Too Early To Start Dreaming?: Liverpool 3 - Bolton 1

Let's be reasonable here. Liverpool have started seasons on fire before. It never really amounted to much. We're only three games in. Arsenal were a shell of themselves after injuries and sales. Bolton never showed up. There's such a long way to go.

Now that I've tried to bring myself down, I have to admit it didn't work. Because things are pointing the right direction. Every performance got a little better until today's, and today wasn't even what you'd consider full tilt. More encouraging, or worrying if you get antsy about chemistry and cohesion, is arguably Liverpool's two best midfielders haven't played more than 15 minutes in a match yet. And there's still a lot for everyone to learn with the new additions.

You can't help it. Rarely have Liverpool looked this fluid, or creative, or imaginative in....a decade? Maybe that's a bit strong, but the only time the football under Rafa Benitez looked like this was on the back of the brilliance of just Steven Gerrard and that striker from Chelsea who wasn't knocked silly today. And while Luis Suarez is leading the charge, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Lucas, Jordan Henderson, and Dirk Kuyt were all interchanging and linking, creating a visual symphony that has been far too absent from Anfield.

You can't avoid being encouraged, and it's getting really hard to not be excited.

-I've been hard on Jordan Henderson, and unfairly so on this blog. After all, we're all of four games into his Liverpool career and he's having to adjust to a whole new level of talent than he did at Sunderland. Today I think we saw what the higher ups saw before buying him. Inventive, tireless, and always part of an attack, Henderson floated seamlessly to each side of the pitch and the middle as well. His defensive coverage was better than it's been as well, though that was hardly required. And you can't put a finish together better than that. Still, when Gerrard and Raul Meireles are healthy, he'd still be my first bet to lose his place.

-I'm also seriously warming up to another new boy in Charlie Adam. While his price was far much lower, I worried about an immobile pitching machine that would constantly spray passes everywhere like the flame thrower dude from the opening scene of Lethal Weapon 4. While there was some evidence against Exeter of his over-ambitiousness -- trying to take a man on instead of a simple pass or being over elaborate -- when the radar is on as it is today he really keeps things ticking and everything starts with him. When he picks that glorious pass only when it's there, and keeps everything else on the basic level, he becomes a real weapon. Oh, and his set-piece delivery is simply pornographic. With Agger, Carroll, and Skrtel crashing the opponent's box all season, Liverpool are going to cause aneurysms for keepers and coaches on set plays.

-I bet Stewart Downing loses some sort of pool for being the last new signing to score, but he didn't know Jussi Jaskelainen was going to channel Mr. Fantastic after Suarez's sublime cross.

-Not sure why Skrtel ended up at right back with Carragher staying in the middle, but whatever for today, right?

-This Jose Enrique is looking pretty tasty, isn't he?

-Only concern is Martin Kelly's injury, which looks to be his hamstring again. But it didn't look like it totally gave way like last time, and Glen Johnson should be ready to go after the international break.

Liverpool - top of the table. I don't care that it's August or will only last a couple hours in all likelihood. It feels real good to write, and I bet it does to read.