By this point of Leicester’s title-winning season, 18 matchdays in, they were already perched at the summit despite suffering a 1-0 Boxing Day defeat to Liverpool.

Brendan Rodgers’ current crop have superseded that vintage in every respect – four more goals scored, 11 fewer let in, one point better off – except in the standings where it matters most.

They will size up Jurgen Klopp’s side on Boxing Day again this year, but the circumstances have altered considerably since 2015. Leicester, a more formidable prospect now, trail the Premier League’s pacesetters by 10 points having held an 11-point advantage over them back then.

The benchmark has shifted to a staggering level since that 5000-1 miracle of Jamie Vardy and co being crowed champions. They needed just 81 points to lift the trophy in 2015-16 with the 90-mark broken every campaign since, first by Chelsea (93) and then consecutively by Manchester City (100, 98).

Liverpool suffered only one defeat – to Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering machine – last season and finished on 97; the highest total not to win the league.

Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 General view of the Club World Cup trophy before the match REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari IBRAHEEM AL OMARI REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Diego Alves 7 Flamengo's goalkeeper Diego Alves holds up the ball during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Flamengo at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hassan Ammar AP Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Rafinha 7 Flamengo's Rafinha holds his leg during the FIFA Club World Cup final at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 21, 2019. See PA story SOCCER Liverpool. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No use with any unofficial 3rd party logos. No manipulation of images. No video emulation Adam Davy PA Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Rodrigo Caio 6 Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 Liverpool's Roberto Firmino in action with Flamengo's Rodrigo Caio REUTERS/Corinna Kern CORINNA KERN REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Pablo Mari 6 DOHA, QATAR - DECEMBER 21: Pablo Mari of CR Flamengo controls the ball ahead of Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 Final between Liverpool FC and CR Flamengo at Education City Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Francois Nel Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Filipe Luis 7 Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 Referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim talks to Flamengo's Filipe Luis REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach KAI PFAFFENBACH REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Giorgian de Arrascaeta 6 Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold (L) marks Flamengo's midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) GIUSEPPE CACACE AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Gerson 5 Flamengo's Gerson (left) and Liverpool's Andrew Robertson (right) battle for the ball during the FIFA Club World Cup final at the Khalifa International Stadium, Doha. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 21, 2019. See PA story SOCCER Liverpool. Photo credit should read: Adam Davy/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. No use with any unofficial 3rd party logos. No manipulation of images. No video emulation Adam Davy PA Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Willian Arao 6 Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, right, passes the ball past Flamengo's Willian Arao, left, during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Flamengo at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hassan Ammar AP Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Bruno Henrique 7 Flamengo's forward Bruno Henrique (R) is marked by Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) GIUSEPPE CACACE AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Everton Ribeiro 7 epa08085720 Everton Ribeiro of Flamengo (L) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Liverpool (R) in action during the FIFA Club World Cup 2019 final soccer match between Liverpool FC and CR Flamengo in Doha, Qatar 21 December 2019. EPA/NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL NOUSHAD THEKKAYIL EPA Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Gabriel Barbosa 5 Flamengo's forward Gabriel Barbosa (L) attempts a shot as he is marked by Liverpool's Senegalese striker Sadio Mane during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images) KARIM JAAFAR AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Alisson 8 Man of the match. AP Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Trent Alexander-Arnold 7 Flamengo's forward Bruno Henrique (R) is marked by Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) GIUSEPPE CACACE AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Joe Gomez 7 Liverpool's English defender Joe Gomez (C) clears the ball ahead of Flamengo's forward Bruno Henrique during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) GIUSEPPE CACACE AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Virgil van Dijk 7 Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk (R) clears the ball ahead of Flamengo's midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images) KARIM JAAFAR AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Andy Robertson 7 DOHA, QATAR - DECEMBER 21: Andy Robertson of Liverpool looks on during the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 Final between Liverpool FC and CR Flamengo at Education City Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images) Francois Nel Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Jordan Henderson 6 Liverpool's Jordan Henderson, left, challenges Flamengo's Bruno Henrique, right, during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Flamengo at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hassan Ammar AP Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Naby Keita 5 Liverpool's Guinean midfielder Naby Keita (L) is tackled by Flamengo's midfielder Everton Riveiro during the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) GIUSEPPE CACACE AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 5 Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 Flamengo's Everton Ribeiro in action with Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari IBRAHEEM AL OMARI REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Sadio Mane 7 Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 Flamengo's Rafinha in action with Liverpool's Sadio Mane REUTERS/Corinna Kern CORINNA KERN REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Roberto Firmino 7 Soccer Football - Club World Cup - Final - Liverpool v Flamengo - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 21, 2019 Liverpool's Roberto Firmino in action with Flamengo's Rodrigo Caio REUTERS/Corinna Kern CORINNA KERN REUTERS Liverpool vs Flamengo player ratings Mohamed Salah 5 DOHA, QATAR - DECEMBER 21: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the FIFA Club World Cup final match between Liverpool FC and CR Flamengo at Khalifa International Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Andrew Powell Liverpool FC via Getty Images

That painful near miss has been the fuel for their unrelenting form this season along with the appreciation that you have to be near perfect to be England’s best.

Rodgers and his Leicester side are finding out just how exacting the battle is at the top. Bettering the greatest performance in the club’s history is not good enough and losing at City, as they did on Saturday, feels fatalistic.

“I have a great perspective of where we are and respect the level we are at and the improvement we have to make,” the Northern Irishman, who was at the Anfield helm between 2012 to 2015, said.

“The likes of Liverpool and Manchester City are a great benchmark for us and a lot of teams at this level and we have to constantly fight to improve and try to get close to that level.”

When asked if the standard to be title winners has been recalibrated due to the continuous brilliance of his team and Guardiola’s, Klopp underlined the achievement of the defending champions in dictating the new status quo.

“I think City moved the bar massively, massively,” he said. “The kind of consistency they showed in the last three years is incredible and difficult, very difficult to do. So they became champions two years ago and last year we helped a lot and they helped us as a lot as we tried to catch up with them. They did it in an incredible way.

“It has changed, it is not allowed to lose games anymore. It is difficult, obviously, but winning the Premier League should be difficult, it is such a strong league with all the teams you see now.”

Liverpool clinched the Club World Cup in Qatar (EPA)

Klopp noted the battle at the bottom of the table and the scramble to secure a Champions League spot to underscore his point.

“Watford looked like they were gone, relegated, but Nigel [Pearson] comes in. They came to Anfield and did a good performance and then won the next week [against Manchester United] and everyone down there is on their toes again. Now everyone is fighting for every point they can get, which makes it difficult.

“It looked like the top four were already gone for a while and then all of a sudden seven or eight teams will fight for being in the Champions League and Europa League. You have to be ready every three days to win a football game.

“We know that, so don’t think about the last game we won, we don’t think about the one after the next one, we think only about the next one. With all the problems and difficulties we face that is pretty much a plan and sometimes it works out. That is what we do.”

Liverpool travel to King Power Stadium to resume their crusade to become champions of England after bagging the Club World Cup in Qatar, their third trophy in six months.

“If you have a little bit of success and you get carried away by it you will quickly realise it is your last one,” Klopp said, batting away any threat of complacency. “We don’t get carried away for nothing, absolutely not. We’re completely focused on the next step. I was always like this.