A name that has been synonymous with English football almost since the inception of the Football League is Liverpool FC. (The Football League included the entirety of English football until 1992, when the Premier League was formed, displacing the First Division.) The club has won more trophies than any other English club, including a joint-record 18 league championships, which they share with Manchester United, and an English-record five European titles.
Liverpool maintained a stranglehold on England's First Division for the majority of the 1970s and '80s, winning 11 league titles and finishing second best six times in the 20-year period. Success was not limited to domestic competition, considering an eight-year period from 1977 to 84 when the Reds secured the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) four times. In seemed to be nothing but downhill for the Merseyside club. The completion of the 2008-2009 season marked 19 years since Liverpool has won the league and although it's still early, it's hard to see it not becoming 20 at the end of this season.
After a shaky start in the league, losing two of their first three matches, Liverpool seemed to be getting on track to a successful season, putting together a stretch of four straight league wins. But, since that brief winning streak, the Reds have lost three out of their last four matches, placing them sixth in the league, the worst they've been since Aug. 29.
Liverpool has been less than impressive in the UEFA Champions League this season as well, a competition in which they usually perform very strongly. As previously mentioned, the club has captured the European title five times, more than any other English side, most recently in 2005.
With an opening 1-0 win against Hungarian side Debreceni VSC, Liverpool looked to be business as usual. But consecutive losses to Italian club AFC Fiorentina and French side Olympique Lyonnais have left Liverpool with a very daunting task just to escape the group stage.
But, it's no mystery as to why Liverpool hasn't been performing up to their standard of late. An injury to their talismanic leader and captain, Steven Gerrard, has exposed Liverpool as somewhat of a one-man team. Gerrard has missed three of the last four matches Liverpool has played, only one of which was won. With Gerrard possibly needing surgery for a persistent groin problem and a niggling injury to their leading scorer, Fernando Torres, Liverpool may be left to struggle for the next month or so.
The month of November will prove to be tremendously challenging for Liverpool. In the league, the Reds are due to face off against local rivals Everton FC and a Manchester City side that's currently in fourth place. In the Champions League, they match up against Olympique Lyonnais and Debreceni VSC, both away and both considered to be must-win matches.
Last season at this time, Liverpool had only one loss and just three on the entire season, which was only good enough for runners-up. The only thing that's kept this team so high up in the table is the fact that when they don't lose, they win. As of now, their league record is 6-5-0, as compared to Manchester City at 5-1-4, who is just two places in front of Liverpool.
If Rafael Benitez can keep his team fresh and turn some of those losses into draws, or even wins, Liverpool can still have a say in the title race yet. However, given injury woes to crucial players and the severity of their schedule in the upcoming months, their chances are, at best, dismal.
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