January 2017. This was a month in which Liverpool personified capitulation.  

The Reds crashed out of both the FA and EFL Cup, in nine games they managed just a solitary win, coming unimpressively in the form of  League Two Plymouth Argyle.

This occurred in a month which is affiliated with feelings of determination, hopefulness and commitment, as people set new goals for themselves to overcome and accomplish. If Liverpool’s goal was to give fans new hope going into the new year, they fell somewhat short of the mark.

Fast forward seven months, and Klopp’s side find themselves stuck in a rut, again.

Liverpool are without a win in four games. Should they make it five against Craig Shakespeare’s men, this will mark Klopp’s longest winless run whilst in charge of the club.

The first game of this winless streak came away to Manchester City, a 5-0 drubbing; pretty hard to forget about. This was followed up by draws at home to Sevilla and Burnley, and Tuesday night’s defeat to Leicester.

The Reds must bounce back against the Foxes to ensure they do not spiral out of control, and keep mounting the pressure on Jurgen Klopp- who is under fire, despite doing a fantastic job during his tenure at Anfield.

The results in the January downslope were arguably much worse than the current streak, with three home defeats inflicted by Swansea, Southampton and Championship Wolves.

But, there is an air of familiarity to this dismal month, where Klopp and his men stared in the face of adversity: Fans turning on the players and Klopp, Klopp himself, showing signs of matters getting the better of him, and the absence of Sadio Mane proving pivotal.

Liverpool have shipped eight goals in their first two Premier League away games this season. In Chelsea’s 2004/05 title winning season, they conceded nine away goals in the entire season.

The Reds’ defence has come back to haunt them once more, as they rely on the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane, to bail them out.

If the Foxes inflict back to back defeats on Liverpool in the space of four days, it will leave Klopp in a tricky place, needing answers as to who he should be playing and who he shouldn’t.

However, if Klopp and his side can weather the storm it will put them in good stead going forward, with crunch games coming up against Manchester United and Tottenham over the next month. The last thing you want is to be entering games of this magnitude on low confidence.

Since the former Borussia Dortmund manager took charge, he has only lost two of the twenty matches against the top six he has been in charge of (Manchester United 22.3.15 + Manchester City 9.9.17). So, with the heavyweight clashes coming up, he will fancy his chances; but will want the team on good form going into this.

The Reds are already five points adrift of both Manchester clubs, who are reigning supreme together at the top of the table. So, these two games will allow Liverpool to make up lost ground and start their surge towards the upper echelons of the league.

After the game at the King Power Stadium, two tricky away trips loom.

Firstly, at Spartak Moscow in the Champions League, in what will be a very hostile environment, and consequently will make three points a tough ask. This is followed by a visit to the Sports Direct Arena, where the Reds will face up against former  Liverpool manager; Rafael Benítez’ Newcastle side.

The Reds lost this fixture the last time the two teams met at this ground. Current red, Gini Wijnaldum, netted a brace to leave Klopp’s men empty handed.

If Liverpool fail to beat Leicester at the second time of asking, they will enter these two tough away games deprived of fighting spirit.

Should the Merseysiders then continue to slump against Spartak Moscow and Newcastle, it will be seven games without a win- pushing close to the deplorable January streak.

Klopp’s men cannot afford to go off the rails at such an early stage of the season and lose pace with the leaders.

After their rampant 4-0 display against Arsenal, many tipped Liverpool to be in with a shout of the trophy which has eluded them for so long now. But, just two league games later and people are questioning if they are good enough to even secure top four.

A win at Leicester will reignite belief and place the Reds back on the path to success. It’s a long road ahead, but these three points will go a long way.

Tom Cavilla.