JURGEN KLOPP endured an horrendous January as Liverpool boss, no two ways about it.
The German, 49, saw his Reds side dumped out of the FA Cup and EFL Cup by Wolves and Southampton respectively, while struggling past lowly Plymouth in two games – with the latter, a 1-0 win in the south west, his only win all month.
Liverpool played a whopping nine games in a jam-packed January, winning one, losing four and drawing another four.
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The month also saw the Reds lose to then-basement boys Swansea 3-2 at home and draw 2-2 to fellow strugglers Sunderland 2-2 as their Premier League title challenge crumbled beneath them.
Despite the string of shocking results, the Reds did manage to pick up a point against high-flyers Manchester United and league leaders Chelsea.
So why do Liverpool continue to struggle against the so-called "lower" sides and put in much better performances against the top six?
The answer could well be Klopp, who has a remarkable record against the elite clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.
In fact, of the 15 games the German has taken charge of against them, he's lost just ONCE - a home defeat against United 12 months ago.
Elsewhere, Klopp has picked up eight draws and six wins as he continues to match his biggest rivals when it matters.
His win rate against the top six sits at 40 per cent, only behind Antonio Conte on 42.9 per cent and Jose Mourinho on a stunning 50.8 per cent.
However, looking at LOSS RATE instead and Klopp is on a mere 6.7 per cent. Even the Special One can't match that on 14.8 per cent.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Conte has a loss rate of 42.9 per cent.
The Premier League's veteran manager Arsene Wenger has won 37.8 of his Arsenal games against the top six, while losing 29 per cent.
Simply put, Klopp easily deserves to rank as one of the league's elite bosses when going against the big boys... which bodes well as the Reds prepare to face Tottenham, Arsenal and Man City in the next six weeks.
In order to win the league though, you need to be able to consistently put the stubborn, perhaps more defensive-minded teams away too.
If the German ace can figure that out then the Premier League title could be finally heading to Anfield for the first time.
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