'There's plenty of time to make a mark'
Iago Aspas believes Liverpool can edge back towards the summit of the Barclays Premier League table over the coming weeks because of the unpredictable nature of the 2013-14 campaign so far.
The Reds slipped from top of the table on Christmas Day to fifth place after back-to-back defeats on the road against Manchester City and Chelsea.
Brendan Rodgers' side are currently a point behind fourth-place Everton and six behind league leaders Arsenal.
Such is the congestion at the top of the standings, a mere nine points separate the Gunners from Newcastle United in eighth.
Aspas is convinced that league positions will continue to fluctuate and has backed the Reds to return to winning ways against Hull City on Wednesday.
"This is the most competitive league in the world," he told Liverpoolfc.com "It's all very close.
"You lose two games, but then by winning two you can be back at the top. A while ago Arsenal were six points clear [of Liverpool]. I think the standard is very even, especially amongst the teams near the top, and that makes for an exciting league.
"We've still got the whole of the second half of the season to play, and we cannot forget that we are Liverpool and we have to be in those top four places. We'll be battling hard to achieve that right up until the end of the season."
Aspas expects to see a transformation to the Liverpool side which stumbled to a sobering 3-1 defeat against Hull in early December, when the Reds meet the Tigers at Anfield on New Year's Day.
The Spaniard observed from the substitutes' bench as his teammates were outfought and outscored at the KC Stadium by Steve Bruce's men.
He believes the opposition showed more intensity and determination on the day, as strikes from Jake Livermore, David Meyler and a Martin Skrtel own-goal sealed Liverpool's fate.
"We definitely need to be picking up the three points in every one of our home games," Aspas said.
"They're all very important games for us, especially on the back of two consecutive defeats, and even more so since they beat us at their place.
"I think in the away game they played with a little more intensity than us. As a result, they were really up for the occasion and they managed to up their game a little, playing in their own stadium.
"They managed to go ahead in the game and that made things easier for them. It's going to be important for us to score as early as possible at Anfield, just like we've managed to do in our last few home games, and that will help ensure we get the win."