Stoney's right -- it both is and isn't time to panic. Right now, Liverpool look like a shaky mess, not a team that can compete for titles. But for every problem, there's a solution. Here's the formula for a Liverpool turnaround.

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Yes and no Last year Liverpool only lost two league games and finished second. This year the league is much more open, and I think the winner will finish with less than last year's total of 90. I don't think though that the game on Monday was a reason to sound the alarms. Liverpool played their style, and came away with plenty of opportunities. Friedel had a great game and looked unbeatable. If Lucas wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time and Gerrard didn't make a dumb frustration tackle then the game would have been much different. What does Liverpool need to do to turn things around?

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There's a sure buzzkill:

Rumours abound on the internet that Rafa Benitez could be set to quit as Liverpool manager. A number of bookmakers are believed to have already suspended betting on the next Premier League manager to go in light of the whispers coming out of Merseyside.

American owners Hicks and Gillett have made it impossible for Rafa to wield the kind of budget he expected -- nay, was promised -- when he took over full control of the team. Despite turning a profit in the transfer market this offseason, he's been restricted to a £1.5m budget, meaning one average backup on defense will be acquired from Greece. Perhaps his discontent has been the cause of the malaise infecting the club. Perhaps this energetic win today signals the end of a behind-the-scenes drama. One way or the other.

Was this Jekyll or Hyde? I suppose that depends on which side of the supporters' fence you sit. Either way, Liverpool played like an entirely different beast against Stoke City today. Maybe it was the home crowd, maybe it was the wake-up call from Tottenham (who looked outstanding again today), maybe it was something behind the scenes. Whatever the motivation, Liverpool played passionately for the first time this season, pre- or otherwise. It took me about 20 minutes to find a stream, and by the time I did, Torres was already 15 minutes clear of ending his very brief EPL scoring drought. I wish I could have seen it. What I did see was exactly the sort of toughness Benitez questioned about him -- a collision in the 37th left 'Nando with a nasty gash over his eye and blood all over his face. Within a few minutes he was already firing on goal again. The Guardian ripped Benitez for going public about his star striker's difficulties with physical defenses, and I was similarly irritated. I guess this shows that, when it comes to mind games, In Rafa We Trust. But let's talk about the man of the match in my opinion:

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Every Liverpool blogger I read went out of their way to say the preseason doesn't matter, that teams play totally differently when the season kicks off. That has been proven entirely false by the same limp, disjointed, toothless performance by Liverpool to begin the season that we repeatedly saw before it. As they ran onto the pitch, you could see the enthusiasm rippling through Tottenham Hotspur while Liverpool looked tired and wary. And though nobody put up much of a fight for the first 20 minutes, it was clear that Liverpool lacked aggression while Tottenham's energy would eventually wear the Reds down. Then the worst happened: Carragher, who was absymal in every way, inexplicably jumped into the face of Martin Skrtel despite clearly seeing Skrtel had the better angle on the ball. Skrtel looked like he broke his jaw but gamely played on for quite some time and Carragher got his head wrapped, and our weakest position managed to take itself down another notch with the friendly collision. That was just the start of the sucking.

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Results depend on infinite factors, and in the beautiful game they don't always reflect the play of the teams. Liverpool suffered 1 of their 2 EPL defeats last season at Spurs. I can live with another. My desires are simpler:

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From The Liverpool Echo:

VVV Venlo and Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda has claimed Liverpool are interested in him. "I was told before the match that a scout from Liverpool had come," Honda said, two days after scoring twice in promoted Venlo's 2-2 draw with ADO Den Haag at home in the Dutch first division. The 23-year-old Japanese, who won the MVP award in the second division last season, has already scored three goals in the first two games of the new season.

Here's a look at Honda. Follow the blonde hair, and note that he's the midfielder making the great passes, not the guys missing all the easy chances at the end of them.

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Come on. COME ON. With our top 3 center backs Carragher, Agger, and Skrtel all 50/50 to miss our opening game at Spurs, and having seen Fernando Torres limp off with an ankle injury at the end of our final friendly vs Atletico Madrid, and having replaced Xabi Alonso with a Roma midfielder who's played less than Michael Owen the last 5 years, now comes word that Steven Gerrard hurts betwixt his legs:

Steven Gerrard has pulled out of the England squad for Wednesday night's friendly against Holland because of a groin injury. The FA confirmed on Tuesday morning the Liverpool captain would return to his club due to concerns over a "tight groin".

I know, I know, it's precautionary. He'll play this weekend. But if he felt totally fine, he'd be playing in that friendly next week (despite it being the worst-timed friendly ever). You don't see Glen Johnson pulling out. There's very little truth to the rumor that this is Rafa Benitez's house. At least Mascherano's come around to staying. At least according to the manager.

I defy you to name one better.

Say what you want about Spurs, but with Defoe and Crouch and Keane bearing down under the guidance of Houdini Harry Redknapp (who's already done well with Crouch and Defoe in the past), they'll be a threat to punch in some goals. So when you open up against them on the road and your top 3 central defenders are hurt, you begin seeking replacements.

Rafael Benítez has confirmed his interest in signing Michael Turner from Hull City after Liverpool's defensive problems mounted at home to Atlético Madrid yesterday. {...} "It is true I was talking with Phil Brown [the Hull manager], but I won't discuss any figures," said the Liverpool manager. When asked if he would make a second inquiry, Benítez added: "Maybe."

I haven't seen Turner myself, but last season he played every single minute of every single game for Hull City, and their official supporters' club have named him the team's player of the year for 3 straight seasons. Last fall, there were even calls for him to play on the England national team. Based on what I've read, I'd love to see him come to Anfield, even if it's a fee in the £8-9m region. But if you've seen him play and want to tell me I'm crazy, please do. In the meantime, I'll go back to fretting over how easily Atletico Madrid carved us up with no Carragher, Agger, or Skrtel. Here are the goals from that "friendly" ass-whupping: