Liverpool Should Target Perfect Red October to Aid Champions League Challenge

Unconvincing at times, defending deep and yet to hit their best form: all descriptions levelled—accurately—at various Liverpool performances this season. Yet Brendan Rodgers and his men have done the most important thing often enough to sit second in the table: take three points.

With early matches split neatly into one half of attacking, proactive, high-tempo football and one half of rugged, resilient defensive awareness, three wins quickly saw the Reds on top of the EPL.

A draw and a home defeat later, and a few flaws were quickly identified as costing Liverpool their good start.

Now with a new formation, the return of Luis Suarez and another three points courtesy of a 3-1 win at Sunderland, things are looking rosy once more for Rodgers and the Reds, even if there remains much work to do, technically and tactically.

Daniel Sturridge gave an interview with BBC's Match of the Day television programme after the weekend win, in which he stated the team had to take things one game at a time.

He's completely right. But it's also worth looking at Liverpool's next run of fixtures and identifying why it's so important they keep up their winning form.

With no European football and the side's involvement in the Capital One Cup over for another season, October sees Liverpool play just three league matches. A home game against newly promoted Crystal Palace comes prior to the latest international break before a trip to Newcastle United and another home game, this time against West Brom, wrap up the month.

Three games; three very beatable opponents.

Quite simply, Liverpool have to be looking at this month as an opportunity to take maximum points and to solidify their position at or near the top of the table.

It's for nothing so fanciful as a season-long title challenge; not even the most ardent of fans should expect such a happening this term.

Instead, this run of form is for stockpiling points for a top-four tilt.

Even that may be a hugely difficult task, given the expenditure and the experience of the sides they are aiming to overhaul. But a great start will be of long-term benefit just as much as a poor month will likely cost the chance to challenge at all.

Nine points from these next three games, and the Reds head into a difficult November with 22 points from nine matches, an average of 2.4 points per game—well above the 1.9 points-per-game average which was necessary to secure a top-four spot last season.

Indeed, 1.9 has been more than enough every year since 2007-08, when the Reds themselves managed 76 points over the course of the season to finish fourth.

Such an accumulation will not last over the whole season, of course, and may not even last into November.

The first game of that month comes against Arsenal, and the Reds will also face Everton shortly afterward.

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Premier League Table. Arsenal top, Man Utd 12th, Hull 7th, Southampton 4th. #EPL pic.twitter.com/neXADpJrKo

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 28, 2013"

Losing or drawing games along the way is an unfortunate inevitability of Premier League life, so Liverpool must ensure that they do everything possible to pick up the points in the forthcoming matches to give themselves the best chance of remaining in the top four when those defeats come.

They don't want to be playing catch-up; it's far harder to pull results out on a regular basis when you're already behind.

The Reds' next three opponents have only won five matches between them this season. Liverpool have won four from six thus far. Liverpool have also scored more goals and conceded fewer than all three. It's an admittedly small sample to draw conclusions from, but there are few reasons for the squad to be apprehensive as they head into these fixtures.

With a week to prepare for Crystal Palace and, international travelling aside, no distractions between the other two fixtures later in the month, Liverpool can have no excuses about poor planning, lack of energy or any other feeble reason for slip-ups. Defeats can and will happen, but Rodgers must be confident that three wins from three are possible in the forthcoming games.

While fans would delight in heading into November in the top two of the league, the position in the table isn't as important as the points haul at this stage. The more the side racks up early on, the better the chances are of a top-four finish come the end of the season.

That needs to remain the full, undivided and focused attentions of the team and the coaching staff.

Bring on October, and the challenges it holds. Liverpool must be ready to take advantage.

Follow @karlmatchett