Transfers, Keita and Darwin's development: The six questions Liverpool must answer after the World Cup break

So much for easing yourselves back into it, eh?

Forty days after their last competitive fixture, Liverpool return to action on Thursday night with a big one: a trip to Manchester City, with plenty of pride and bragging rights, not to mention a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, on the line. 

With the World Cup done and dusted, attention now turns to club matters in this strangest and most gruelling of seasons. It’s a sprint to the line, with games coming thicker than custard and faster than Kylian Mbappe between now and June.

Liverpool have, after an underwhelming start to the campaign, left themselves with plenty to do. Sixth in the Premier League, they know they can ill-afford any further slip-ups if they are to achieve their minimum aim of a top-four finish, while the Champions League last-16 draw, which has paired them with holders Real Madrid, looms large on the horizon too.

They did, however, head into the mid-season hiatus on something of an upward curve, a run of eight wins from 10 games, including a pair of big ones against Tottenham and Southampton right before the break.

All to play for then and as they prepare to get stuck back into domestic matters, GOAL looks at the questions Jurgen Klopp and his team must answer in the coming weeks and months…