Liverpool's fine 3-1 win against Everton was inevitably followed by a setback. Their 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth meant more points dropped against a side in the bottom 10 of the Premier League.

That now makes 21 dropped in total, and there are possibly six such games left. Only West Bromwich Albion, of all Liverpool's remaining opponents, look likely to finish in the top 10 -- i.e. sides the Reds have done well against.

Any normal team would look at the remaining fixture lists of other challengers for a Champions League spot and feel they held the advantage, but Liverpool are not normal. You would call them unpredictable if it were not for the fact they've been doing this all season.

Top 10/bottom 10 is a numerically pleasing distinction, yet the defining factor is whether Liverpool's players think they should breeze past a team or feel they need to bring their "A" game. Generally, if they think their opponents can hurt them back they will put on a show.

That makes Saturday's trip to Stoke City intriguing. They're not having such a good season. A club which normally finishes ninth is currently 12th. That position rings alarm bells for Liverpool fans, yet Stoke are still a force on their own ground and have often embarrassed the Reds in the past.

Arguably their best day ever in the Premier League was a 6-1 thrashing of Liverpool; a fitting end to the Reds' disappointing 2014-15 campaign. Liverpool were 5-0 down at half-time on a wretched day that probably signaled the approaching end of Brendan Rodgers' reign.

Stoke can still capable of scaring the biggest clubs, most notably in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea. They are currently in poor form however, having lost their past three matches.

The corresponding fixture at Anfield took place just after Christmas, when Liverpool were second in the table and actually squaring up for a title challenge. The game was more awkward than the final 4-1 score suggests. Stoke dominated the early exchanges and could have led by more than one goal.

The Reds eventually woke up and ran out easy winners, but it could have been a lot different. With home advantage and Liverpool suffering numerous key injuries, Stoke might feel things will end differently this time. Not 6-1 different, but they'd be forgiven for fancying their chances.

Despite changing managers, Liverpool are still as slipshod as ever at the back. Conceding 39 goals in 31 league games is no joke, camouflaged though it has been by scoring more than any team in the division.

They have now lost their biggest goal threat, Sadio Mane, for the rest of the season. It was partially reassuring that Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi each scored in their last two appearances, but the overall record without Mane is dreadful.

When he went to the African Nations Cup in January, Liverpool's season fell apart, dropping out of the title race and both cups -- leaving them with just a top-four spot to chase.

Fans urged Jurgen Klopp to augment the squad for such an eventuality, but it fell on deaf ears and Liverpool did nothing in the winter transfer window. It's alarming that in a season when many felt Liverpool had an advantage over others in that they had no European fixtures to contend with, they are still losing important players at a ridiculous rate.

There are many good things about this team, but defensive solidity is not one of them. Klopp used three central defenders against Bournemouth to try to hold a 2-1 lead, but to no avail. The move was understandable as a lot of players were tired or carrying knocks, so keeping them compact was an ugly necessity.

What wasn't understandable is why Liverpool were so tired. Bournemouth also had a difficult derby match the previous Saturday and yet were allowed to push forward and eventually force an equaliser.

Liverpool fans have been on a rollercoaster all season and there's little likelihood of being allowed off it. It is entertaining and terrifying in equal measure. Of all the clubs in the top six, they are the least predictable.

The refusal to strengthen the squad in January now looks like a false economy, yet the team is still third in the table. That probably won't last, with upcoming difficult trips to Stoke and West Brom. The only salvation is the thought of this team thriving in difficult circumstances all season.

They've not only won at Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton -- they also led at Spurs, Manchester City and Manchester United, too, before drawing 1-1 in each.

These are the kind of games Liverpool usually do well in. The games at the end of the month, with relegation-threatened clubs lying in wait, are causing far more concern than they ought to.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by STEVEN KELLY

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