KENNY DALGLISH believes the opening of the Premier League is like Christmas Day for Liverpool FC supporters. But as they trudged disappointed from Anfield at the weekend, the feeling among LFC fans was more that of a New Year hangover.

It took just 90 minutes for the feelgood balloon on to which many Liverpool followers have been grasping throughout the summer to burst with an almighty bang.

The nagging suspicion the start of the campaign had come too early for Dalglish’s men was confirmed on Saturday with the anti-climatic struggle of an opening draw at home to Sunderland.

In truth, feet have slowly been returning to the ground throughout a pre-season that did not augur perhaps as well as expected given the club’s impressive summer recruitment drive.

Liverpool weren’t ready.

Certainly not in comparison to their Wearside visitors, who were better prepared, better organised and, most alarmingly, evidently possessed better fitness than their hosts the longer the game progressed.

Such has been Dalglish’s intent on giving all of his bulging squad an outing during pre-season, many of those he will rely heavily on this campaign were undercooked.

The Anfield manager may have dismissed the suggestion afterwards, but there’s a valid argument too much game time was given to advertise the likes of Alberto Aquilani and Joe Cole – neither of whom even made the bench at the weekend – at the expense of first-team regulars.

Of course, some lack of preparation has been out of Dalglish’s hands, given a clutch of injuries and the Copa America commitments of Luis Suarez and Lucas Leiva, both of whom were nevertheless included in the starting line-up on Saturday, Suarez despite having had less than a week’s training since returning to Melwood.

With four debutants, including Jose Enrique barely 24 hours after completing his transfer from Newcastle United, an element of the unknown was inevitable.

Indeed, six of Liverpool’s 11 starters were not at the club at the turn of the year, while a seventh, John Flanagan, had not yet made his debut. Even the manager has changed since then.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it will take time for Liverpool to show whether they can become the sum of their expensively-acquired new parts.

But time is a commodity not even John Henry’s money can buy, and with the Fenway Sports Group principal owner already having made noises of Champions League qualification this season and a trip to Arsenal next up, the clock is already ticking.

To be fair, for 40 minutes on Saturday there was a tantalising glimpse of what may be to come, as Liverpool, energetic and hungry, tore into Sunderland with Suarez, like last season, at the forefront.

The Uruguayan was involved in the game’s main talking point after just five minutes; charging down a clearance and homing in on goal, only to be upended inside the area by Kieran Richardson as he took the ball around goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Controversially, referee Phil Dowd brandished only a yellow card, Suarez then sending the subsequent spot-kick horribly into orbit.