Liverpool Must Avoid Hull City Slip-Up to Back Up Early-Season Title Prospects

With an impressive, world-class manager in place and without European football in 2016/17, Liverpool have been lauded as title contenders in the early stages of the season, with Jurgen Klopp tipped to lead the Reds to a potential first Premier League triumph.

"I think Liverpool have a great chance this year," Klopp's predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, told TalkSport in July, adding that "Liverpool and Chelsea don’t have European football and that’s a huge advantage for you, where you can prepare your team all week for just the one game every week."

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This was reinforced by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in August, who told Sky Sports (h/t the Star's Alex Harris) that "they are not in the Europa League so that will be an advantage for them," and the Frenchman's view will no doubt have been reinforced following Liverpool's 4-3 win over the Gunners on the opening day.

More recently, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola told reporters that both the Reds and Chelsea were "fantastic opponents" in his side's push for Premier League glory, saying "I know how difficult it will be."

As reported by the Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly, Klopp's Liverpool are currently bookmakers' second favourites for the title, after the first five games of the season, with odds as low as 5/1 backing up their bright start.

• Arsenal (A): 4-3 win
• Burnley (A): 2-0 loss
• Tottenham Hotspur (A): 1-1 draw
• Leicester City (H): 4-1 win
• Chelsea (A): 2-1 win

Liverpool currently sit sixth in the table, level with fourth-placed Arsenal and fifth-placed Chelsea, after taking 10 points from their first five games, but as the Mirror's Jim Boardman argued, their defeat away to Burnley serves as a reminder of their pitfalls.

"Inconsistency is one of the major flaws and it has dogged Liverpool for decades," Boardman wrote after the Reds' victory at Stamford Bridge on Friday night, "ironically becoming one of the few constants from 26 years of near-misses and nowhere-nears in the top flight."

On paper, Burnley stand as the weakest side Liverpool have faced in the league this season so far, but next up are 12th-placed Hull City—and if Klopp is to vindicate Rodgers, Wenger, Guardiola and the bookmakers, avoiding a slip-up against Mike Phelan's Tigers is essential.

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There is tangible evidence behind predictions of a Liverpool title challenge this season, as after their first five Premier League games, Klopp's side have recorded their best start to a campaign in eight years.

Under Rafa Benitez in 2008/09, the Reds beat Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Manchester United and drew with Aston Villa and Stoke City, taking 11 points from five games—with the only other seasons in which they reached double digits in the same space of time being 2013/14 and 2016/17:

• 2008/09: WWDWD – Points: 11 – GD: +3 – Finish: 2nd
• 2009/10: LWLWW – Points: 9 – GD: +6 – Finish: 7th
• 2010/11: DLWDL – Points: 5 – GD: -3 – Finish: 6th
• 2011/12: DWWLL – Points: 7 – GD: -1 – Finish: 8th
• 2012/13: LDLDL – Points: 2 – GD: -6 – Finish: 7th
• 2013/14: WWWDL – Points: 10 – GD: +2 – Finish: 2nd
• 2014/15: WLWLL – Points: 6 – GD: -1 – Finish: 6th
• 2015/16: WWDLL – Points: 7 – GD: -3 – Finish 8th
• 2016/17: WLDWW – Points: 10 – GD: +3 – Finish: ?

Klopp has improved on Liverpool's start under Rodgers in 2013/14 by virtue of a marginally better goal difference, but if the German is to avoid his predecessor's near miss and seal the Premier League title this season, victory over Hull could prove pivotal.

In both of their past two title-challenging seasons, Liverpool took on the Tigers in December and dropped points—and though Saturday's Anfield clash comes three months early, can they go one better this time around? 

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Liverpool 2-2 Hull City, December 13, 2008

Towards the end of 2008, Liverpool, who were looking to steal a march on Chelsea and stabilise their position at the league's summit, welcomed Hull to Merseyside to take on a side firmly established in the top half of the table—the Tigers, led by the charismatic Phil Brown, presented a considerable challenge.

