For a season split into two distinct sections, Liverpool are beginning the second in exactly the same manner as the first - a cup tie against Manchester City.
But while back in late July it was the neutral venue of the King Power Stadium that played host to the Community Shield triumph, this evening Jurgen Klopp's side will step into the lion's den at the Etihad as they look to defend their Carabao Cup crown in a fourth round tie.
Few would dispute the opening months of the campaign failed to meet expectations for the Reds, whose progress in the Champions League cannot disguise them standing a whopping 10 points behind second-placed City in the Premier League table and a further five adrift of runaway leaders Arsenal.
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The six-week break for the World Cup at least allowed Liverpool to take stock and, as assistant manager Pep Lijnders explains, offer an opportunity to make the most of the recent warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
"It gave time to refresh our principles on the pitch," he says. "We don’t have time in the season to really train – you have three days and the boys are recovering. It’s not that you can give them real problems to solve with football because the next day you are playing but that is possible in this kind of setting: give them real problems to solve and then we can correct them, the ones who don’t move in a coordinated way or play to our principles. So that was a benefit, for sure.
"What did we work on? Moving together as a team, so when you lose the ball you are always there. Being aggressive in the moment we don't have the ball, where we want to be different from all the other teams, especially higher up the pitch. The confidence and conviction in our build-up, that we move together and we can bring the ball out and the flexibility in this. These things that make us, us."
Liverpool went into the break on the back of four successive wins, and Lijnders says: "I think we were on our way back towards the end, to be honest. We used this time, which was really helpful, not just to train the lungs, the legs and the heart, but also to work the eyes and the mind with video meetings. We know we can still be successful because there are many things to play for, so that's what we are going to try."
The early rounds of the Carabao Cup have offered opportunities for a number of Liverpool youngsters in recent seasons, with Stefan Bajectic and Bobby Clark among five to make a first start for the club in the penalty shoot-out win over Derby County last month, a game where 17-year-old Ben Doak made an explosive debut from the bench.
The trio featured prominently in the recent friendlies against Lyon and AC Milan in Dubai and are poised to be given further senior experience this evening, with Bajcetic in particular pressing for a start.
"(On Tuesday) I walked off the pitch, we trained, the session was insane – really cool," says Lijnders. "And I walk off the pitch with Jurgen and he does a whisper and he just says next to me, 'Wow, Stefan and Bobby Clark, they play so mature. They play as (if) they are 25.' And I say immediately, 'Ben Doak, can you imagine (if) he was a signing? If (he) would do this, what he is doing in this session?'.
"He's very quick, but if you are very quick and technical, that makes a really dangerous player and he learns as well really quick. That's really nice to see because sometimes you can be really quick, really good with your feet but if you don't learn (with the) team... I like that combination of speed, mentality and technique. He has all three."
Nevertheless, Liverpool - who are unbeaten in their last five meetings with City - will take advantage of the lengthy spell without a game by fielding a strong line-up, albeit missing most of their World Cup representatives.
Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson and James Milner are among those likely to start, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho also in contention. Caoimhin Kelleher is poised to feature in goal while Thiago Alcantara could play his first-ever game in the competition.
"The boys are hungry, they are passionate, they want to show this on the pitch," adds Lijnders. "You see that in each session and that's what we have to do. We know that we have to be committed to our way. We know against City there will be moments where you have to be really together, where it will not be easy. All of our boys have these experiences, so that is really good."
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