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Before this week, Liverpool had been consistent in its performances and results, Arne Slot joked on Friday: consistently losing.
After wins against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the mood has shifted sufficiently for the Reds boss to feel comfortable smiling and making such a remark. Just a week ago, it probably wouldn't have gone down quite so well.
For all that explanations can look very much like excuses when results are poor and performances below-par, Slot has, in fairness, been consistent during the difficult times. He didn't, for instance, change his mind and play a stronger side in the League Cup, reaping the benefits in the back-to-back victories since.
He has also kept to the same line when it comes to the difficulty of the fixtures. Of course, every game looks tough when you're losing every week, but Liverpool is unquestionably coming off the back of a tricky run.
"I constantly keep saying how difficult it is to play Brentford away or [Crystal] Palace away," Slot said on Friday. "Every away game is difficult.
"Every home game as well, but an away game even more. That is what I think Man City have felt this season because I think they have lost two away games.
"I think we have lost three away games. The only exception to that is Arsenal maybe lost one away game against us but they have been the exception this season. The rest have probably done similar things."
After Manchester City, Liverpool will have played 10 games going back as far as the late defeat to Crystal Palace— a tough place to go.
It has also faced three Champions League games (two away from home), plus trips to Chelsea and Brentford. Add in a second game with Crystal Palace, an Anfield game with Manchester United and a visit to the Etihad Stadium, and that is a difficult fixture list for anyone.
That is not to say that losing six times in 10 games — as would be the record if Liverpool avoids defeat to Manchester City — is a good return, nor that the Reds have played well. But things would look different with a different run of matches.
There is an argument that Manchester United at home was one of the most winnable fixtures that Liverpool faced in that period — certainly alongside Galatasaray away.
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In contrast, Spurs, a team that is toiling at home at the moment and could only draw with Manchester United earlier today, are, on paper, the second-hardest side that Liverpool has in the 11-game spell coming up before it goes to the Emirates Stadium in January.
(The most difficult is a trip to the San Siro in the Champions League, but the win over Real Madrid has taken the pressure off that).
Liverpool's home games before the Arsenal clash are Nottingham Forest, PSV, Sunderland, Brighton, Wolves and Leeds. Its away matches are West Ham, Leeds, Inter Milan, Tottenham and Fulham.
While you would expect Liverpool to play much better in the next few months with that dire run potentially behind the Reds, that fixture list looks a lot more likely to lead to points.
Slot is right that his team has struggled in part because of the fixture list. Ideally at Manchester City but certainly in the games that follow, it should have the chance to make hay.
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