Despite the title, this isn’t going to be the usual player-by-player analysis but rather an overall look at Liverpool’s season so far. The truth is that the defeat against Aston Villa was too deflating and my thoughts are still too clouded to really sort out those who played well from those who didn’t.

Actually, that’s not really correct: I don’t think that anyone played particularly well on the evening. At the same time, no one played that badly. From the moment that Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Steven Gerrard contrived to outdo each other in finding ways not to score early on you realised that it was going to be one of those games where no matter how hard everyone tried, it wasn’t going to be.

By the look on Gerrard’s face after Friedel had side-footed his shot away, the players seemed to think so as well. And the theory was proven when Villa scored their two goals. Then, when at last the margin had been narrowed, Gerrard himself foolishly gave away a penalty to effectively kill off the game.

Indeed, it has been that kind of error strewn and misfortune plagued season so far. Liverpool were second best for most of the game against Tottenham and deserved to lose. But can anyone say that, hand on heart, Assou Ekoto will manage to hit a volley as sweetly as he did against us to score the first goal for them? Or that Aston Villa will score a luckier goal then they did through Lucas’s deflected header?

It will sound like a desperate search for an excuse but Liverpool have been incredibly unlucky so far this season.

Yet that tells only half the story. Looking at the games so far, Liverpool haven’t played anywhere as good as they can. Much of the blame for this has, predictably, been apportioned to Xabi Alonso’s absence but that’s hardly been the case. Conveniently, everyone seems to have forgotten that Liverpool started last season playing worse then they have this season but got results because of individual flashes of brilliance and some good luck. Neither has happened so far this time round.

At the same time, it is impracticable for the team to lose a player of Alonso’s abilities and expect to retain the same tactics. Much as he tries – and I really feel that he is a decent player – Lucas will never be good enough to carry out the same role. Benitez probably needs to re-jig his system but the difficulty is that the best option is to withdraw Gerrard backwards: a move that would leave Liverpool lacking options up-front. It is the kind of dilemma that underlines just how much Liverpool miss that financial ability to go out and buy a player like David Silva or David Villa to boost the team.

There is also another factor: pressure. The fact that, despite such a magnificent record, Liverpool failed to win the title last season has upped the stakes with the feeling being that unless Liverpool win all their games they won’t win the league. Expecting them to do so, however, is unrealistic and is simply hindering the players from doing as well as they can.

Yet, again, the players seem to think so as well which is why Benitez’s biggest task over the coming days is to boost his team psychologically. They have to shake off the negativity surrounding the opening three games and go to Bolton willing to fight to get a result.

It won’t be easy but Liverpool have it within themselves to do so. And, with a little bit of luck, they can do so. That, for my sanity, is what I’m hoping for.