Liverpool will be tasked with swiftly overcoming their midweek hangover in order to keep pace at the top of the Premier League table, with a trip to Newcastle scheduled for Saturday night.
Wednesday's 3-0 reverse at Barcelona certainly didn't go as planned in terms of the result, and Jurgen Klopp h as to ensure that his team don't suffer a similar fate at the hands of former Red, Rafa Benitez .
That is easier said than done, though, considering the problems that Benitez's team are able to create for opposing teams, as well as the fact that Manchester City's last league defeat was sustained at St James' Park.
Those problems largely derive from the organisation that Benitez has fostered at Newcastle, as his team are considered as one of the most difficult to break down in the league.
Against Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal at home for example, Newcastle have lost by a narrow one-goal margin each time, with a win over Pep Guardiola's side, and a 2-0 loss to Manchester United.
Ultimately, thanks to the impressive levels of organisation demonstrated, the big fixtures on Tyneside are always tight and competitive.
Luckily, the way in which Liverpool can overcome such structure ties in with their standard playing style. This season, Klopp has developed his team's approach from chaos to a more organised version of the form.
Presently, the Reds are chaotic and direct, but in a controlling manner than flusters the opposing team while incorporating plenty of risk.
Liverpool's perceived disorganised offensive play should benefit them against Newcastle, considerably more so than when City face Newcastle for example. Under Pep Guardiola, City are perfectionists, and the Spaniard's team attack using patterns that are difficult to prevent, but relatively easy to predict.
As a result, Newcastle are able to defend specific spaces for long periods to restrict City's usual channels of attack, and Guardiola's team regularly struggle to break through, shown below.
The calculating, methodical approach employed by City is commonly very effective, but against Newcastle, Benitez is able to do what he's renowned for, by devising a plan to nullify the opposing team's strengths.
In Liverpool's case, the element of unpredictability that is consistently evident in their game essentially means they're harder to contain and anticipate. Chaos is the weakness of control and organisation, and disarray often forms as a consequence of the fluidity showcased by Klopp's team.
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Newcastle have conceded over three goals just once in the league this season, and that was versus Liverpool at Anfield. It's reasonable to suggest this contest will be a lot tighter, but nevertheless, it offered an insight into how the Reds' chaos is suited to facing a robotic side such a Newcastle.
An applicable example of Liverpool's unpredictable nature is pictured below, in which Sadio Mane has possession of the ball and is looking to switch the play in the direction of Mohamed Salah.
The Newcastle full-back anticipates the pass to Salah, but doesn't expect the ball to actually drift over his head to be received by Trent Alexander-Arnold, shown below.
The young defender then crossed the ball, which resulted in the momentary anarchy pictured below, with Benitez's players diving in, backtracking and acting desperately to prevent a goal being scored, shown below.
The cross failed to materialise and possession was assumed by Robertson, before the ball was again crossed in by the Scot, with many Newcastle players again lunging towards the ball in order to clear their lines, pictured below.
Eventually, the move resulted in a goal being scored, with Xherdan Shaqiri slotting from close-range after Newcastle had been disrupted to the extent whereby they could no longer hold out, pictured below.
Overall, if Liverpool can execute their usual unpredictable, risky and chaotic style, then Newcastle's usual organisation should gradually lose structure.
Klopp's team must ensure that his team retain control in a defensive sense, particularly in terms of nullifying opposing counter-attacks, but that aspect appears to have been resolved this season.
Ultimately, in an attacking sense this weekend, chaos should be welcomed as the answer to breaking down Newcastle's rigid defence.
