There will have been a point, somewhere before the summer transfer window, that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would have sat in a room, round a table, with some associates all wearing the same furrow-browed expression.
The Anfield side wasn't performing well. In fact, Liverpool were playing some pretty dire stuff, falling to heavy defeats and showing scarcely any sign of the once mighty outfit that secured silverware in abundance under the German manager's wing.
Change was paramount, and with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all headed for the exit with their contracts set for expiry, the sapped midfield was clearly going to receive more than just a new lick of paint.
Help arrived in the form of a sweeping midfield rebuild, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister already cementing themselves as starring members.
Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch were also signed to help combat the sales of Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson, who departed for the riches of the Saudi Pro League.
Last year, the Reds would ultimately fail to make the grade for the top four and missed out on an eighth successive year in Europe's elite club competition, now returning to the Europa League to claim the one trophy that has alluded Klopp during his Anfield odyssey.
How are Liverpool playing?
As The Times' Henry Winter put it, Liverpool were "really out of sorts" last season, and were it not for a return to form in the latter stages of the campaign, the club may well be plying their trade solely on English soil this term.
However, the Merseyside outfit have dazzled since the summer, wreaking devastation with their attacking prowess and currently riding a four-match win streak in the Premier League after drawing the opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Klopp looks to have unearthed the formula for high-octane success once more after toiling last year, and while unseating champions Manchester City from the Premier League throne – with Pep Guardiola's outfit searching for an unprecedented fourth successive title – there is evidence that the Reds can produce a lasting run of results to prove one of the fiercest competitors.
They haven't hit their zenith; far from it, in fact. Away victories over Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers were both emphatic and illustrated the winning mentality so intrinsic to this prestigious football club, but Liverpool fell behind on both occasions, also conceding first against Bournemouth at Anfield before winning that one 3-1.
With a trip against Austrian Bundesliga outfit LASK now forthcoming to commence the European campaign, Klopp's side will be hoping to continue their rich vein of form, though will likely do so with a much-changed starting eleven.
What is the Liverpool team news?
Trent Alexander Arnold has not quite recovered from a hamstring injury sustained against Aston Villa before the international break and will miss the clash, while Thiago Alcantara, who has not featured yet this season, is still not ready for an anticipated comeback.
Newly-appointed club captain Virgil van Dijk may also be involved after completing a suspension; rising star Jarell Quansah might be in line for a second consecutive start having impressed on his "phenomenal" – as was said by Alexander-Arnold – full debut against the Old Gold.
With a crucial home fixture in the league against West Ham United awaiting on Sunday, Klopp will definitely shake things up in Linz, with exciting summer signing Gravenberch sure to be itching for his starting debut after making a brief cameo last week.
How good is Ryan Gravenberch?
Joining from supreme German champions Bayern Munich in a £34m transfer on deadline day, Gravenberch ended a nightmarish spell in Bavaria that saw him earn just three league starts.
An immensely talented and multi-functional midfielder, Gravenberch was hailed as the "greatest talent" in the Netherlands by countryman and former Ajax striker Win Kieft, having excelled for de Godenzonen before joining Bayern, making 103 appearances and winning three Eredivisie titles.
The 11-cap Dutchman is both tenacious with his defensive work and artful in his creativity, also energetic and capable of working head to charge the midfield engine.
As per FBref, the 21-year-old ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for successful take-ons, the top 18% for interceptions and the top 17% for progressive passes per 90.
Based on that evidence, there are discernible signs of a star in the making, and given Klopp's knack for shaping unrefined gems, he may well be a standout member of a prosperous Liverpool team in a few years.
It's a slow, arduous process, however, and the trip to LASK will provide the first brick of the foundation from which he can slowly build his career, with his technicality sure to leave him as the "dominant" – as he has been praised by former youth coach Brian Tevreden – force in the middle.
His all-encompassing arsenal could be perfect for Stefan Bajcetic too, with the precocious Spaniard yet to feature this season after impressing during his breakout year in 2022/23, cruelly curtailed by a long-term injury in March.
The midfielder, aged 18, has made the bench for the past four Premier League outings, but has not been selected for a second-half cameo as of yet.
He's clearly match fit though, and this is an apt opportunity to get him back up to speed, having been heralded for his youthful exuberance and being "so mature and composed for his age" by journalist Ben Bocsak.
A nimble, agile and energetic centre-midfielder, the former Celta Vigo youngster possesses a silky-smooth passing game married with a steely resolve in the centre, and Gravenberch's qualities would bounce off his smoothly.
There will be tougher tests ahead than LASK this season, but that is not to say that Thomas Sageder's outfit cannot disrupt Liverpool and consign Klopp to a first seasonal defeat.
The 56-year-old will use the contest to provide certain stars with an opportunity to impress, and the robust Gravenberch and the delightful Bajcetic could unearth a partnership for the ages to continue the conversation that this Liverpool team is not only revitalised, but reformed and now ready to emulate the previous illustrious success under Klopp's management.
