Tuesday 8 November 2016 09:44, UK
Liverpool went top of the Premier League for the first time since May 2014 with their 6-1 thrashing of Watford on Sunday.
Their thrilling attacking performances are powering their title challenge and drawing parallels with Liverpool's 2013/14 side, who scored over 100 goals as they were pipped to the crown by Manchester City.
The Reds are aiming to go the distance under Jurgen Klopp this season, and their first 11 games have thrown up plenty of reasons for optimism.
A look back at the 2013/14 table shows they sat second at the same stage of the campaign, and this year they are also three points better off having scored nine more goals.
Can they go one better than the class of 2013/14 and go on to lift the Premier League trophy?
Here, we look at how the two sides compare…
Rodgers favoured a 4-4-2 diamond formation in 2013/14, with Steven Gerrard in the holding role and Raheem Sterling at the tip of the midfield behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
This year's side has a very different feel. Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho are the only 2013/14 starters to have survived, but they are playing new roles in Klopp's 4-3-3.
Henderson has replaced Gerrard as the deepest midfielder, while Coutinho now operates from the left of the attack. Rodgers' side was fuelled by Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, but from having two out-and-out strikers three years ago, the Reds now play with Roberto Firmino as a false nine in a fluid front three.
Transfer fees have sky-rocketed in recent seasons, so it is no surprise that this year's Liverpool side was the more expensive to assemble. Klopp's starting XI includes six £20m-plus players compared to just two in 2013/14, with Sadio Mane costing over £13m more than Luis Suarez.
Liverpool smashed 101 goals in 38 games in 2013/14 and they have been similarly prolific this season. In fact, with 30 in 11 so far, they are scoring at an almost identical rate of 2.7 per game.
The real test for Liverpool is whether they can keep it up for the duration of the season as they did in 2013/14, but the signs are certainly encouraging for Klopp's side.
Liverpool have scored four or more goals in five Premier League games this season, meaning they are nearly halfway to matching their 2013/14 total of four-goal hauls (11) with over two-thirds of the campaign still to play.
The underlying statistics are also on the up, with Liverpool taking more shots and hitting the target more frequently this season than they did under Rodgers in 2013/14.
Liverpool's 2013/14 title charge was driven by Suarez and Sturridge. With 31 and 21 goals apiece, they accounted for over 50 per cent of Liverpool's total. Gerrard was the only other player to hit double figures.
This year, they are sharing the goals around. Sadio Mane, Coutinho and Firmino are already well on their way to reaching double figures, while James Milner is also racking up the goals from the penalty spot and Adam Lallana has chipped in with three.
Liverpool had 12 different Premier League scorers in the whole of the season they finished runners-up, but they already have 10 this year. At the same stage of the 2013/14 campaign, only five different players had found the net in Sturridge, Suarez, Gerrard, Victor Moses and Martin Skrtel.
With so many players stepping up and hitting the back of the net, Klopp's side might find themselves better-equipped to cope if they lose key players to injuries.
Rodgers' 2013/14 side were known for their speed and aggression but Premier League tracking data shows that Liverpool are considerably more industrious under Klopp.
The Reds are running an average of nine kilometers further than they did in 2013/14, and the numbers also highlight their high-intensity pressing tactics.
Klopp asks his players to work tirelessly to pressure opponents and regain possession all over the pitch, and their superior workrate is shown by the fact that they are averaging nearly 100 more sprints per game than Rodgers's side in 2013/14.
Like Rodgers' side three years ago, Klopp's men are able to focus all their energy on the Premier League as they do not have European commitments to contend with.
As with Rodgers' side, who conceded 50 goals in 2013/14, Klopp's Liverpool are showing signs of defensive vulnerability as well as attacking verve. Their average of 1.3 goals conceded per game is practically identical to three years ago.
More worrying for Klopp's side, however, is that they are facing 12.6 shots per game. It's more than any of their title rivals, and it's a lot more than in 2013/14, when their average of 8.1 shots faced per game was in fact the lowest in the Premier League.
Liverpool kept 10 clean sheets under Rodgers in 2013/14. So far this season they have only kept one in 11 games. It's not too much of a concern at the moment, but it could become an issue if the goals dry up at the other end.
Klopp moved to play down Liverpool's strong start on Sunday, saying: "If somebody thinks being one point ahead after 11 match days is a big sign for the rest of the season then I can't help this person. We stay cool. It's the best position I can imagine but nothing else has happened."
His comments echo the words of Rodgers at a similar stage of the 2013/14 season. The Northern Irishman insisted Liverpool wouldn't get carried away and added that there was much more to come.
I think it's an exciting thought that we haven't got near our full potential yet but we've collected the points.
"For us to be up there in that top four with improvements still to be made can be classed as a good start," he said. "I think it's an exciting thought that we haven't got near our full potential yet but we've collected the points."
There is not a great deal Klopp's men can learn from the unfortunate Gerrard slip that cost Rodgers' side so dearly against Chelsea at the end of April in 2014, but the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace in their following game was a valuable lesson that should not be forgotten.
The Reds surrendered a three-goal lead in the space of nine crazy minutes at Selhurst Park. It all but ended their slim title hopes after their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, and it was a reminder of the risks of an expansive, attacking playing style.
"They've been getting away with it," said their former centre-back Jamie Carragher in the aftermath of that game. "Tonight they didn't get away with it and it's probably cost them the league title."
Klopp's attacking philosophy is paying dividends for now, but to succeed where the class of 2013/14 failed, there may come a time when they need to prioritise steel over style.
