Liverpool v Burnley: the ultimate early acid test for Reds to outline Anfield and Premier League credentials

Kopites will return in their droves to their spiritual home tomorrow.

For almost 18 months, Anfield has been dormant on match days.

Stands usually vibrant and filled with optimism have instead been desolate. Concourses flooded with pre-match chitter-chatter replaced by deafening silence.

But for the visit of Burnley, Liverpool’s stadium will again be at full capacity.

And how the Reds will need their famous 12th man back if they’re going to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp’s home form last season was lacklustre, at best. Too many points were dropped and it was a fundamental reason why their top-flight defence was so meek.

Having previously made Anfield a formidable, impregnable place to visit, going unbeaten for 68 matches over the best part of four years, Liverpool’s proud record crumbled before them.

It was a 1-0 loss to Burnley in January that sparked the Reds’ jettison and proved a direct consequence of their collapse.

Klopp undoubtedly has to find the remedy to ensure Liverpool are once again near impervious on home soil this season.

And opponents Burnley couldn’t be a better acid test in the formative stage of the campaign.

The start of an ignominious club record

Plenty of people probably thought defeat to Sean Dyche’s men would just be a shock defeat in isolation, a mere blip that would swiftly be put right.

Instead, it was the beginning of a bleak run that would nadir in an ignominious club record.

Including the Burnley humbling, Klopp's men lost six successive games at Anfield. Never had that happened in the club's 129-year history while in the top flight.

To compound their misery, one of the defeats was a 2-0 reverse against bitter rivals Everton.

It was the Toffees' first win across Stanley Park in 22 years.

By the time Liverpool finally eradicated their insipid home form with a 2-1 success against Aston Villa on April 12, they were a staggering 24 points behind Man City. The title race was long gone.

Make no bones about it; Liverpool's abject performances at Anfield was why their maiden Premier League title was surrended. so tamely.

Where things went wrong

In truth, there were glaring signs the Reds' proud home record would eventually come to an end heading into the Burnley encounter.

Liverpool had failed to score in their previous three matches and their lack of cutting edge was their downfall.

Against the Clarets, the home side had 72 per cent possession and mustered 27 shots on goal - although only six were on target.

Divock Origi squandered a gilt-edged chance when he hit the bar following an error from Clarets defender Ben Mee, while Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino also spurned big opportunities.

The Reds were left to rue their profligacy when goalkeeper Alisson Becker tripped Ashley Barnes in the area and he fired home an 84th-minute penalty. Game over.

In their subsequent five home games, Liverpool's troubles in the final third continued. They scored just one goal, which was a Mo Salah penalty in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Man City, and could manage only a solitary effort on target against Brighton and three in a loss relegated Fulham.

Liverpool's bluntness was unfathomable given the attacking prowess of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

The triumvirate had run amok against the best sides in Europe for the past couple of campaigns.

Yet they were being nullified by defences they’d usually sweep aside with the utmost ease.

An early barometer

If Liverpool want to be challenging for the Premier League again, Klopp will be aware that major improvements on their own patch are imperative.

When sides visit Anfield, more often than not they're happy to be resolute, sit on the back foot and be difficult to break down.

No side embodies such qualities as Burnley in the top flight.

It's why, despite having limited resources, manager Dyche has done a magnificent job to keep the Lancashire outfit in the top flight for what’s now a sixth successive season. It might not be pretty, but it’s damn effective.

As an early barometer for how Liverpool will fare at Anfield this season against sides they need to put to the sword, the examination couldn't be much better.