AN opportunity to go two points clear at the top of league was missed against an ordinary Villa side.

This was a pretty drab encounter and yet another example of our current attacking deficiencies.

Lucas again struggled to make an impact in a Premiership game and Robbie Keane is still struggling to produce the Spurs form that earned him a move to Anfield.

Also the injury to Fernando Torres was needed like a hole in the head with Steven Gerrard already missing. At that stage of the game most people would probably have settled for the draw.

Really frustrating was our great prospect Ryan Babel remaining on the bench for the whole game. It really is make or break time for the Dutchman and if we harbour serious ambitions for him to be the real deal he must start games and for me he should be on the right wing instead of Dirk Kuyt.

Hopefully Albert Riera will be confirmed as a Liverpool player soon and provide the width that we crave. A midfield of Riera, Mascherano, Gerrard and Babel would really whet the appetite and lift us from the limited attacking game that we currently deploy.

Positives to take from the game were an impressive return from Javier Mascherano. His storming runs were just missing the final product.

Andrea Dossena also showed signs of improvement, with his crossing ability looking promising.

Another clean sheet also and, although Pepe Reina wasn’t called upon too often, he did look assured.

Next game is a must not lose against Man United, and our hopes are that both Gerrard and Torres will be available for the clash in two weeks time. Rafa must lift the shackles of this side, any teams with the individuals listed above should be more dynamic. Rafa has got the right personnel, he just needs to piece them together. We cannot afford to carry any passengers against United.