All is not lost for Liverpool despite their underwhelming start to the season, but the next six weeks are going to go a long way towards determining how the campaign is remembered.
This season the Reds have only played six Premier League games to date, but the fact that two-thirds of those ended in disappointing results means that the pressure has been heaped on and fingers are being pointed everywhere.
Draws with Fulham, Crystal Palace and Everton and that damaging defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford have left Liverpool playing catch-up to their rivals, while the nature of the 4-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli set alarm bells ringing.
Words were exchanged between manager Jurgen Klopp and his players after that loss, and they responded with an impressive performance in a Champions League win over Ajax.
"We spoke as a group after the Napoli game where we obviously didn't play well," Reds skipper Jordan Henderson told Mirror Football.
"The manager spoke to us and we went over a few things, and then we reacted in the right way from that point, both in training and in the Ajax game."
Henderson and his teammates were back in training on Thursday, limbering up ahead of a gruelling period of 13 games in 42 days which are very likely to define the club's season - will it be one of challenging on all fronts again, or one of disappointment?
The captain is one of several Reds stars returning to fitness before this lead up to the World Cup, with Ibrahima Konate another face seen in Thursday's session after failing to feature so far this season.
Scottish teenager Calvin Ramsay was there too, and both will be eyeing first-team minutes across the next few hectic weeks of league, Champions League (CL) and Carabao Cup (CC) action.
Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were not pictured in the session, although it is thought that all three were simply resting after international duty.
Here's how Liverpool's next six weeks look:
October
1st: Brighton (H), 4th: Rangers (H, CL), 9th: Arsenal (A), 12th: Rangers (A, CL), 16th: Man City (H), 19th: West Ham (H), 22nd: Nottingham Forest (A), 26th: Ajax (A, CL), 29th: Leeds (H)
It's Brighton first up for the Reds on Saturday, and Henderson is expecting a tough test.
"This is a big game for us, definitely. It'll be tough as well, because Brighton are a very good side as they've shown over the course of the start of the season," he said.
"It is important but it will be difficult, and we hope that the fans will be along with us on Saturday as I'm sure they will be."
Those fans will be taking in the first of nine matches across the month of October, with a Champions League double-header against Rangers offering the chance to stride toward qualification for the last-16.
Back-to-back Premier League tests against Arsenal and Manchester City, the current top two, stand out of course, but Liverpool will know that they can beat those sides if they're at their best.
It is finding that best which is the biggest issue, with the Reds looking to hit a level of consistency that would make the games against West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds something of a formality for them.
An increase in squad options will help with that quest, and Klopp would love to see the likes of Diogo Jota, Thiago and Curtis Jones shrug off injury issues and feature prominently in this run
Darwin Nunez shaking off his rustiness would be a massive help too.
November
1st: Napoli (H,CL), 6th: Tottenham (A), 9th: Derby (H, CC), 12th: Southampton (H)
Just as in the 2018-19 season - when they beat them 1-0 and went on to win the competition - there could well be something on the line when Liverpool host Napoli in their final Champions League group game.
There will definitely be plenty to play for when the Reds head to the impressive Tottenham on November 6, with that clash no doubt going a long way towards determining how the league picture will look for Liverpool heading into the World Cup break.
The Derby League Cup game should then be a chance to rest some legs, with Southampton at home then wrapping up league action.
It could be something of a gentle ending to what would have been one of the most intense periods in Klopp's tenure, and if Liverpool hold any hope of success this season then they'll need it to have gone well.
