of teams have spent a lot of money and for me this league is the most competitive one in the world.
"Seven teams could finish in the top four but we want to be there and we will do everything we can to make that possible.
"In the first half (against Sunderland) we played some unbelievable stuff and we need to do that for 90 minutes. If we can do that then we can beat anyone."
The 25-year-old Enrique is seen as the solution in what has been a long-term problem position for Liverpool and is certain to come under more scrutiny than he did at St James' Park.
However, he hopes that will work to his advantage as he still harbours ambitions to break into the national side.
"It would be fantastic to get into the Spain squad because for every player it's a dream to play for your country," he told liverpoolfc.tv.
"But my first priority is Liverpool and helping us get back into the top four this year."
One of the key factors in Liverpool regaining their Champions League status will be the form of £35million club-record signing Andy Carroll.
He arrived at Anfield in January with a thigh problem and was never fully fit for the remainder of the season but Enrique, who saw Carroll at his best when the pair played together at Newcastle, has backed the England striker to come good.
"I watched him play last season and I knew he wasn't fit here," he added.
"I don't care if the player is Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, if a player is not fit, he is not fit.
"For us in Newcastle he was brilliant and I am sure he will be brilliant for Liverpool.
"He is a very good player. When a club like Liverpool pays £35million for Andy I know it is not lucky.
"It is because they think he is a good player. I am sure he is going to do a lot of things very good for us.
"He is playing very well in his position and he is going to be an important player this season."
Another player who came under the spotlight at the weekend was youngster Jon Flanagan.
With Glen Johnson injured he was selected at right-back ahead of Martin Kelly but had a second half to forget as he lost Sebastian Larsson for the Black Cats' equaliser and appeared to suffer a lack of confidence as a result.
The 18-year-old, who only made his first-team debut in March against Manchester City, admits he still has plenty to learn.
"I just want to continue improving," he told LFC Magazine.
"There are areas where I need to get better such as going forward and crossing. I need to work on everything.
"With lads like Glen and Martin there is plenty of competition in the squad. That's always good to have.
"It means if you do get in the team you have to take the chance. Martin is only a few years older than me. He came in last season and did brilliantly. He showed exactly how to grab an opportunity."
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was pleased as Steven Gerrard returned to light training this week.
According to reports in the Guardian, the Liverpool midfielder is on schedule to recover from the infection that prevented him from playing in their 1-1 draw with Sunderland last weekend.
He was scheduled to return to action in August after groin surgery in March earlier this year, but had to postpone his return after the infection.
However, Dalglish announced that the player was on his way back to fitness, saying:"Stevie will be stepping up his recovery this week".
The England star is expected to return to the pitch mid-September, and will still not be able to make England's European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales in September, much to Three Lions manager Fabio Capello's disappointment.
There was other good news at Anfield as Martin Skrtel is also scheduled to return to training after recovering from a calf injury sustained in pre-season, though that was tempered by yet another injury to Fabio Aurelio, who damaged his achilles tendon in training on last Friday.
Looking back at the draw against Sunderland, new signing Jose Enrique gave striker Andy Carroll a pat on the back for his performances, and believes that the Englishman will soar at Merseyside sooner than later.
"Andy was brilliant for us at Newcastle and I am sure he will be the same for Liverpool," the Spaniard said. "He is a very, very good player. When a club like Liverpool pays £35m for Andy, I know it is not by chance. It is because they think he is a good player.
"I watched him play last season and I knew he wasn't fit here. I don't care if the player is Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, if a player is not fit, then he cannot play properly. He is playing very well in his position and he is going to be an important player this season."
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