An early strike from Paul McShane and an own goal from Jamie Carragher 10 minutes later compounded this notion, giving Hull a comfortable lead after 22 minutes.

But a swift Steven Gerrard brace levelled the scores ahead of half-time, before the two sides played out a stalemate.

This result kept a Liverpool side featuring club icons Pepe Reina, Sami Hyypia, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt at the top of the Premier League, but having taken just one point away from the clash and eventually finishing the season four points behind champions United, it clearly proved costly.

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Hull City 3-1 Liverpool, December 1, 2013

Just under five years later, the Reds travelled to what was then known as the KC Stadium for another clash with Hull, managed by former United centre-back Steve Bruce. Rodgers' side were looking to keep up the pace alongside their competition for the title, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City following closely.

Though fuelled by the brilliance of Gerrard, Luis Suarez and the blooming Raheem Sterling, the Ulsterman's squad was decidedly weaker than that which Benitez was able to call upon—Martin Skrtel, Jon Flanagan, Victor Moses, Lucas Leiva and Glen Johnson all started for the Reds that Sunday afternoon.

With Skrtel in torrid form in Yorkshire, Hull enjoyed a comfortable victory over Rodgers' side. The Slovak scored an own goal between strikes from Jake Livermore and David Meyler, which rendered Gerrard's 27th-minute effort a mere consolation.

This proved to be one of just six league losses for the Reds that season, and their only defeat to a side that finished outside the top eight—after ending the season two points behind champions City, this beating was hugely influential. 

LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images

While some of the players that will travel with Hull on Saturday remain the same, they are far from a stable unit heading into Saturday's clash—even now, they are shrouded in doubt as Phelan is yet to be officially confirmed as permanent manager.

But despite starting the season with 14 fit senior players, Hull have taken a respectable seven points from their first five Premier League games in 2016/17 as they look to build on last term's promotion.

This has included victory over Leicester City and Swansea City, as well as a draw with Burnley, and while they have suffered defeat to both United and Arsenal, Hull will make the trip across the M62 buoyed by a late EFL Cup victory over Stoke City.

Phelan has a number of in-form players to field at Anfield, too, with Curtis Davies, Robert Snodgrass and Sam Clucas among those starting the season positively—all making the top 15 in Bleacher Report lead football writer Sam Tighe's latest Premier League player rankings:

Having lost just once to Liverpool since the turn of the decade, and representing a growing unit despite instability at the club, Hull will present a major challenge for the Reds at Anfield on Saturday.

However, with Liverpool's excellent start to the season reinforcing the predictions of Rodgers, Wenger and Guardiola, and Klopp finding his squad in prime condition following a 3-0 victory over Derby County in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, Hull will come up against a formidable opponent.

Heading into this clash, Klopp's Liverpool are blossoming, with quality and depth throughout the squad—but would victory over Hull really prove they are title contenders?

Klopp certainly doesn't believe this is the case, as he told reporters following the Reds' win over Chelsea, stressing that his side "have to do it every week":

"

Someone asked me [if Liverpool could win the title] when we won 3-1 last season against Chelsea. My answer was: 'Are you crazy?' I remember it. I learned a little bit about English [media].

We have 10 points. That's fantastic. I'm really happy after these difficult fixtures. We know we can play good football, we're convinced about our quality. We just have to do it every week, every three days.

"

This is something centre-back Dejan Lovren reflected after his goal helped spur victory at Stamford Bridge, telling the club's official website it was "too early" to discuss hopes for finishing the league at the top of the table.

That is definitely the case, given Liverpool are just five games into the season, but triumph over Hull for the first time since 2014 would certainly boost their chances further—particularly given their failings against the Tigers in both 2008/09 and 2013/14—and reinforce optimistic claims from outside Anfield.

Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby_ and Facebook here.