January can change Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp’s plans for the season

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Liverpool are facing a January fixture list that will shape the rest of their season. This could be the defining month of 2019/20.

One look at that fixture list and you’ll notice something – January is far tougher than any other month. The Reds face the teams in fifth, sixth and seventh in their next three games, for one thing.

As for the top four, Liverpool have already played Leicester City twice. Their next meeting with Manchester City is in April, a month where they face three relegation candidates. Chelsea’s trip to Anfield isn’t until May.

But Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Wolves are on the list this month. That’s three of the toughest, biggest games of the season all crammed into a few weeks.

So if Liverpool can get through this month with wins, things actually look very comfortable. Even more comfortable than they already do.

It will be far easier to rotate players, really. February, for example, features games against the bottom two sides and a home game against 16th-place West Ham United.

All three of those are games where Liverpool fully expect to win, even if they rest stars.

And Jurgen Klopp may well rest them. Liverpool have a trip to face Atletico Madrid, after all, and that will surely take priority over the league games if that huge lead is intact.

That mentality may not change, either. If Liverpool do get through this month with wins then the Premier League may never regain priority – the difficulty of the games just leaves no reason to. Suddenly, the knockout games in the FA Cup and Champions League are where Liverpool need their first-team.

We said recently that Liverpool can tackle the Treble – January decides once and for all if that becomes the real target.