Why we must keep the faith, despite ugly Arsenal defeat

It would probably be safe to assume that most Reds fans are still reeling from Sunday's loss against Arsenal. Every Liverpool fan is probably sick to death of the over-analysis, of undoubtedly the worst loss that Jurgen Klopp's men have experienced this season.

The frustration is understandable, but looking at things through the big picture lens, is it really necessary? Especially given some of the overreaction from certain sects of the fan base.

Let's not mince words here, the loss was incredibly disappointing, and a missed opportunity for the Reds. The chance to drive a dagger into the Arsenal title challenge would've been a massive statement for Klopp's men, alongside keeping Manchester City at arm's length at the top of the league table.

However, league title challenges are never straightforward, and while this setback knocks the Reds down a peg or two, it's certainly not a knockout punch for our title hopes.

23 games have been played, and 15 remain in the league. The gap between Liverpool at the top and their closest challengers is two points, with Manchester City having a game in hand to play.

What should serve as encouragement for Reds fans is that, despite the loss, the club has gotten the toughest away fixture left in their schedule out of the way. Adding to the positivity is the fact that we do play Manchester City one more time, on the 10th of March, at Anfield. A fixture that, needless to say, has massive implications if we are going to win the whole darn thing.

As Rocky Balboa once put it, "It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" It's certainly poetic that Klopp has mentioned that he is a huge fan of the Italian Stallion, as many of his lessons can certainly be applied to recent events.

The Reds took a massive hit and are reeling, but, if Jurgen Klopp's teachings are certainly something to go by, we should fully expect them to bounce back and keep moving forward.

"Doubters to believers" is the famous line from Klopp's first Liverpool press conference, and there's no doubt that our manager would want us to keep believing that our team is still in control of its destiny.

In life, there are no guarantees, even more so in football. One loss doesn't change the fact that this team has been scary good this year, and I remain supremely confident that they will remind us of this once again come Saturday against Burnley. Up the Reds!