Are Liverpool FC set to lift their Premier League curse?

But fast-forward 10 months and the early optimism of those loyal Kopites has usually been replaced by glum expressions.

Many young fans have never experienced the joy of watching Liverpool win the league.

However with recent eyebrow-raising performances and victories, the Merseyside outfit are now sitting pretty atop of the table. So we are wondering (again) whether this could finally be the year the Premier League trophy comes to Anfield?

The Klopp Effect

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For those who don’t know, gegenpressing is not a viral infection or remedy for lower back pain. It's master tactician Jurgen Klopp’s attacking style of play, that worked wonders at Borussia Dortmund and is beginning to do the same at Anfield.

It's taken a while to seep through though. His hit-and-miss first season at the helm was essentially a Rodgers-Balotelli hangover that lingered on far too long.

Yet having persevered, his no-nonsense approach has finally given birth to a rejuvenated Liverpool team. And, with his routine after-match bear hugs and pitch-side antics keeping both fans and players on side, it’s become apparent that you never know what the next trick up Jurgen's sleeve will be. Perhaps to win the Premier League title?

So close, yet so far

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Since the launch of the Premier League, Liverpool have achieved three second place finishes, and four third place finishes. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

2008/09 was the season that Liverpool lost the least games and scored the most goals - putting them in the best possible position to win right?... Wrong! Liverpool’s jinx struck again as 11 torrid draws allowed bitter rivals, Manchester Utd to creep ahead and win the title.

2013/14 was a similar story, with Liverpool (now regarded as a dark horse) charging towards their first ever PL title. Only in textbook fashion, with the title in sight, they faltered and lost against Chelsea, then could only manage a draw against Crystal Palace. The Premier League slipped from their grasps. Literally - with Steven Gerrard's infamous slip, which allowed Demba Ba to pounce and score for Chelsea, causing misery for Liverpool fans.

So given their recent Premier League woes, why are the Liverpool optimists confident that the 2016/17 season can be their year?

The Leicester effect

With Manchester City currently odds-on favourite to win the Premier League, and many other big-spenders in the running, Liverpool find themselves in a position where they're fighting the big-dogs yet again. But as Leicester proved last season, anything can happen in the Premier League. Granted every top-flight team has uttered these words since the Foxes lifted the PL trophy, but the point still stands.

Lack of world-class superstars

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Stick with us this is a good thing.

Let’s not kid ourselves, there are still 27 league games to play, but the last time Liverpool made an impact like this was when a certain megastar named Luis Suarez tore through the defences of Premier League teams. Before that, it was when Steven Gerrard forged a deadly alliance with that lad they bought from sunny Spain, Fernando Torres.

Yet unlike some of his predecessors cough-Brendan Rodgers-cough, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool haven’t needlessly dished out funds.

Look at former Southampton speedster, Sadio Mane. He's the perfect example of a Jurgen signing with a high work-rate and intense gegenpressing tactics.

If Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund proved anything, it was that they didn’t need to buy superstars. They made superstars. Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels all established themselves as world-class players under Klopp. So don’t be surprised if the likes of Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho become the most talked players about in the years to come.

So there you have it. This season, will be Liverpool's season. Or perhaps Man City's. Well possibly Arsenal's or maybe even Man Utd's. If the Premier League has taught us one thing, it's never to make idle promises (a la Gary Lineker and his underpants) and never to predict league winners. But win, lose or draw you should always embrace a Jurgen bear hug.