Last season, many people accused Rafael Benitez of rotating his team too much, especially in the early part of the season. Indeed, the Spaniard has changed tack this term, picking a settled XI for most matches, although there appears to be one position still very much up for grabs.

Those of us with Andrea Dossena in their fantasy team know that he doesn’t always get selected for Liverpool’s first team, with the Italian starting seven of the Reds’ eleven league matches to date. The Guardian reports that the left-back is fully aware that he needs to raise his game if he’s to be picked ahead of Fabio Aurelio in the foreseeable future.

“I am not fully happy with my level and, with Fabio in my position, the manager has the option of a player more in tune with the tactics of the team right now,” he said. “Eighteen months ago I would not have expected to be playing for one of the most famous clubs in the world. I do not have silverware in my collection in my career but signing for Liverpool I have a real chance to win medals in every competition we enter.

“There are new demands on me. At Udinese my place in the team was more secure than it ever will be at Liverpool, where there is so much ability in the squad. I must now get to a high level and maintain that, but first I have to battle to win selection. I am learning all the time. I knew that coming to Liverpool and a new league would improve me as a player. “

Dossena would do well not to play down his chances in such a way. While it’s nice to be modest, suggesting that Aurelio is better suited to the team’s play at the moment is hardly a vote of self-confidence. Do Liverpool fans rate their £7 million defender, or is the jury still out on him?

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