Liverpool suffered a January collapse last season but are they better-equipped to cope this time around? Nick Wright takes a look at the stats and examines the ways in which Jurgen Klopp has attempted to keep his side fresh for the second half of the campaign.
At the start of last January, Liverpool sat second in the Premier League table, six points behind Chelsea and with winnable domestic cup ties to come. Jurgen Klopp's side had rounded off 2016 with a 1-0 win over Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They were entitled to feel optimistic about what lay ahead.
By the end of the month, however, they had dropped to fourth in the Premier League, opening an insurmountable 10-point gap to the leaders. They had lost both legs of their EFL Cup semi-final with Southampton, and their only win in nine games had come against Plymouth Argyle, the League Two side who took them to an FA Cup third-round replay.
Liverpool had lost star man Sadio Mane to the African Cup of Nations, and his absence was compounded by injuries to the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Joel Matip, Nathaniel Clyne and Jordan Henderson. Klopp's overextended squad was unable to cope with the busy schedule. The dismal run of form derailed a promising season.
One year on, and Liverpool head into 2018 hoping to avoid the same kind of second-half-of-the-season collapse. Ragnar Klavan's stoppage-time winner ensured they kicked things off with three points against Burnley on New Year's Day, but can they keep it up?
Schedule
The upshot of being eliminated from the Carabao Cup back in September is that Liverpool's schedule looks far kinder than last year. Their current total of five January fixtures could rise to seven depending on whether Friday's FA Cup tie with Everton goes to a replay and whether they reach the next round, but as it stands they have a nine-day break before next Sunday's meeting with Manchester City.
Absentees
Klopp will be delighted to be able to call on Sadio Mane this year. The Senegal international, so sorely missed last season, scored Liverpool's opening goal in the 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday.
With eight other players out, however, Liverpool's injury list is currently the second longest of any Premier League club behind Watford, according to Physio Room.
Mohamed Salah is still struggling with the groin injury he picked up against Leicester at the weekend, and there are question marks over Coutinho too. The Brazilian is sidelined with a thigh problem, according to Liverpool, but with Barcelona looming and the January transfer window open, his future is far from certain.
Daniel Sturridge, Henderson, Clyne, Alberto Moreno, Marko Grujic and reserve goalkeeper Adam Bogdan are the other players out. There was a welcome boost on Monday, however, with Adam Lallana making his first start of the season after recovering from a thigh injury.
Klopp's squad appears to have greater depth than last season, too. The arrival of the £75m Virgil van Dijk gives them a much-needed upgrade in central defence, while summer signings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dominic Solanke should help them cope while Salah and Coutinho are unavailable.