Top. 12 years ago and now.

You'll probably have heard more than a few times over the last few days about it being the first time we've been top at Christmas, and now heading into the New Year, for 12 years.

You may recall that 12 years ago at the end of December 1996 we stood five points clear of all below us heading into January 1997 as we reached our pinnacle under Roy Evans, playing some of the best football we'd played in years. John Barnes' precise long range effort at Southampton's old Dell ground secured a 1-0 win in the final game of the year and our position, given our form was not unjustified, nor is it 12 years on.

We pretty much continued to set the pace at the top or were there or thereabouts until about April or "squeaky bum" time as Alex Ferguson once labelled it. But our bums slipped off the seats and we threw it away. Most damaging in that period were home defeats to Manchester United and Coventry City that realistically ended our title hopes.

Apparently, Ferguson later admitted we were the best team that season and should have won the league. But United were the best team because they came to Anfield at a crucial time of the season and meticulously took us apart before going on to win another Premier League title.

Taking teams apart meticulously is something we're specialising in nowadays none more so than today's destruction of Newcastle United. Yes it was a shambolic Newcastle side but it was impressive from us nonetheless.

It was a performance that underlined our fantastic completion of the first half of the season and we're all delighted to have set the pace at the top but it is the next five months that will determine whether we really are a different proposition to Evans' side 12 years ago.

The two teams' styles differ greatly. Evans slightly gung-ho approach and 3-5-2 formation had us playing some amazing football but we were always suspect at the back. Benitez's more cautious but effective approach has us pretty much impregnable at the back and incisive and clinical going forward.

A lot has been said about us developing into the machine that he created at Valencia where teams were hounded out of possession and picked apart and this is becoming more and more evident as the season progresses and nowhere was it more evident than today at St James' Park.

Yet there are similarities between the two teams. In 96/97 it was our home form that was our undoing. We dropped 24 points at Anfield, not something you can afford when your going for the title.

This season we've drawn four home games against Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull that we all would have counted as home bankers at the start of the season.

The anxiety amongst the Kop when we play at home is very evident. Understandably given we are at the summit and so desperate to stay there. But this anxiety creeps into the team's performances and unless we get an early lead we seem to struggle.

Put simply, our home form must improve in the New Year. There must be no slip ups. Realistically we should be looking to win every home game including those against the other big three, four if you count Aston Villa. At a minimum two home draws should be allowed given Chelsea, Arsenal and Villa have all to visit Anfield, but even that may not be acceptable. It depends on how many points we pick up on the road

Undoubtedly the side, the squad we have now is better than that in 1996/97. We have more truly world class players but then so do Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal, even Villa with the likes of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. The competition is just as tough now as it was then, probably even more so.

Chelsea again dropped points at Fulham today which gives us some breathing space but we should watch United below them with caution. They have three games in hand, win all three and they close the gap on us to a point with a visit to Old Trafford still awaiting Rafa's men in mid March.

What they have is experience, as do Chelsea. They know that points dropped now matter but not as much as dropping points in April/May time. United are the masters of staying in and around the top at this time of the season before pouncing when it really matters.

Traditionally we have finished strongly under Benitez. This bodes well. Our undoing last season after a good start was our mid season blip where we drew a lot of games before we once again finished strongly.

So far this season there's been no major drop in form. That said, before beating Bolton on Boxing Day we'd picked up seven points from five games but remained top thanks to other results, mainly Chelsea's similar drop in form.

It can be argued that this was our blip but you never know, worse form could yet be around the corner. We've waited 19 years for this title, in between plenty of false dawns, plenty of misguided hope just as in 1996/97 so it's better to be cautious at this stage.

I make no big predictions for 2009, that would be foolish.

Instead I have a few small ones. Mainly that Emiliano Insua will establish himself at left back at the expense of Andrea Dossena whose Liverpool career may sadly be a breif one.

Whilst Nabil El Zhar, a key player coming off the bench so far, will become increasingly important as the season progresses.

We've so much to look forward to in the New Year, top of the table, Real Madrid in the Champions League, the FA Cup. It's all in our hands, let's not have any regrets.

What a Christmas present!

I am sure that Raffa is shouting Merry Christmas to reds all over the world and rejoicing that history will prove that in the last 4 seasons the team that has been top on Christmas day went on to win the Premiership!

Now wouldn't that be nice?

I am the first to admit that we have not always been brilliant however we are on top even if it is only by the solitary point, however that is enough to win come the end of May.

While we have struggled with some teams and mainly at home I watched our performance against Arsenal and boy we were good, I still reckon, despite what their Manager said that we controlled the game for most of the first half and all the second half, a win would not have been an unfair result.

Roll on 2009!

An unlikely outcome

Two poor, poor performances and only one goal to show for it and yet Liverpool are into the next phase of the Champions League and top of the Premier League.

Yet with all that horrible booing that followed the final whistle at tonight's game you sure as hell wouldn't know it. We're top and yet we could be five points clear given the points Chelsea have thrown away in the last two weeks and that's what's troubling people.

We should be seeing off a team like West Ham as we should have done with Fulham the weekend before last. The fact that we didn't and we're still top is good but the fact we haven't taken full advantage and established a credible lead means we may have regrets come May, like we always do.

Last Wednesday's performance was pretty terrible. Once Gerrard put is in front we seemed to do everything we could to allow Marseille back into the game on top of looking pretty toothless in attack. Our progression from the group is deserved overall but we will have to up our game in the knockout stages.

It's ironic really. I could be sitting here writing about two fabulous, goal-laden performances that could produce only CL progression and joint top of the table and yet Chelsea's defeat to Arsenal on Sunday has not only helped us go clear at the top but it has raised doubts about the Blues' title credentials given they've taken just one point from games against the other big three at Stamford Bridge.

What we should be concerned about is that Manchester United may now have found form having negotiated well a difficult derby game in Sunday's earlier kick off. Equally Arsenal's inspired performance at the Bridge could be the catalyst for a renewed assault on the title but it's hard to know which way it will go for them given their brilliant win over United a few weeks ago failed to have that catalyst effect.

It all points towards a very tight race indeed and I'm glad we're amongst it even if the last few games haven't made us believe we can still be amongst it when it matters. But for now we're in the mix, we need to up our game over Christmas and make sure we are still there in the New Year.