Can Klopp’s hunters cope with new role?

ALL season, Liverpool have been the hunters in pursuit of a Manchester City side who were bordering on perfection and playing a brand of football that scarcely seemed possible.

Nobody expected City to lose three of their last four games. Liverpool enter the second half of the season six points clear at the top — but it means that Jurgen Klopp’s men are now the side being hunted.

Liverpool have been installed as favourites for the title but there is now a renewed pressure to keep hitting the heights. Everyone at Anfield knows that one defeat could derail their season.

It happened to us at Arsenal when we travelled to Everton in October 2002. We were the defending champions, FA Cup holders and — like Liverpool now — went into the game unbeaten.

Every time you picked up a newspaper or listened to the radio you were reminded that Arsenal were the team to beat.

I was injured that day but watching Wayne Rooney’s sensational strike hit the back of the net felt like a handbrake had been pulled up on our season.

All of a sudden, opponents saw us as vulnerable. We lost our next three matches — against Blackburn in the League and Auxerre and Dortmund in Europe — and Manchester United went on to win the title.

The same has happened to City, stung by stunning goals from Crystal Palace and Leicester in a disastrous Christmas so far.

Any weakness is magnified. During the Boxing Day defeat at the King Power Stadium, Fabian Delph was all at sea at left back having made it look like his natural position last season.

It is Liverpool who now carry the air of invincibility and they can reinforce it with victories over Arsenal this evening and City on Thursday.

Allow themselves to believe the hype, though, and that will quickly evaporate.

City are wounded animals but have an opportunity to roar back.

It only takes a wondergoal for everything to change.