April 2nd, 2011. The twittersphere goes into meltdown as a late Chris Brunt penalty allows West Brom and new manager Roy Hodgson to beat Liverpool in a media-fuelled grudge match. A month earlier there was a similar reaction as Liverpool contrived to draw 1-1 at Wigan Athletic. The connection? Both games saw disappointing results for Kenny Dalglish in an otherwise excellent half season of results – but also, both games were played after international breaks. The impact of the international calendar is a major bone of contention amongst fans of top clubs across Europe but for Liverpool, is it a myth or reality? Is there any link between games played after international breaks and worse than average results?

This in-depth investigation into Liverpool’s Premier League record after international breaks provides some quite revealing answers.

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