Source: Telegraph
Liverpool brush aside Singapore as Xabi Alonso makes first appearance of preseason
Xabi Alonso came on as a second-half substitute to make his first pre-season appearance for Liverpool as Rafa Benitez's side strolled to a comprehensive 5-0 win over Singapore in the final game of the club's tour of the Far East.
Andriy Voronin, Albert Riera and Fernando Torres all scored once, and reserve striker Krisztian Nemeth twice, as Liverpool ended their goal drought in emphatic fashion, but Alonso's appearance just days after it was thought he had ruled himself out of a game in Thailand so as not to compromise a £30 million move to Real Madrid suggests the player may yet stay at Anfield and avoid throwing Benitez's plans into disarray.
Alonso is likely to discuss his future with Benitez in the next 48 hours and will no doubt find him heartened after this display.
Javier Mascherano, likely to be told he will not be sold to Barcelona when he sits down with Benitez, played for an hour as he steps up his own preparations for the coming campaign.
Dirk Kuyt's impressive display after taking the captain's armband from Jamie Carragher and setting up both of Nemeth's strikes, as well as Torres's tap-in will have cheered Benitez too.
Most importantly, though, the club's youngsters, given the chance to stake a claim for a spot in the first-team squad on tour, offer hope that Benitez's policy of investing heavily in Liverpool's youth structure is beginning to bear fruit.
Nemeth, the young Hungarian striker, showed the clinical instincts that brought him to Liverpool's attention with MTK in Budapest to convert two Kuyt crosses, while also playing a delightful disguised pass to set the Dutchman free in the build-up to Liverpool's fourth, scored by Torres.
Martin Kelly and Mikel San Jose, both central defenders, looked composed, while Emiliano Insua, two years ahead of the others in his development, will surely be the club's first choice left back this time next year.
More impressive still was Daniel Pacheco, the highly-rated Spanish forward, playing in a deeper role and expertly prompting the bigger name players around him.
Liverpool's pre-season, thus far, has hardly been the serene preparation Benitez would have wanted, with injuries to three players and transfer rumours swirling around at least two more.
Funds remain at a premium and, should Alonso leave, his squad may look a little threadbare.
If his reserves' performance here is an accurate guide, though, his need to bolster his squad may not be as desperate as some fans first feared.
