Kuyt knows Liverpool must improve after below Standard performance

All the promise of an impressive pre-season build-up went to waste as Liverpool left even manager Rafa Benitez stunned with their shortcomings in a fortuitous 0-0 third qualifying round, first-leg draw with Standard Liege in Belgium.

A subdued Benitez looked to have the worries of the world on his shoulders on the return flight as he reflected on Standard missing a penalty and failing to convince the officials an earlier header had crossed the line.

Dutchman Dirk Kuyt says his side must improve on their lacklustre display against Standard Liege

Liverpool produced virtually nothing in reply, but Kuyt attempted to allay fears that they would again prove ill-equipped for a long-awaited challenge for the Barclays Premier League title.

Switching his sights to Saturday's opening game at Sunderland, the Holland forward admitted his side’s credentials would be under greater scrutiny than ever following an alarming loss of form against the Belgian champions.

But he backed new-look Liverpool to rise to the challenge, saying: ‘We really struggled, and it’s clear there has to be a vast improvement.

"No one needs to tell us we didn’t play well.

"Every one of us knows that, but we are now looking forward to Saturday’s game even more.

"It is a chance to show who we are and what we can do, and we are determined to take it.

‘We struggled with the conditions, but there can be no excuses.

"The plain fact is we couldn’t string any passes together or cope with their style of play.

"They were hitting it long all the time and doing really well in the air, which meant they won a lot of second balls.

"We found it really hard going, and they would have had a couple of goals but for Pepe Reina.

"We are very disappointed and want to step things up now.

"There is plenty of quality in this team. That was apparent in our pre-season games, and I know it will be there again on Saturday.

‘It happens sometimes that you have an off-day, but we will not play like that at Sunderland.

"We all know we have to raise our game, and we will. This was the jolt we needed, and we will respond."

As Benitez intensified the search for more width, with Espanyol’s Albert Riera once more coming under the spotlight, Jamie Carragher echoed Kuyt’s belief that Wednesday’s listless showing could be dismissed as a one-off.

‘We probably didn’t deserve to come away with a 0-0 but, for some reason, we always seem to find these qualifying ties difficult,’ he said.

‘After scraping through, though, we tend to go on and do well, so hopefully it will be the same this time.