Ferdinand, not world class? I will admit, I had my doubts about him a few years ago, and is over hyped, just like Gerrard, and Rooney, but really, he has been arguably the best defender in Europe.
And no, we don't have that many world class players. Mascherano is, and Gerrard is. Torres maybe, but it's too early to judge. We also have some very good players in Reina, Alonso (who was awful yesterday), Carragher, Hyypia, and future stars in Agger, Skrtel, Babel and Lucas. Why we have had a poor Premiership season? We are not consistent enough, and we don't have the squad to sustain a challenge over 38 games (not yet anyway, as our younger players still have to develop). Also, not helped by injuries to our best center back (any side will struggle if their best center half is injured), and our main playmaker for a majority of the season. And obviously, the yanks are cunts and haven't helped matters. And yes, we have probably overachieved in Europe, due to Benitez, which is why expectations are so high. I personally am willing to give Rafa as much time as he needs, as I believe his is a long term project, and we will eventually get there.