The Liverpool skipper, who is now battling to be fit for tomorrow's trip to Sunderland after pulling out of the England squad with a hairline toe fracture, reckons competition for places at Anfield is as tough as he has ever known it.

Liverpool have emerged from an unbeaten first week of the season with their confidence high. An opening- day victory at Aston Villa was followed by a professional performance to achieve a 1-0 Champions League qualifying round first-leg win in Toulouse.

And only referee Rob Styles' penalty decision robbed Liverpool of a win over Chelsea on Sunday. Now Liverpool must overcome promoted Sunderland to maintain their unbeaten opening to the season.

To underline his deep pool of talent, boss Rafael Benitez made six changes for the Toulouse match from the team against Villa and then another six changes to face Chelsea.

Gerrard said: "This is the first time in my Anfield career that I see genuine competition for every place in the team."

With Benitez insisting Gerrard needs up to 10 days rest following the Chelsea match to allow his toe to heal, the 27-year-old could miss the Stadium of Light clash.

But Benitez has plenty of midfield cover now and did not need to use Javier Mascherano from the bench against Chelsea, and failed to even include Yossi Benayoun and Mohamed Sissoko in the squad.

Gerrard said: "There are at least two, even three, players battling for every starting jersey and that can only be good for everyone.

"You have to play well to keep a place and there are no guarantees at all for the starting eleven each week."

With £40million of new summer talent in the squad now, Gerrard added: "We have made a positive start to the new campaign and the new boys have made a positive contribution to our success.

"They are still getting to grips with the intricacies of English football and the systems and patterns the manager prefers here, but it is a big bonus for us that they have all hit the ground running.

"That is the thing this season, no-one in the dressing room can presume they are an automatic pick because there is so much quality right through the team.

"We have sent a loud message to the rest of the league that we will be serious contenders this season, but that is all it does. Nothing is won in August."