ZENDEN: I'M GETTING BACK TO MY BEST

Paul Rogers 18 October 2005 Bolo Zenden believes fans are finally starting to see the best of him after a slightly frustrating start to Anfield life for the midfielder who last season was voted Middlesbrough's Player of the Year. Against Blackburn on Saturday, Zenden showed flashes of the skill that prompted Rafael Benitez to move for him in the summer as he hit the bar and created the pbutt for Djibril Cisse that that led to Rovers being reduced to 10-men in the first-half.

It was his best performance yet for Liverpool but the player himself admits that it would have been so much sweeter if his shot had gone in rather than crash against the bar.

"It was very close and I'm very eager to get my first goal for the club," revealed Zenden. "Saturday was the closest I've been and I'm still looking forward to getting off the mark. It was nice to be involved again. Against Chelsea I was on the bench for one game and didn't feature at all in the other, so I was pleased to be on the team sheet. I thought I had a good game. Maybe it was my best game for Liverpool so far. It's not always easy to be in and out of the team, but that's how the manager works and it's up to the players how they adapt. There are four competitions to compete for and he wants to make sure everyone is fit.

"We decided to start off in a 4-4-2 formation but then after a few minutes change to a 3-3-2-2. That allowed me to play in the middle and support the strikers and I think we caused them a lot of problems. I was pleased because I like to get forward. I can also play on the wing, although sometimes you get isolated out there and you have to wait a while to get the ball. It's true that when you're in the middle you're more involved and you can show yourself more because you're always around the ball."

While the goals are still yet to flow for Liverpool from open play so far this season, Zenden believes the team are creating enough chances to give the fans plenty of reasons to remain positive.

"We do create but we're not getting the goals," he said. "The biggest problem is when you don't create. If you have to rely on set-pieces it's a problem, but in modern football a lot of goals come from set-plays. We are getting the chances and I'm confident we will get the goals from open play, but in the end the most important thing is getting any type of goals. What you want is three points and if you can get more goals that's great for the fans."

Jay -- LIVERPOOL FC - KINGS OF EUROPE MANCHE$TER BUCCANEERS & BLUEpooE - KINGS OF COMEDY