Jurgen Klopp's time at Liverpool has been dominated by three reoccurring themes - trophies, injuries and epic battles with Manchester City.
The latter two are at the forefront once again, as the Reds take on Pep Guardiola's champions at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Up to eight first-team players could miss the Premier League game for Liverpool - including centre-back Ibrahima Konate.
The France international, 23, joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig for £35million in the summer of 2021 and has impressed, often being a colossal figure at the heart of their defence. And that's saying something, considering the defenders Klopp has at his disposal.
Konate hasn't looked out of place alongside the great Virgil van Dijk and often gets selected ahead of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, which is no mean feat. Yet he's played just 12 Premier League games for Liverpool due to various injuries - and he's not the only one.
The Reds have been decimated by injuries this season, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they are 11th in the Premier League - 13 points behind title favourites City. They've had at least half-a-dozen players in the treatment room for most fixtures this term.
It's not the first time this has happened, either. In the 2020/21 campaign, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara all missed huge chunks of the season.
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That cost Liverpool dearly, as they finished third in the Premier League and failed to win any silverware. It could've been much worse for the defending champions, too, because they only finished inside the top four after winning eight of their last 10 league games.
This season has a familiar feel to it. Jota has featured just seven times in all competitions, while both Matip and Thiago have made up just eight appearances each. Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain haven't played a single minute in the Premier League this term.
Some critics have linked Liverpool's intense style of play with their injuries during Klopp's time on Merseyside. The German is a disciple of the Gegenpressing philosophy and players need to be in good physical condition to press their opponents into submission.
Yet a lot of teams work tirelessly in the modern game. As per an article by Optus Sport in February, none of the top 10 'marathon men' in the Premier League last season - those who had covered the most distance in games - were Klopp's players.
Others, meanwhile, have criticised Liverpool's medical team for not keeping players fit - yet it's very difficult to know what's going on behind closed doors. Perhaps Liverpool are just signing the wrong players for Klopp's style of play?
A good example of this is Arthur Melo. The Brazilian was signed on deadline day to bolster Liverpool's midfield ranks but has played just 13 minutes of senior football and has since undergone surgery to fix an injury, ruling him out of action until after the World Cup.
Arthur isn't the only injury-hit player Liverpool have signed in recent years. For all his quality, Thiago struggled with injuries throughout his time at Bayern Munich, yet the Reds still signed him. Unsurprisingly, he's suffered long-term complaints each season since.
Keita has never played more than 25 Premier League games in each of his five seasons at Liverpool - a stat that's unlikely to change this term - while Oxlade-Chamberlain has failed to hold down a place in Klopp's side because of constant spells in the treatment room.
Perhaps the lesson for Liverpool is not to overhaul their medical department or to change their style of play, it's signing players more suited to Klopp's footballing philosophy. That's something transfer chief Julian Ward may have to consider ahead of next summer.
