Liverpool XI before and after: Jon Flanagan’s injury return highlights how much the Reds have regressed

What a difference 625 days make.

Jon Flanagan returned to the Liverpool starting XI on Tuesday night for the first time in nearly two years after a series of operations on a recurring knee injury.

The local lad made his comeback during the penalty shootout win over Stoke City and played 105 minutes as the Reds reached the League Cup final.

However, it was far from familiar surroundings for Flanagan with only two of the players who lined up in his last game for Liverpool named in the starting XI on Tuesday.

A third, Glen Johnson, was actually lining up against the 23-year-old.

Liverpool XI - May 11, 2014:

When Flanagan was last around the first team, Liverpool had just ended the Premier League season as runners-up, after falling agonisingly short of their first title in 24 years. Now they are seventh, 13 points off leaders Leicester City (who had just finished top of the Championship at that point).

Brendan Rodgers was the toast of the city and now he is just toast.

Liverpool boasted the best attacking trio in the country of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge and now two have left and the third Flanagan is very familiar with, considering all the time he spends in the Melwood treatment room.

Liverpool XI - January 26, 2016:

The Anfield club’s current ‘star’ striker, £32.5m Christian Benteke, has been such a disappointment that Jurgen Klopp would rather play without a striker altogether.

Flanagan’s triumphant return from injury - he was excellent against Stoke - highlights just how far Liverpool have regressed, despite the £200m spent on transfers in that time.

The Klopp revolution has so far not been a revolution at all. It has been a slight improvement on how Rodgers’ reign ended, but still a far cry from when Flanagan last donned the red of Liverpool.