Liverpool’s last Premier League outing saw them win 2-0 at home to Tottenham to record their first league victory of 2017.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have made a horrendous start to the New Year, with their title challenge fading after one win in six league matches, while they also saw their participation in both domestic cup competitions end within four days of each other during January.

Nonetheless, that win over Spurs will have increased the confidence ten-fold around Anfield, although it will be over two weeks since they beat Mauricio Pochettino’s men when they line up against Premier League champions Leicester on Monday night.

Klopp’s men sit fifth in the division having won 14 of their 25 league games this term, and are just a point adrift of fourth place Arsenal, and just three behind Manchester City in second.

Clearly, it has been a decent season for Liverpool so far, and with the Reds in the middle of a two-week break in between games, we thought we’d take a look at their campaign thus far.

So, with that in mind, here is What’s Hot and What’s Not from Liverpool’s 2016/17 season so far…

HOT – Battling near the top once again

Only once in the last seven Premier League seasons have Liverpool been battling out near the top of the division, and that was when they almost won the title under Brendan Rodgers in 2014.

However, the other six campaigns have seen them finish in sixth twice, seventh twice, and eighth twice, so the fact that they are now fifth and just three points off second is an excellent effort from Klopp’s men.

Although their title challenge faded away in January, the fact that the Reds are once again battling near the top represents a good season at Anfield, although given their start and early season form, anything less than a top four finish would be deemed a disappointing effort.

Nonetheless, many people up and down the country had Liverpool as potential top four challengers this term, so for them to have put that into reality deserves much credit.

NOT – January

Liverpool fans will to forget that January 2017 ever happened.

Top-scorer Sadio Mane went away on African Cup of Nations duty, and missed seven games of the campaign; they didn’t bring any signings in during the transfer window; and they embarked on a run of form which saw their Premier League title challenge end, alongside their participation in both domestic cup competitions.

Klopp’s men beat Manchester City 1-0 on New Year’s Eve to remain second in the table and just six points behind Chelsea, yet they didn’t win any of their four league games in January, which saw them fall to fourth and ten points behind the Blues come February 1.

The Reds also saw their League and FA Cup quests come to an end within four days of each other, as they lost 2-0 on aggregate to Southampton in the semi-finals of the former, before succumbing to Championship Wolves 2-0 in the fourth round of the latter.

All in all, January was a horrendous month for Liverpool, and one that has ended their chances of any silverware this season.

HOT – The devastatingly good front three

Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Philippe Coutinho have been one of the hottest frontlines in the Premier League this term, yet their form at the start of the campaign was better than anyone else’s.

Between them, they have netted 24 of Liverpool’s 54 league goals this season, as well as laid on 12 assists – they are staggering numbers.

The three of them were almost unplayable for the first few months of the campaign and helped fire Klopp’s men to the top of the table at the start of November, as they consistently tore opposition defences apart.

Liverpool put four past Arsenal on the opening day, four past Leicester on September 10, five past Hull on September 24, and then six past Watford on November 6, with the aforementioned trio netting 12 of those goals.

Although Firmino and Coutinho haven’t quite been able to reproduce that form in recent times, they are still a lethal front three, and when they start playing as a three regularly again following Coutinho’s injury and Mane’s time away with Senegal, they will begin to get back to their early season form.

NOT – Defensively

There’s no doubt that Liverpool’s biggest issue this term has been their backline, from which goalkeeper to choose to a lack of depth in the central defensive department.

The Reds have shipped 30 goals this season, more than any side in the top seven of the Premier League, and they don’t really look like they’re improving as the campaign progresses.

The uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeping situation can’t help, with both Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet getting a run of games in the first team, only for both to do their best to let the other one back into the equation.

Joel Matip’s injury over the festive period wasn’t helpful, as he was arguably their best defender in the first half of the campaign, while the form of Dejan Lovren has been steady, yet you still sense that he is prone to making one too many errors.

Alberto Moreno’s shocking start to the season forced James Milner to become a make-shift left-back, something he has embraced brilliantly but isn’t the long-term solution, while even Nathaniel Clyne has had some nervy moments.

Clearly, the defence needs some work, as it’s difficult to see Liverpool winning the league with the back five they have now.