Is it possible that a season in which Liverpool have sent all manner of records tumbling could yet end as an anti-climax?
Two defeats in the past fortnight have served as a reality check for Jurgen Klopp’s team, stalling the imperious progress that has been the theme of the season.
Liverpool lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid 1-0 a fortnight ago and then saw their unbeaten league run blown out of the water by Watford on Saturday.
Dejection for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool players following their bruising 3-0 loss at Watford
Virgil van Dijk rallied the troops during a chastening night at Vicarage Road on Saturday
Liverpool – 22 points clear – are closing in on their first league championship in 30 years
Sandwiched in between was a distinctly unconvincing 3-2 win over West Ham that required them to come from behind.
Of course, with their 22-point advantage at the top of the table, it remains a case of when rather than if they’ll secure a first league title in 30 years.
But nonetheless, Liverpool’s season more generally now hinges on a critical seven days ahead that will decide their destiny in two competitions.
Klopp’s men head to Chelsea on Tuesday night in the fifth round of the FA Cup before hosting Bournemouth in the league on Saturday.
Then next Tuesday comes the return leg with Atletico at Anfield, as the reigning European champions look to overturn that single-goal deficit and make the last eight.
Sportsmail analyses a week that suddenly has taken on a season-defining importance for the Reds.
What has been going wrong?
It was a bruising night for Liverpool back on the scene of their Champions League triumph back in June.
Whereas that visit to Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano had ended with champagne and celebrations, this time they had been outmuscled and outwitted, with most of those in red shirts suffering a first taste of defeat since September.
While Atletico’s fans celebrated as though the contest was over, Liverpool were left to lick their wounds and reflect on how they’d enjoyed 73 per cent of possession and not done anything with it against Atletico’s doughty defence.
It was a night of frustration for Mohamed Salah and Liverpool as they lost 1-0 in Madrid
They moved the ball too slowly that night, lacked drive from midfield and let themselves down with sloppy crosses and set-piece deliveries after Atletico had taken a fourth-minute lead.
At the time, it was only the second occasion in 251 matches Klopp has taken charge of at Liverpool that they failed to muster a single shot on target.
Liverpool were strangled and stifled, their miserable night compounded by a hamstring injury suffered by captain Jordan Henderson that ruled him out of the two subsequent games.
Captain Jordan Henderson suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg defeat to Atletico
It could be put down to an off night and, very much still in the tie, Liverpool could and can take solace from the fact they still haven’t lost a two-legged European tie under Klopp.
But there were certainly more alarm bells ringing after last Monday’s game with West Ham, even though they emerged 3-2 winners to move a step closer to the title.
Liverpool missed Henderson’s presence and poise in midfield, with Klopp unhappy at Naby Keita’s positional play in his absence, eventually taking him off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Naby Keita was taken off during the West Ham match as Liverpool had to come back to win
There was anxiety from the Anfield stands as West Ham took a 2-1 lead following some surprising lapses in concentration at the back.
Joe Gomez failed to get a grip on Issa Diop as the tall centre-back stole in front of him to head their first goal, before Pablo Fornals found space between Gomez and Virgil van Dijk to turn home their second.
In the end, Liverpool rallied to extend their unbeaten league run to 44 games and achieve an 18th successive Premier League win, matching Manchester City’s record.
Pablo Fornals sneaked in between Van Dijk and Joe Gomez to score West Ham’s second goal
But it all finally unravelled at Vicarage Road on Saturday night when it seemed as though everything went wrong all at one for the Reds.
The first thing to note is the brilliance of Watford’s performance – bursting with energy, they hustled and unsettled Liverpool long before Ismaila Sarr broke the deadlock nine minutes after half-time.
Defender Dejan Lovren, making his first league start since December 7, attracted the most criticism as he struggled against Troy Deeney, with his poor decision making spreading a sense of panic that even affected Van Dijk.
Dejan Lovren is left grounded by Watford’s Roberto Pereyra during the 3-0 loss at Watford
Gomez, sidelined with a muscle problem, and Henderson were certainly missed and there was a strange lack of spark from the forward trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, who managed just one shot on target.
It didn’t help that Keita was also ruled out with a sore hip, James Milner remains sidelined and Fabinho hasn’t looked too sharp since he came back from ankle ligament damage in January.
So a combination of things came to a head to inflict a first Premier League defeat on Liverpool in 422 days, with Klopp generous in his praise for Watford’s performance.
Van Dijk can’t hide his disappointment as Liverpool’s unbeaten league run ends at 44 games
The German didn’t chide his players after the match at Watford, choosing instead to pick up on a few points via video analysis when the squad met at Melwood for a recovery session on Sunday.
But, as strange as it sounds given the context of the title race, Klopp needs to ensure a blip that is always inevitable for any winning side doesn’t turn into anything worse.
What comes next for Liverpool?
Liverpool’s first championship in three decades should, with a fair wind, be sealed within the month.
But Klopp will be desperate to ensure the final few weeks of the season don’t turn into a colossal anti-climax with his team going through the motions in a succession of dead rubber games.
That would be the reality if Liverpool crashed out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League in the coming week.
Klopp has fielded the kids in Liverpool’s FA Cup matches so far but Chelsea are a step above
An historic Treble of trophies like Manchester United’s in 1999 can still be theirs if they can keep the momentum going though that will always be a tall order.
There is a feeling that the winter break has disrupted Liverpool’s flow – they haven’t been the same since, even though Klopp did his best to ensure his players got a full break by fielding the kids against Shrewsbury in the Cup.
The injury situation, especially in midfield, has also been a big hindrance though it’s hoped Henderson will be back for the Atletico game.
If there is to be a sacrifice, it will be the FA Cup and there have been reports Klopp plans to give starts to the likes of Divock Origi and Adam Lallana against Chelsea.
Striker Divock Origi could be handed a rare start when Liverpool head to Chelsea on Tuesday
The games against Bournemouth and Atletico are just more important to Liverpool, even if we risk opening a can of worms about disparaging the FA Cup.
It becomes a different picture if Liverpool exit the Cup, secure the league at the earliest opportunity and then have the luxury of sparing key resources for the latter stages of the Champions League.
There is, of course, the fact they are defending the European Cup and won’t want to let it leave their grip lightly.
The prospect of a big quarter-final or semi-final European night at Anfield will keep the excitement of their season burning and prevent a weird vacuum between sealing the title and the trophy lift in May.
Liverpool won’t let their European crown go lightly but must come from behind against Atleti
A glass-half-full man, Klopp saw the positives after the Watford loss, saying his players will now feel unburdened by the pressure of keeping records going.
‘I see it as rather positive,’ he said. ‘From now on we can play free football again, we don’t have to defend to try to get records.
‘We can just try to win football games again.’
Three wins in three competitions during this defining week are needed to keep Liverpool’s season interesting.