Liverpool's hopes for a fresh start in 2023 came crashing back down to earth against Brentford. Then in the FA Cup, trepidation outweighed the excitement as the problems continued.
Said issues didn't just continue, they mounted on Saturday against Wolves. Although there is an element of luck with Hwang Hee-Chan's equaliser on Saturday and an error from Alisson, the struggles are glaringly obvious.
The Reds' defence of the FA Cup is intact, for now, after Toti Gomes' potential winner was ruled out by the assistant referee. The growing consensus around the fanbase is the desperate need for a midfielder.
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Arthur Melo's late arrival, after Jordan Henderson's injury on the eve of Deadline Day, hasn't panned out as Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool would have envisaged, with the Brazilian's time at Anfield spent mostly in the treatment room.
But at the start of the season, the German questioned the value of welcoming a new arrival in the heart of midfield after being probed on a "missing" player.
"We can go through it. Where do you want to start?" He said. “So, Fabinho, [Jordan] Henderson, Thiago, [James] Milner, [Naby] Keita, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain.
"Now you tell me what kind of player are we missing? One who is offensive, 1.95m and arrives into the box to head balls in?
"Creativity? If we bring in a player just for that, we immediately make it more difficult for Harvey, Curtis and Fabio," he continued. "We should not forget that last season, in the first four games, Harvey Elliott was the best player. He was outstanding. Then he had a bad injury. Curtis Jones: what a player he is. Fabio: you look at him and what he did at Fulham.
"Why should we bring a boy in and tell him he is midfielder number nine? It makes no sense. You have to leave the doors open for the boys."
The point at the time was valid as the Reds had a host of midfield options. It's impossible to plan for injuries coinciding with the busiest period of the season. In turn, the reliance on the squad has seemingly backfired.
Now the issues come during a time when pundits are beginning to latch onto the 'ageing' midfield argument and it's becoming increasingly difficult to hide behind that. Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Thiago are 32, 37 and 31 respectively.
As was the case during Liverpool's crisis in the 2020-21 season, the Reds are being lamented with bruising comments, as has been the case following defeats to Leeds United and Brentford. With Jamie Carragher's comments - in light of the disappointment against the Bees - portraying the daunting reality.
The options of Jones, Elliott and Carvalho are a caveat to the argument of an ageing squad as Klopp has lived up to his promise that he has left the door open for these players. But when called upon, the youngsters have failed to plug the gap at the base of the midfield which is struggling to work in tandem.
Now as a result, a previously strong, resolute rearguard has become fragile and the transition from defence to attack for teams is becoming too easy and far too simple.
Names such as Matheus Nunes, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are being mooted but it's unlikely huge sums will be made available in January for further additions following the acquisition of Cody Gakpo.
But what has become evident is that Liverpool and Klopp could well have their arm twisted into action in order to heed the midfield turmoil. Whether that happens this month or in the summer, remains to be seen.
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