Fernando Torres’s form may make him almost untouchable even for Rafael BenÍtez at the moment - dare Liverpool leave out a striker with 14 goals from 17 starts? – but Steven Gerrard has admitted that he attempted to persuade Thierry Henry to come to Anfield when the France forward was leaving Arsenal last summer.

The Liverpool captain may be as impressed as anyone with Torres’s form this season but his friendship with Henry allowed him to make some discreet overtures once it was clear he was seeking a new challenge. “I sent him a few text messages seeing if he fancied it,” Gerrard said.

“I would have loved to have seen him in a Liverpool shirt, just like the supporters would have. But he wanted to play for Barcelona so you had to respect that decision. However he’s got a lot of respect for Liverpool. He speaks really well about us. He is just settling in at Barcelona now and I’m sure he’ll prove again he’s one of the best players in the world.”

If Torres can maintain the start he has made with Liverpool since his move from Atlético Madrid, he could become talked about in similar terms as Henry. In the build-up to today’s visit to Derby County, Dirk Kuyt, who believes Liverpool cannot afford to lose any more games if they are to win the Barclays Premier League, says the Spain striker has completed the squad’s needs.

“He is exactly the type of player we need because he is quick and he is clever,” the Liverpool forward said. “We’ve got everything in the squad now and I think we are ready to do something really good. We will just have to see how far we can go.”

Today provides an acid test of how far BenÍtez has loosened his rotation policy. Torres is hot, with six goals in his past six starts, but will the manager allow one striker to play six league games in a row, especially in the middle of such a hectic sequence of games and against the bottom side? With Peter Crouch suspended and Torres having scored twice in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Portsmouth, as he did in the 6-0 thrashing of today’s opponents in September, BenÍtez must be tempted to stick with the Spaniard.

There is more than one reason why today’s match is a red-letter day for Paul Jewell, the former Anfield apprentice, but Giles Barnes, who is starting to show signs that he can flourish in the Premier League, contends that this is just another game in the team’s gradual progression and his own attempt to reach his peak.

Barnes scored his first Premier League goal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw away to Newcastle United and Jewell has again been moved to dismiss reports of a bid from West Ham United, who did make an offer for the England Under19 player in August. “Maybe Santa Claus will drop the cheque down the chimney,” the manager said. “But I know nothing about it. What I do know is I have not had any contact with any club about Giles Barnes.”

The attacking midfield player missed the game at Anfield in September as he was recovering from the injury problems from which he is only now emerging. “Every team in the Premier League is ruthless, not just Liverpool. That’s why it’s the best league in the world,” he said. “It would be nice to get one over on them because we got hurt that day. For me, Liverpool is another game under my belt to get me match-fit. The lads all got a head start on me because I was out at the start of the season. It was very disappointing but I feel like I’m getting fitter and getting stronger. The gaffer’s given me a lot of confidence.”

Jewell started his career with Liverpool and made his managerial mark against them on the final day of the 1999-2000 season when victory at Valley Parade allowed Bradford City to maintain their top-flight status.

“The only thing I’m looking forward to is trying to get a result for Derby,” the manager said. “Liverpool is the club I supported as a kid. But, at this moment, I’m a Derby County supporter. I’d love Liverpool to win the league – if we can’t win it.”

Jewell believes the drubbing Derby received at Anfield should be a reminder that top players cannot be left unmarked. “I wasn’t at the game but 6-0 is a hiding,” he said. “It can happen against the top teams. When the top teams get going and you’re not at the races, it can be even more. We have got to make sure we defend properly. If we defend like we did against Newcastle we’ll concede more goals.”