Jurgen Klopp smiled and followed it with a theatrical “wow!” as he grappled with the last question of his media duties.
Liverpool’s quest to win a seventh European Cup begins on Wednesday against AC Milan, one of only two clubs who have lifted the trophy more than them. After that, there will be trips to Iberia, where Porto and Atletico Madrid – who are to Liverpool what kryptonite is to Superman – await.
Klopp burst out laughing when he watched the draw being made at the end of August and saw who Liverpool had been paired with and nothing he has seen in the time since has convinced him that his gut feeling was wrong.