Liverpool's high octane sprint to the Champions League final was only a few months ago, but it truly feels like a lifetime. That's not because things have gone downhill since, like many would, absurdly, suggest. In a lot of ways, circumstances have actually improved.
Last season, the thing that killed the Reds over the course of the season was their lack of ability to grind out victories when they weren't at their best. The Belgrade Incident™ aside - we'll get to that later - their ability to do just that has been their saving grace so far.
They've improved at the back a thousand times over since this time a year ago, and as a result, they are once again genuine title contenders.