I want Liverpool to be aggressive in the January transfer window - it could win them the Premier League

When Jurgen Klopp quietly reflects on an eventful 2023 with an Erdinger on New Year's Eve, the overriding theme will be one of progress at Liverpool.

From an abject start to the calendar year - that saw them beaten at Brentford, Brighton and Wolves between January 2 and February 4 - Klopp's Reds head into 2024 knowing victory over Newcastle United will either restore their status as Premier League leaders or strengthen it further.

It's been quite the turnaround from a punch-drunk and mentally exhausted squad lurching through the early weeks of 2023 to the one that has renergised itself sufficiently to launch a credible title challenge in the second half of the campaign.

Considering the flux the club found itself in during the summer months, when there were a string of influential departures within both the playing staff and backroom team, it's quite the feat that Klopp's new-look team have been able to navigate themselves back to the summit of English football having come off their lowest-ever finish of a full season with the German at the helm at Anfield.

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In truth, there is no one major reason for the upturn in fortunes. No magic wand has been waved and the great reset has been undertaken through hard work, dedication and perseverance.

There have been tactical tweaks, players have signed and old favourites look more like their world-class vintage but it's been a case of gradual and collective improvement across the board since the real fightback began in the Spring.

Since a chastening day at the Etihad at the start of