Like an even more negligent version of Kevin McCallister's parents in Home Alone, Liverpool have gone away at Christmas and left their kids behind.
While a young squad is preparing to face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, the seniors are in Doha for a Club World Cup campaign they'll begin against the Mexican side Monterrey on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp's squad take their place in Qatar after clinching Champions League glory in June, and the Reds boss was putting his players through their paces at Qatar University in Doha as they looked forward to facing their North American opponents.
The German is sure to make changes for the game as he continues to rotate his squad during a hectic period, and he'd have been plotting changes as the players limbered up.
Here's a selection of images from the session.
1. Jurgen on tour
He may have been critical of the organisation of the tournament over the weekend , but now he's in Qatar Klopp looked as though he was determined to enjoy himself.
The Liverpool boss turned photographer as his squad were put through their paces.
Stick one of those in a frame and that'll be a decent late Christmas present.
2. Qatar, not the quarters
It says a lot about Liverpool's priorities this week that both Curtis Jones and Neco Williams are with the Reds in Qatar and not preparing for the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The pair are two of the Reds' brightest young talents and would have been key players in Tuesday's game at Villa Park, but they could actually find themselves involved against Monterrey as Klopp plots changes.
3. Needing a breather
It has been possible to detect a little drop-off in Roberto Firmino's performances of late, certainly so against Watford at the weekend.
He could be taking it easy in Qatar and might not even face Monterrey, perhaps in preparation to take on his fellow Brazilians Flamengo in the final.
4. Pushing for a place
If Klopp does leave out Firmino and play around with his attack then one man who could be set for a key role is Xherdan Shaqiri.
The Swiss did start the weekend win over Watford but as he seeks rhythm and looks to find his top form, an appearance against the Mexicans could be just what he needs.
5. Global Salah
One man who will definitely want to play is Mohamed Salah, who comes into the game having scored four goals in his last three games.
Salah has become a star of world football while at Liverpool, and so what better stage for the Egyptian to step up and show his quality than here?
6. Focused Mane
Sadio Mane is another player who will look to use this tournament to show the world just what a good footballer he is.
There were many - including Lionel Messi - who felt that the Senegalese deserved to finish higher than fourth in the final 2019 Ballon d'Or rankings, but here he's got the perfect chance to spring into his 2020 charge to move onto the podium at least.
Maybe even to win it?
7. Game-face on
He may have been joking around at the beginning of the session, but it wasn't long before Klopp got his game-face on in Doha.
The Reds boss knows that the club have never won this competition, and by effectively sacrificing the Carabao Cup in the manner that they have they really can't afford any slip-ups in their Wednesday semi-final.
Liverpool are in Doha meaning business, and won't accept anything less than a spot in the final.
