"If you had asked Liverpool fans back in August would their team win the Premier League, most would have said no," says former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld.
Jurgen Klopp was always going to be the hardest of acts to follow as manager.
Liverpool supporters were understandably worried about the future when the charismatic German, whose force of personality and success gave him iconic status, announced in January 2024 he was leaving at the end of that season.
Who would undertake the seemingly impossible task of replacing Klopp? Would Liverpool tread water or even go backwards for a season or two while his successor settled into the job?