Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are often revered as Liverpool’s only match winners but the recently departed Xabi Alonso was every bit as important to the Anfield side’s cause and the Spaniard will be a huge loss.     Perhaps the midfielder’s role was not as significant in terms of scoring goals or turning a game on its head with a bit of magic in the final third of the pitch, but Alonso’s understated role was pivotal to the Liverpool set up.     While Gerrard and Torres are masters at getting on the end of things, it was Alonso who was the aristocrat when it came to initiating them from the back.   Manager Rafael Benitez’s style of play, while yielding results in key games, tends to err on the side of caution and they are not impervious to going long on occasions.

But on the occasions when Liverpool play through the middle, Alonso was the player to take the initiative by demanding the ball from the back and providing the craft and flair that the Kop craves.

As attack minded players cashed in and reaped the rewards, it was easy to overlook that Alonso was the man who presented the platform for them to shine.

Liverpool mounted their best challenge for the title in a long time last season and whether or not they can go one better this year could hinge on Alonso’s replacement.

A vital cog and the fulcrum of the team is perhaps the most difficult to replace and Italian Alberto Aquilani will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders to plug the gap.   While the components are there in other areas of the pitch, Aquilani will have to become Liverpool’s architect by building attacks and dictating the tempo of their play in the same vein as Alonso.

But if the Italy international is unable to take on the mantle left by the Spaniard, then it doesn’t matter how good the components are elsewhere in the team - it can’t function and operate properly without a brain and it could mark a serious set back for Liverpool’s title ambitions.

Other candidates to help fill the void vacated by Alonso are Brazilian Lucas, but some inept displays and poor decision making last season cast doubt over his credentials at the highest level.

The other key and often understated player in Liverpool’s side is Javier Mascherano and if he leaves the club then Benitez’s side could end up looking over their shoulder rather than looking at who they’re chasing.

Argentine Mascherano provides the physical presence and assurance in front of the back four and the partnership he strikes up with whoever replaces Alonso is crucial to Liverpool’s hopes of ending their long wait for the championship.