WHEN there is so much negativity and misery hanging in the air, it is often easy to lose sight of the good things in life.

With the memory of the way Liverpool limped across the line last season still fresh and the club embroiled in a summer of upheaval, many supporters have a deep sense of foreboding about the forthcoming campaign.

But the close season provides a chance to take stock and, contrary to popular belief, it is worth remembering Rafa Benitez has not left behind a squad full of duds – you only have to count the number of Liverpool players at the World Cup to see that.

For starters, there are the Reds’ three English Lions Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson; Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina are with Spain and a brace of Argentineans, Maxi Rodriguez and Javier Mascherano.

Then you can throw into the equation Martin Skrtel (Slovakia), Dirk Kuyt (Holland), the soon-to-be-unveiled Milan Jovanovic (Serbia), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Greece) and – last but by no means least – Daniel Agger.

Agger might have suffered crushing disappointment, when Denmark capitulated against Japan and tumbled out at the Group stages for the first time in their history, but his own form means he can fly back from South Africa with his head held high.

Mind you, similar sentiments applied when he trudged out of the KC Stadium on May 9 after Liverpool brought the curtain down on a season of woe with a dispiriting 0-0 draw at already relegated Hull City.

Though it is often said foreign players cannot fully appreciate the emotions felt by supporters, that theory does not really ring true; Liverpool’s recent history, after all, is littered with continentals who have a genuine feel for the club.

Torres and Reina, for example, are on the same wavelength as those who idolise them; similar sentiments applied to Xabi Alonso, Dietmar Hamann, Vladimir Smicer and Sami Hyppia.

Going further back, Agger’s compatriot Jan Molby, whose brogue is more Cantril Farm than Kolding, showed it was possible for a foreigner to become a local and Agger – in terms of his thoughts on the Reds – is cut from a similar cloth

Molby’s position as Liverpool’s greatest Dane, of course, remains safe for now but there is no doubt Agger has started to show in the last six months he can blossom into the Rolls Royce defender many hoped he would become.