As Liverpool take to the field on Saturday, one message should override all else: beware of Aston Villa.
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This is not a warning signal for their bulldozing forward Christian Benteke, though the Belgian truly is a battering ram; nor is it the ringing of an alarm bell when Andreas Weimann finds the ball, despite his proclivity to find good positions in the box. It is far more serious than that. When Liverpool shuffle in rank file and participate in the sanitised pre-match handshake this weekend, they could exchange awkward glances with what lies ahead.
Think of it as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in this festive period, their visitors wearing the shackles of gradual decline; a jagged, skeletal finger firmly in the chest of Liverpool, cautioning over their possible future.
There might not seem much to fear for Liverpool, with the team's fortunes improving on and off the pitch, but it is a tale that has been told before. Aston Villa are aware of what can happen in this position. Taken over by then-Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner in August 2006, Villa rose from 16th to 11th, followed by three consecutive sixth-place finishes under Martin O'Neill. Things were going right. Things then went wrong.
Sixth became ninth, ninth became 16th - a position procured by a manager no one at Villa Park wanted, Alex McLeish's name still dirt in England's second city. The club now travel to Anfield in 17th, their heads above the rocky waves of relegation by goal difference alone. How different it was in August 2009, when a side containing Ashley Young, James Milner and Brad Friedel confidently picked up Villa's first win against Liverpool in eight years, striking the first real blow in Rafael Benitez's final season at Anfield.
That is a simple synopsis on the issues at Villa, granted; the Holte End would offer a far more elaborate eulogy to their club of seasons past. It would also be too simplistic to attribute the downfall solely on their American owner, who seemingly loses interest in his investment with each passing hour. But there can be no denying Villa sat upon the precipice of Champions League football and all it entails, their opportunity crashing into the rocks below on several occasions.
There were only so many wounds Lerner could apply his tourniquet of dollars to. His splurge on big-money buys - Young, Milner, Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker, Stewart Downing - decreased. His final move to make Villa great, the £24 million capture of Darren Bent, could only bring a ninth-place finish. The next time their season found the rocks, he left it laying, broken and bleeding beneath him. Barry, Milner, Young and Downing were replaced by inferior players for smaller fees, the manager's office undergoing more changes than a 60-minute makeover.
It is not quite a Dickensian tale, it is a narrative heard many times in football before. All the more reason for Liverpool to take heed.
Recent history has hardly been a serene reminiscence for the Merseyside club as they, too, have seen four managers in charge in the past four years, as well as a number of their top players leave for success elsewhere. Their owners, Fenway Sports Group, also arrived and immediately indulged in some folly spending, now appearing to suffer from the affliction of buyer's remorse, determined to gain control of the unruly wage bill.
That is not to dismiss FSG after two years in ownership. While their decision-making and business strategies can be questioned, their intentions cannot. They want to make the club as successful as possible, though aspiration and application does not always reside together. What they cannot do, however, is become Aston Villa - a grotesque mirror image of Lerner's American dream that turned to bowls of dust.
The Liverpool of now are not in the same position as Aston Villa were three years ago; they do not loom over the rock face with such finality, a sudden movement either way dictating the next decade. Some would argue against that; some would say the club already teetered on the brink, firing Kenny Dalglish and hiring Brendan Rodgers. But mistakes can still be rectified, particularly in the transfer market. While some clubs and their owners opted to simply abandon long-term plans, FSG must keep with Rodgers and support him in January and beyond.
Liverpool rest just four points from fourth - an impressive feat given the season so far. Though they probably will not finish the season there, it is possible they enter the New Year in it, if not perilously close to it. Their interest in Tom Ince, Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott must be acted upon in some form. The debate on whether they are the right building blocks at Anfield can be held when there is tangible evidence at hand.
Because Liverpool truly have something to build upon. With two or three further squad additions in January, Rodgers' assessment of his squad in the summer can be far more cut-throat. No longer will he deliberate over retaining an underachieving wide player or regressive centre back for fear of the squad being too small. Replacing poor players with better ones is hardly a secret formula in football, but the equation can be muddled at times.
What Liverpool face on Saturday is a by-product of an ownership going limp. Villa have been good to watch at times this season, their new-found style of buying determined young players with moderate potential is a refreshing one. Yet they are 17th, in the formative stages of something new, playing before an angry crowd who are fully aware of how opportunities were squandered, every song sung with resentment and regret.
That could be Liverpool if those at the top fail to retain their enthusiasm; a chilling reminder that the club's success no longer necessarily lies in the hands of those who know best. How sad it would be to hear the sweet silver song of the lark croaked with bitterness, the storm never-ending, the golden sky put away for another season.
It is nowhere near that stage yet of course, nor is there any indication of FSG pushing the panic button. But the closer Liverpool edge to Champions League qualification, be it in terms of points of posturing, the bigger the necessity becomes to sustain momentum through purchasing players. Rodgers, at the very least, deserves that in January.
It is there where the comparisons between Liverpool and Villa cease, European Cup in trophy room aside.
While Rodgers enjoys a good relationship with reporters, Paul Lambert is constantly barbing with the local press over his reluctance to explain his exclusion Bent up-front - a headache no longer relevant given the England striker is out until after Christmas. Perhaps such grouchiness comes with the knowledge that the club's success no longer necessarily lies in the hands of those who know best.
Rodgers will be hoping he can stave off that grouchiness for a couple of months; he has more chance if he picks up as many points as possible over Christmas, starting with Villa. It might not be bah humbug just yet for Liverpool. Supporters, and Rodgers, will be hoping the same can be said of FSG.