Having failed to take flight after three Premier League games, Jurgen Klopp will be thankful of a Saturday afternoon visit to Anfield from a newly-promoted club.
But the Reds cannot be under any illusion that the game with Scott Parker's Bournemouth offers an automatic route towards three precious points this weekend.
In fact, Liverpool must alter a frankly absurd trend that began way back in May before they can think about finally picking up a win this term. Manchester United's opener in the Reds' 2-1 loss at Old Trafford on Monday was the seventh successive league game that Klopp' men have fallen behind in.
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And with an injury-hit and underperforming Liverpool team spluttering so far this term, having taken just two points from a possible nine, a repeat on Saturday does not bare thinking about.
Klopp has hinted that he has at least mulled over a re-think over his tactical structure but a lack of fit and available front players has denied him the opportunity to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
"We have, in the moment, five senior midfielders, and we have to start with three,” he said after the defeat at United. “We could start with two if we had more attackers but we only have three attackers, so it means we have to start with three and change during the game. How we want to start and how we want to change, we have to think before the game. That’s the only reason for it.”
That, naturally, leads to the question over whether Saturday becomes the perfect testing ground to tweak the system in an attempt to inject some attacking verve into a side who have so far been curiously bereft of any real intent in the final third.
With Klopp continuing to count the cost of injuries, removing a midfielder from his favoured 4-3-3 system could open the door to someone like Fabio Carvalho, who looked bright in his second-half cameo at Old Trafford.
It was the Portugal Under-21 international's initial shot that led to the save from David de Gea that Mohamed Salah pounced on to reduce the deficit. Could the former Fulham starlet be the key to unlocking the attack this weekend?
It's already a lot to ask of a 19-year-old who is taking his first tentative steps towards stardom at Anfield but at the moment, with Diogo Jota injured and Darwin Nunez suspended, it's a case of needs-must for Klopp as he looks to address a worrying start.
Carvalho operating behind a front three of Roberto Firmino, Salah and Luis Diaz will give Bournemouth an extra problem to concern themselves with.
Firmino seemed determined to move away from the centre-forward position all game at United, so Carvalho's presence in the team might at least afford him the opportunity to occupy the space vacated by the Brazilian and his natural inclination to rove.
With Nunez's suspension set to run for another two games, it would help Liverpool make full use of Firmino's natural game as a 'false 9' without compromising a threat down the centre in the final third.
Nunez, who sat out Monday's loss at United after a red card against Palace, will also miss Bournemouth before completing his ban at home to Newcastle next week. In the absence of the £64m striker, Klopp may be forced to get creative in the final third.
In midfield then, Klopp has four options to go into his two - should he choose to move to a more attacking set-up against the Cherries - with Fabinho vying for a recall alongside James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott.
It's unlikely that Klopp will pick Elliott to operate in a two given he is relatively new to the midfield position and Fabinho could be in line for a start after being named on the bench at United. It was a bold call from Klopp to drop arguably his most consistent and dependable midfielder and it is one that did not work out.
Fabinho could find himself back in the side this Saturday but the questions over Milner and Henderson will go on. The captain was a substitute in the draw against Crystal Palace after an injury of his own and is still not quite 100% just now.
In defence, Klopp's hands are pretty much tied thanks to issues for Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, but Joe Gomez was one of Liverpool's better performers at Old Trafford at least he started alongside Virgil van Dijk for the first time in the Premier League since 2020 on Monday.
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