“Benitez rested Alonso in Monaco so he would be fresh for the Arsenal game. The manager said: 'He’s important to my plans and I’m looking forward to him playing with Steven Gerrard again.' If there is one reason Liverpool supporters should not give up on their new side, it is the potential a Gerrard-Alonso axis offers. Both tall, powerful, seemingly indefatigable and young (Alonso, 18 months Gerrard ’s junior, was 23 on Thursday), they also offer a rare technical brew together. Gerrard is all about power and explosion — in the tackle, shot, pass or run — while Alonso has a more scientific mien. The way his passes, short and long, arrive precisely weighted and at the correct angle for the player receiving them, can make them seem fashioned in a laboratory. Injuries have seen Gerrard and Alonso play 90 minutes together just twice so far. The first time was Alonso’s English debut, in which he was tentative, and the game ended in defeat against Bolton. The second was the team’s best game of the campaign, the 2-0 home defeat of Monaco, where, with Gerrard robust and Alonso pure refinement, they ruled midfield.”