Consistency still eludes Reds

Liverpool are not, contrary to Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal's claims, a Formula One car gridlocked in London rush hour.

That would require their high-powered vehicle remaining on course for an extended period of time. Novice drivers have veered off-track fewer times than Juergen Klopp's side.

Yesterday morning's (Singapore time) 1-0 defeat by Swansea at the Liberty Stadium merely confirmed everything that the effusive German coach said at the outset of his reign with the Reds.

He is a "Normal One"; no different to any of those who came before him in the hot seat on Merseyside.

For all his assorted touchline showmanship, Klopp still appears incapable of shaking the stigma which has continually plagued Anfield for the best part of a decade.

Even Olympic-standard psychologists have failed to break down Liverpool's mental block.

BACKWARD STEPS

Each step forward is invariably offset by two regressive ones.

Both off and on the pitch, they go to extremes, with exhilarating highs seamlessly going hand in hand with ensuing humiliation.

Signing a defender for a world-record fee has been offset by selling their most creative player soon after.

Statement-like victories over English Premier League heavyweights have, similarly, been followed by the Reds crashing and burning against a host of the league's perceived lesser lights.

Eight days after they halted Manchester City's unbeaten run, Swansea brought the Reds back down to earth with minimal effort.

The Welsh club's record of besting Liverpool five times in the last six years shows why yesterday's loss has far exceeded rare bad days at the office.

Deeming it either a shock or anomaly would only ring true if it was not such a recurring issue.

Liverpool are now glorified underdogs; everything that they were once polar opposites of.

Teams who previously relished the prospect of claiming them as a scalp now consider them equal prey in the English top flight, no more special than those sitting above them in the table.

Matching Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City counts for precious little when the likes of Swansea, Leicester City and Crystal Palace are able to claim maximum points in the weeks that follow.

SHORTCOMINGS

Throwing Virgil van Dijk into the mix was never going to instantaneously resolve Liverpool's shortcomings in defence.

Four players vying for the same ball in the build-up to Alfie Mawson's decisive strike points directly to organisational headlessness on the part of Klopp.

It is why they will be left trailing in the EPL's best-of-the-rest contest between now and May rather than leading from the front as an 18-game stretch had previously suggested.

Until that is overcome, Anfield's ongoing wait for a league title will roll over into a third full decade.

To join the best, they have to develop the mindset of those they desperately aspire to be.

Man City may be beatable but remain uncatchable while Manchester United and Chelsea are both able to eke out results from even their most unconvincing performances this season.

Klopp knows that consistency is key to Liverpool's transformation from potential title contenders into bona fide ones but they are a team who remain attuned to his personality; one able to harness the emotion of the big occasion yet ill-equipped to overcome the humdrum.

Should they discover that balance, conversations about challenging for can finally switch from the top four to the title.