Liverpool will hope a new month brings a change of fortune, with the path back into the Champions League looking tougher by the week.
January was undoubtedly a month to forget, with a combination of results, injuries and an underwhelming transfer window puncturing any momentum gained from wins over Aston Villa and Leicester at the back end of 2022. Instead of pushing on in their fight for the top four, the Reds have suffered chastening defeats to Brighton in both the league and FA Cup.
The physio room shows no immediate sign of emptying, with Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota, Bobby Firmino, Luis Diaz and now Ibrahima Konate all expected to be out for a few weeks yet, while Cody Gakpo has failed to make an instant impact following his arrival at the start of the window.
A look back at the 2022/23 Premier League winners odds from the start of the season shows just how far expectations have had to be tempered, when Liverpool were 9/2 second favourites for the Premier League title and a proverbial shoo-in for the top four at 1/8. Since then they’ve been pushed out to 500/1 for the league and 11/5 fifth favourites to make the top four - an unthinkable scenario back in August.
Of course, we all know how quickly things can change, and three points against struggling Everton, ideally alongside Darwin Núñez and Mo Salah finding their shooting boots, would make the crunch ties against Newcastle in the league and then Real Madrid in the Champions League feel a whole lot more winnable.
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