Liverpool has accumulated a total of just 21 shots from high turnovers in the Premier League this season, placing them ahead of only four teams in the division. They share the same number as Crystal Palace, some 14 attempts behind Arsenal at the very summit.
The landscape is hardly representative of an outfit managed by Jürgen Klopp. The German, who once famously claimed pressing was a more effective means of creating chances than relying on a single playmaker, has even witnessed his Reds side generate two fewer efforts on goal than toothless Everton this term.
It is just one of the many clues which suggest Liverpool's high press has struggled over the past six months. The players have attempted to perform in their usual intense manner at Anfield by climbing up the field to regain the ball, but they have looked jaded, worn and overtaxed, often arriving late when making challenges.
Klopp first began to appreciate his team's defensive problems around 10 matches into the campaign, deciding that a new formation was in order to protect Trent Alexander-Arnold, who seemed to be getting exploited with every passing week.
A switch to 4-4-2 was his solution. "The way we defended usually suits Trent but when we are not well tuned, we are exposed in those positions because we usually want him to press high," said Klopp at the time. "For that, we found a different solution so he could defend in a different space. We had a different defensive structure."
On the back of the tactical switch, Liverpool's issues against the ball persisted. The Scouse full-back was no longer taking part in the high press in advanced areas, yet the Reds continued to get sliced open too often by their opponents, who seemed to progress from A to B with ease.
A diamond 4-3-1-2 system followed weeks later, before Klopp reverted back to his go-to 4-3-3 as the World Cup approached in the winter, during which Liverpool would benefit from time on the training ground in Dubai. It was a chance for an overdue reset but once club football returned after a five-week hiatus, nothing changed.
Now ninth in the Premier League table, the Reds have conceded more than twice as many goals as Newcastle United. After toying with a whole host of different systems, it seems Klopp has finally realized that his formation was never the problem; it was the demands attached to his strenuous high press.
In each of Liverpool's last two matches, the players have abandoned Klopp's signature staple by opting against covering every blade of grass when pressing. Instead, they have formed a compact block in the middle third of the pitch, picking their moments to move as a cohesive unit.
Klopp adopted the approach to face Chelsea last week and kept a clean sheet in the process, and it was again installed to face Brighton on Sunday afternoon. "I can't remember a worse game," said the Reds boss after his team's 3-0 loss against the Seagulls just a few weeks ago, but his players performed much better this time around.
In fact, Liverpool has looked defensively improved in both matches with the mid-block in place, although their assurance has been somewhat disguised by a sudden inability to cope when defending set-pieces, with Virgil van Dijk injured at present.
Brighton delivered a 2-1 win over Liverpool on the weekend, and both of their goals stemmed from dead-ball situations. Just eight days earlier in the bout against Chelsea, the Blues mustered virtually all of their worthwhile chances from set-pieces.
It is a new problem for Klopp to solve, but the glaring issue that has plagued his team's fortunes this season has quietly been addressed beneath the surface. Liverpool is still searching for form, balance and answers but with the high press placed on pause, the Reds have an opportunity to rebuild from scratch.
"We play in this order: first do what's needed then do what's pleasant," Pep Lijnders, Klopp's assistant, once said, and those words are relevant now more than ever.