Yahoo News Liverpool pre-match routine change is not working - and it's costing them dearly
Having turned doubters to believers during his nine years at Liverpool, it seems the process has now gone in reverse for Jurgen Klopp.
Those who had allowed themselves to believe the final term of the manager's reign would yield a second Premier League title are now harbouring major doubts. And, in truth, it's difficult to dismiss such a stance as needlessly negative, the evidence is there for those of a pessimistic viewpoint to argue with conviction.
Palace's winning goal on Sunday was the 23rd time in 51 that the Reds had conceded the first goal and for a team that were experiencing just their seventh defeat as a result, that shows just how well versed Klopp's side have been in fighting back to secure a positive result.
But such powers of resilience are not limitless and having gone to the well that often, they finally found it had run dry on Sunday afternoon. It's an issue which has blighted the team for two years now.
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The run-in of 2022 - when the Reds amassed 92 points to finish just one behind eventual Premier League winners Manchester City - was littered with examples of Liverpool giving themselves plenty of work to do. The final seven games of that campaign saw them concede the first in six (Villarreal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Southampton, Wolves and Real Madrid) as they picked up 10 points from losing positions in their final four league fixtures.
Last term, Klopp's men shipped the opener in 23 of their 52 with this season's exertions only adding further weight to a problem that has afflicted them for far too long. If it is a concern that is obvious, though, the remedy is much harder to find.
Is it a tactical issue? A question of preparation? Or an attitude problem? There is no easily identifiable cause for something that is showing no signs of being resolved.
Pre-match team talks by the manager and the huddle that has been introduced by captain Virgil van Dijk before kick-off will no doubt have been designed to ensure a fast start that is free of errors, but whatever is being done to counteract such form is not working. The messaging is not cutting through.
Liverpool have responded to adversity far better than they did last season and the fact that they remain in contention for a League Cup and Premier League double - while still technically in possession of Europa League hopes - despite having conceded first in so many outings is proof of that mental strength and quality.
But, on the flip side, that they have fallen behind in just one game fewer than the 24 of what was a deeply disappointing campaign last time out with a minimum of seven still left to play is a deeply worrying statistic.
Seven of the 31 Premier League goals conceded this term have come inside the opening 15 minutes, which points to a team who far too often need the jolt of the oppositions' celebrations to knock them out of their slumber. Add in a further three in cup games with LASK, Leicester City and Manchester United and it has become an Achilles heel that teams are clearly targeting.
How Klopp rectifies that clear pattern will have a major say on what, if anything, they are able to achieve between now and the end of the season. If a Premier League title is beyond them, as many are now surmising, they cannot risk jeopardising their status inside the top four.
With Aston Villa's 2-0 win at Arsenal on Sunday reducing the gap between fourth and third to eight points, and with a trip to Villa Park still to come, any further malaise risks Unai Emery's men stealing a late march on a Liverpool side who have stumbled badly in recent days.
For now, Klopp's Reds will only be looking above them in the Premier League table and with 18 points left to win, all is not lost. They know what needs fixing, however, even if there are evidently few ideas as to how to do it.
