Would it be an overreaction to call Liverpool's 2-0 defeat against Everton a watershed moment? Perhaps it would. The damage, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, was already done. Liverpool's Premier League title hopes hinged on overpowering, fanciful belief.
Belief that Jürgen Klopp's inborn magic, his creativity and his charisma, would prevail despite the glaring, booming issues that a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage did not get rid of.
Once upon a time, Liverpool supporters came close to a European quadruple under Klopp's guidance, only to end up with 'just' the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Once again, this year, a quadruple looked improbably attainable for this still-under-reconstruction Anfield side.
But triumph in the 2024 Carabao Cup masqueraded over a sense of overachievement that, for so long, looked fixed in place, set to stay, right up until the farewell parade, the final send-off to wave goodbye to the man who lifted an outfit of doubters and turned them into believers.
But all good things, as the proverb puts it, come to an end and Klopp's tenure is no different. The search for a successor has already proved to be a winding and frustrating road but Liverpool do now seem to be honing in on an heir.
Liverpool lining up Klopp successor
Frontrunner: Xabi Alonso became Ruben Amorim became Arne Slot. Slot, manager of Feyenoord, finally seems to be the man that Liverpool have chosen to anoint in Klopp's place and continue the journey that has lifted Anfield to silver skies.
Liverpool will be back among Europe's elite next season after finishing fifth in the Premier League last year but it is clear that summer recruitment needs to be emphatic if the club are to keep up with juggernauts Arsenal and Manchester City, who have always felt a bit more slick, stylish and assured in their respective places in this thrilling three-horse race.
But that's no disservice to the masterful job that Klopp has done in lifting his squad to such heights, having made sweeping changes to his all-important midfield last summer. Liverpool are still a team in transition, and now the reins are handed over.
Slot's expansive brand of football, emphasis on developing younger players and first-rate man-management skills make him the perfect figure to lead from the dugout next season.
He might even have the tools to bring struggling stars back from the rubble – could one such star be Darwin Nunez?
Darwin Nunez's season in numbers
Mohamed Salah is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and was the subject of a £150m approach from Al-Ittihad last summer. Nearly 32, it's going to be one to keep an eye on during the off-season.
And while he's erratic and wasteful, Darwin Nunez is unlikely to follow the Egyptian out of the door; even though his arrival was Klopp's preference, and not that of the recruitment team, the club-record signing probably won't be moved on after just two years, what with Salah more probable to depart, Diogo Jota injury prone and Luis Diaz lacking a clinical edge, electric he may be.
And still, for all his faults, the 24-year-old Uruguayan has posted 18 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season. He's got the trappings of a world-class star.
Nunez's poor finishing is a matter of temperament, not technical quality, as mused by analyst Raj Chohan, and under Slot, the role of centre-forward at Anfield could shift and realign with added impetus, Klopp's brand at an end.
Coveted Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez scored 23 times last year and has clinched 24 goals this season. It might just be worth keeping this enigmatic ace on Merseyside for a little longer…
The same can be said for Dominik Szoboszlai, who has not been at the top of his game recently but undoubtedly boasts top-class ability.
Down not out for Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool signed Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig last summer after meeting his £60m release clause, adding the talented attacking midfielder to the ranks following performances in Germany that had led journalist Marcel Moeller to call him a "generational talent".
And what a start to life in the Premier League, with fierce ranged strikes, elite athletic energy and undeniable spark and swagger suggesting that Klopp had his midfield general for years to come.
Injuries and a spiral in form have changed the mood significantly around the Hungary international, who has been criticised for his "stinker" efforts in recent weeks by reporter Lewis Steele.
Against Everton, the 23-year-old was branded with a lowly 3/10 match rating by The Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle, who wrote: 'One forceful run into the box aside, the midfielder suffered a shocker of a first half and didn’t improve much after that. Subbed.'
But across the duration of the campaign, Szoboszlai has shown glimpses, quite a few, of the things still to come, and Slot could prove to unleash the £120k-per-week star in a refreshed and restored position.
Matches played
29
Matches started
25
Goals
3
Assists
2
Pass completion
87%
Touches per game
63.7
Shots per game
1.9
Key passes per game
1.8
Ball recoveries per game
5.8
Tackles per game
1.1
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 9% for blocks per 90, showcasing his forward-surging qualities as a No. 10.
Slot is an advocate of high-intensity offensive football, like Klopp in that regard, but with an added emphasis on a central attacking midfielder, Liverpool's record signing of 2023 could finally return to his favoured position, protected by the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo from deep.
There is a special skill set in there, lasting but latent quality that needs channelling and unleashing in a manner that better fits Szoboszlai's style.
Let's not throw in the towel with this one just yet. Liverpool may yet come to bask in the full scale of Szoboszlai's brilliance.
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