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If recent Premier League results are anything to go by, long-deprived Liverpool fans could finally celebrate a bountiful year of prestigious titles. More importantly, it is to fill the trophy cabinet with their first Premier League title since 1990.

In a refreshing change this season, Benitez has refrained from tinkering with his squad - the rotation policy was discarded in favor of keeping the team spine together and results so far have been favorable.

Liverpool maintained pressure on their rivals with a 2-0 victory over Bolton at Reebok Stadium on Saturday. It was actually more sweat than inspiration and Bolton aided the chore with their insipid performance.

The match started off with a dominant Liverpool, intent to show that the midweek defeat by Tottenham in the Carling Cup was no major setback. Bolton may have anticipated the backlash and preferred to defend deeply. Gone was Bolton’s trademark tough, physical style as they allowed Liverpool to command the midfield without much hassle.

Liverpool’s possession was nearly rewarded in the 21st minute when Dirk Kuyt’s scorcher left Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen stranded but the bar saved his blushes. Seven minutes later, Dirk Kuyt could not be denied as he scored a brilliant header from Fabio Aurelio’s cross.Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard wasted chances to add to the tally while Bolton were made to rue their fortune when Gary Cahill had a header ruled out for a foul on Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

After the break, Bolton manager Gary Megson made a crucial change by introducing Ricardo Gardner in place of Fabrice Muamba. Gardner injected greater urgency to Bolton’s play and he was unlucky to miss two glit-edged opportunities. Bolton were now playing with greater sense of urgency and purpose and Benitez was forced to field his trump card (Fernando Torres) in a bid to regain the offensive.

The Spanish striker was still recovering from his hamstring injury and it was a high-risk gambit which paid off handsomely for Benitez. Torres turned creator in his first touch of the game but Steven Gerrard slid the ball wide. There was no mistake in the 73rd minute when Torres delivered a perfect cross for Gerrard to head past Jaaskelainen.

Bolton’s hopes of a comeback were effectively dashed. The match swung Liverpool’s way again and Jaaskelainen could not afford to take it easy as Xabi Alonso, Torres and Lucas took turns to test his reflexes. No further damage resulted, not that it mattered as the victor was never in doubt.

To sum up his team’s demise, Bolton boss Gary Megson: “We didn’t get in their faces in the first half. “In the second-half we did much better but we made a couple of elementary mistakes and you have huge problems at 2-0 down against a team like that.”

Bolton fans may be feeling frustrated over the injustice served by the referee (Styles had earlier awarded a penalty against Bolton at Manchester United) while Liverpool was again the beneficiary of “honest mistakes” by officials. Favoritism of the top teams, maybe, but that is for another discussion.

In any case, Bolton can only blame themselves for their generosity in front of goal, and it is all the more unforgivable, given the absence of two first-choice Liverpool defenders, Alvaro Arbeloa and Martin Skrtel. Torres was unleashed only in the final half hour which limited Liverpool’s finishing prowess. Thus, I will credit Liverpool for laboring hard to secure possession and claim victory.

Will Liverpool achieve a double this season? It is too early to say as the league table can go topsy-turvy come Christmas when the matches come thick and fast. Much has been said about Benitez “coming to his senses” and discarding the rotation policy but I think it is unfair that rotation has become a bogeyman for teams aspiring for the Premier League title. Rotation is still necessary when the players are injured or exhibited poor form.

To be sure, there are pros and cons to a rotation policy. In the past, Benitez’s main defense for rotation hinges on availability of fresh troops towards the end of the season where they mount a ferocious charge on the titles. This strategy was a masterstroke in cup competitions as you need only do the bare minimum to advance past qualification stages, and then focus on delivering the killer blow in the finals by fielding the best possible team.

In fact, losing matches in cup competitions could be a strategic move, in order to prevent burnout, gain experience for second-stringers, avoid a stronger opponent or even to eliminate a favorite. However, the Premier League is all about consistency and every point counts. You cannot struggle to collect points for the better part of the season and then expect to snatch the league title  at the end.

Last season, critics lambasted Benitez for being obsessed with keeping players fresh at the end of the season when there’s nothing to play for. Benitez has carried rotation a tad too far by tinkering with virtually all positions last season.

This season, Liverpool has displayed a new found consistency in the Premier League. There is a chemistry between players after playing together regularly and team spirit is high. Not surprisingly, Liverpool had turned some draws into narrow wins, an important characteristics of winners. Barring injuries, I will venture that Liverpool’s best form could well be ahead of them.

The title race is also shaping up in an interesting manner for Liverpool. For better or worse, Chelsea have discarded the stifling approach of Jose Mourinho in exchange for entertainment. These days, if the first goal is scored by Chelsea, you know there are more to come, unlike Mourinho who frowns on showmanship and prefers clean sheets over extra goals.

The new Chelsea under manager Scolari adopts an expansive style full of attacking verve and it is a joy to watch but the Blues have become more vulnerable at home (surprise!). This is due to teams adopting a tighter back line to contain the marauding Blues whereas in away matches, there is a tendency for teams to take on Chelsea. Scolari will, of course, relish such open duels with the quality of players at his disposal.

Currently, Chelsea are top of the Premier League with a huge goal difference and are set to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League. On paper, everything is going as planned but the aura of invincibility has been pierced. Clearly, Chelsea’s Archilles heels lie in teams which are well organized, adopt tight defenses and launch swift counter-attacks.

This can be seen in the penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of Championship club Burnley in the Carling Cup at Stamford Bridge, as did the Champions League loss at Roma and the Premier League defeat at home to Liverpool. Not since the end of the 2005-06 season had Chelsea lost three times in six games or less.

Then, there is the meltdown of Arsenal. Just one week after defeating Manchester United 2-1, Arsenal fell flat on its face again in a 0-2 loss to Aston Villa. The Gunners, nine points adrift of joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool, had already lost four times in their first 13 Premier League games this season, something unheard of since the 1994-95 season.

Statistics revealed that no team have lost as many in the first 13 games and went on to clinch the League title or even second place. Third place is a realistic target but it is scant consolation and will only hasten the departure of key players like Cesc Fabregas and Adebayor as they no longer perceive Arsenal as a Champions League and Premier League challenger.

Manchester United, as usual, are never the most consistent of the front-runners and in their usual trip, fall and pick themselves up manner, no alarm bells need to raised about the Red Devils dropping points. They do not particularly crave the top spot (at least until Christmas) where they stepped up a gear in the second phase.

It is clear that none of the Big Four are consistent enough this season and Liverpool can capitalize on this situation. So long as Rafael Benitez keeps the winning team together and the Reds last the pace without major injuries and suspensions, I don’t see any reason why they should be discounted as Premier League champions.

However, it remains to be seen if discarding rotation policy will be at the expense of a superior edge in April and May, given that Liverpool do not have as deep a squad as Chelsea and Manchester United. At the very least though, if Liverpool disappoint their fans, I am sure that rotation policy will not be vilified as the culprit this time round.