All 20 Premier League teams have had time to take stock during the World Cup break, but Liverpool have as clear an idea as any about how to use the time off to their advantage.
The Reds sit seven points outside the Champions League spots after a challenging start to the season, though they do have a game in hand on Spurs in fourth. Victories over Spurs and Southampton immediately before the World Cup were a boost after frustrating defeats to Leeds and Nottingham Forest, though four total defeats is more than they were handed in all of last season.
Liverpool are back in competitive action on December 22, when they face Manchester City for a place in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. Before then, though, Mirror Football has looked at Klopp's to-do list going into a pivotal point in the season.
1. Find cover in attack
Things have begun to get worse before they can get better, with the news that Luis Diaz is expected to be out of action until March. The Colombia international joined up with his club team-mates in Dubai for their warm weather camp, but suffered a setback and returned home with a longer absence expected.
"It's clear it's a big disappointment for all of us, for him as well," Klopp said. "It was a non-situation in training, honestly – nothing.
"[He] felt something. [He] didn't feel a lot next day but we wanted to be really cautious and said, 'OK, come on, let's have a look'. Yeah, then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face. But that's it now."
What should Liverpool's main priority be? Have your say in the comments section
With Diogo Jota also out until the new year, Klopp needs to decide whether the players he has are enough to get the results Liverpool need. Diaz himself was signed during the January window last season, proving the Reds have not been afraid to invest midway through a campaign, but they won't want to spend on someone who isn't clearly the right fit.
2. Solve the long-term midfield issue
Back at the end of the summer transfer window, Liverpool looked for a quick fix for their midfield issues by loaning in Juventus midfielder Arthur. The less said about that the better, though, with the Brazil international managing just 13 minutes for the first-team before suffering a long-term injury.
This isn't the only reason why Klopp may want to look longer-term, though. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of the season, and the Reds boss may well feel it's time for a bigger refresh.
Klopp believes Liverpool got lucky with the knock suffered by Harvey Elliott in the mid-season friendly against Lyon, but that does still emphasise how little it might take to derail the season. It could be time to look to the present and the future, with Enzo Fernandez and Giorgio Scalvini among the young talents linked with a move
3. Make the most of post-World Cup freshness
Unlike some other sides around them in the league, Liverpool haven't seen their players pick up too many minutes at the World Cup. Five of their representatives went out in the quarter-finals, Darwin Nunez's Uruguay didn't even make it out of the groups, and their one survivor - Ibrahima Konate - has been used sparingly by France.
Contrast this with two of the sides who the Reds are attempting to claw back. Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus has been ruled out until the new year with an injury sustained in Qatar, while Spurs - who have several representatives in the semi-finals - have lost Richarlison in similar circumstances.
Liverpool were able to put out a strong team for the first half against Lyon in Dubai, with Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip all involved after not featuring at the World Cup. With the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson also having more than a fortnight to recover before the next league game, Klopp will feel his team has no excuse not to hit the ground running.
4. Recover defensively
Alisson is another man back after a quarter-final elimination, and the Brazil goalkeeper's importance at Anfield has been emphasised more than once this term. "I think Ali's the best in the world for sure in what he does," team-mate Andy Robertson said after the shut-out against Manchester City in October, "We've all probably let him down this season in that he's faced too many shots, he's had to be making too many saves..."
The clean sheet against City was one of just four registered by Liverpool in the league before the break, though they also recorded the same number across six Champions League games. The run didn't begin this season, either, with the Merseyside club conceding first in each of their last four games in the 2021-22 season but still earning 10 points.
Liverpool's next three league games came away to Liverpool, at home to Leicester and away to Burnley, and only one of those fixtures brought a clean sheet last term. Klopp knows solid defensive display at Villa Park could set the tone for the coming weeks, though, and he will want a far greater solidity than before the break.
