The brevity of success in football is a puzzle that all teams are aware of, notably Liverpool, with efforts made year after year to effectively equip for the season during the summer, and then instil a philosophy fit for illustrious success across the campaign.
The Reds' seasonal demise last year punctuated this point, with Jurgen Klopp's dynasty teetering on the cusp of its culmination as dreadful form and a loss of life unravelled the years of hard work at Anfield.
There's optimism anew now and the Reds are back fighting for a place at the forefront of the Premier League, with Saturday's fixture of the utmost importance: a clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
For Pep Guardiola's side, silverware certainly hasn't been in short supply over recent years, with Manchester City winning 14 major honours in just seven seasons since the sagacious Spaniard's appointment; Klopp has won six major honours on Merseyside.
On Saturday, Liverpool have a glorious opportunity to leapfrog their rivals to first place by defeating them in their own backyard, with the stakes high in one of the global game's most compelling and eagerly-anticipated fixtures.
Liverpool team news vs Manchester City
Liverpool are boosted by the return of multiple first-team stars, with the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle allaying fears of respective issues and additionally revealing that the South American players are fit and raring to go for the trip to Manchester.
Andy Robertson is taking his recovery from a shoulder injury "week by week", with the Scotland captain not expected to return to match action for the foreseeable future.
Likewise, Spanish midfielders Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara remain out and may well be shackled to the medical room until after the new year.
It is galvanising that so many players are in contention to start against the Sky Blues, but nothing surpasses the importance of having Virgil van Dijk in top form to stifle the threat of one of the greatest offensive squads in modern history.
Virgil van Dijk's season in numbers
The Athletic's James Pearce recently remarked that the Dutchman is "back to his brilliant best", having flattered to deceive as Liverpool toiled last year.
Liverpool signed Van Dijk from Southampton for a staggering £75m back in December 2017, with the 32-year-old since making 233 appearances for the club, scoring 19 goals, supplying 14 assists and winning the whole gamut of silverware under Klopp's wing.
Statistics (per game)
#
Apps
10
Goals
0
Assists
2
Clean sheets
3
Pass completion
92%
Key passes
0.6
Tackles
1.3
Interceptions
1.4
Ball recoveries
4.7
Clearances
5.3
Ground duels won
1.5 (75%)
Aerial duels won
5.1 (82%)
*Sourced via WhoScored
The club captain will be crucial in preventing the hosts from gaining a foothold, and the best way to do this is to negate the threat of Erling Haaland, who is a seemingly indomitable force in front of goal.
Erling Haaland's season in numbers
Some would argue that Haaland, aged 23, deserved to win the Ballon d'Or over Lionel Messi this year, having plundered 52 goals and nine assists from just 53 matches as his remarkable side soared toward an incredible treble.
This season, he has been as imperious as ever and has already scored 17 times from just 18 matches across all competitions – including 13 strikes from 12 matches in the Premier League.
As per FBref, the Norwegian machine ranks among the top 6% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 10% for assists and the top 11% for touches in the attacking box per 90, which is rather remarkable considering the amount of football that he has played.
Dubbed a "generational talent" by pundit Rory Smith, Haaland has been the ultimate centre-forward under Guardiola's guidance, an arrowhead with sharpness unseen on English soil, finishing off City's slick passing play with the deadliest of final touches.
Interestingly, he doesn't have a very good record against Liverpool, scoring twice from five matches but losing on four occasions, with his only victory coming in the Carabao Cup fourth round last December, where he scored as his side progressed.
Guardiola is a master strategist and he will know that to maximise his talisman's efficacy he must be channelled away from Van Dijk, whose masterful blend of qualities makes for a pretty good chance of diminishing the threat
As such, it's likely that he will be angled toward the other side of the central defence, and because of this, Joe Gomez must receive the nod ahead of Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.
How Joe Gomez can stop Haaland tomorrow
Having been branded a "footballing nightmare" by journalist Uri Levy last season – very much at the epicentre of Liverpool's struggles – the £85k-per-week Gomez has been enjoying an almighty revival since the summer.
Frankly, bullying the £375k-per-week goalscoring monster into submission is not going to be an easy task, but the 26-year-old has been noted for his "brilliant" renaissance this term by the likes of reporter Neil Jones – an apt remark.
The dynamic defender ranks among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 13% for tackles, the top 17% for interceptions and the top 1% for shot-creating actions per 90.
The final metric there is less important when discussing how he can disrupt Haaland's goal-grabbing flow, but it is indicative of his playmaking ability and ease in progressing the play, keeping it away from the danger area.
Gomez also found success in the Premier League last season against Haaland, with his performance against the 6 foot 3 force at Anfield last season more than catching the eye.
With a struggling Liverpool emerging 1-0 victors, Gomez's defensive display was imperative, not dribbled past once and winning possession ten times, negating Haaland's attacking weapons considerably.
They say that lightning doesn't strike twice, but the Englishman will feel that he can subdue Haaland alongside an in-form Van Dijk, offering pace, precision and composure to produce a statement victory for the Reds.
