TWENTY-FOUR days. Seven matches. Three wins. Two draws. Two losses.

And breathe.

After a 0-0 draw against title rivals Manchester City, Liverpool’s nightmare run of fixtures comes to an end. And on paper, they’re a bit worse for the wear.

The Reds have now gone four matches without tasting victory – a pretty clear red flag for any team – so why is manager Jürgen Klopp happy?

“If somebody would have told me after eight matchdays that we would have 20 points then I would have said yes to any fixture list, but with our fixture list I’d say I’d buy it,” Klopp said after the Anfield clash.

“It was an unbelievably intense period. Our fixtures were crazy. It makes no sense to moan about it when you are in it, but now it’s over I can moan about it!

“It was just unbelievable, playing these teams was really difficult and I’m happy with the results we have got.”

To be fair, he’s got a point.

In the space of less than a month, the Reds have played Spurs, PSG, Southampton, Chelsea (twice), Napoli and Manchester City. Tallying their results across the torrid stretch, you’d arrive at a total of 11 points from a possible 21.

But considering the calibre of their opponents, and the fact that they still share the summit of the Premier League with City and undefeated Chelsea, Klopp’s men appear to have emerged relatively unscathed.

Although it could have been much worse. If it wasn’t for Daniel Sturridge’s late wonder goal at Stamford Bridge and Riyad Mahrez’s 86th minute botched spot kick, they could easily easily be two points lighter and on a three-game losing streak.

“I don’t think so [Liverpool should be concerned],” Reds legend Jamie Carragher opined.

“I still think there is a lot of improvement from this Liverpool team. In the first eight league games they’ve played three real rivals. Not a lot of the other teams are going to be challenging for the title or have played that many [big teams].

“Yes, they haven’t won today, but the big thing in the big games is don’t lose.”

Four games without a win is a worrying stat, but the one that Carragher alludes to is perhaps the reason for Klopp’s contentment despite the blip in results.

Eight Premier League matches. No losses.

Draws against fellow title aspirants City and Chelsea are the only blemishes on their perfect record thus far as they eye a run at a first title since 1991. And the zero in the losses column will be the number most interesting the German as he continues the early stages of the 38-game marathon that is the Premier League.

The international break arrives just in time for the Merseysiders, who now have 13 days off before facing relegation favourites Huddersfield on October 21 in the Premier League. According to Sky Sports’ Gary Neville, their fatigue was pretty clear to see as Riyad Mahrez’s appalling penalty spared them a first loss to City at Anfield in 15 years.

“They are a little bit flat today,” Neville said in the commentary box.

“When do you ever see Liverpool like that? It’s a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of edge off the energy levels.

“This Liverpool team, their greatest strength is their ability to sprint quickly, press quickly, and transition quickly. If they don’t have that, they lose a lot.”

Aside from the packed Christmas period, sides don’t often face such tests of their physical capacities, let alone the scale of the one just negotiated by a challenged Reds outfit.

“It’s an unbelievable challenge to face Man City always, I’ve said that before,” Klopp said.

“As the last game in that intense period, it makes the challenge even bigger. I’m really happy what the boys did.”

Against City, Liverpool covered their joint-second-lowest distance (109km) of this season, in what could be a reflection of their lethargy following this intense period. Their front three again failed to produce the magic that characterised last season’s charge to the Champions League final – perhaps forgivably considering each has started in three high octane matches in the space of a week.

The drop-off in quality in their attacking output, which yielded just three goals over their recent four-game blip, is a worry for Klopp. But it’s one he’ll be hoping can be resurrected with some rest and relaxation.

Unfortunately for him, all three of his star attackers have been named to represent their nations in the upcoming international break