Never has 13 days felt quite so long.
Almost a fortnight will have passed since the dismal 7-2 reverse at Aston Villa when Liverpool begin the process of repairing their damaged reputation by resuming Premier League hostilities on Saturday.
With the next assignment the small matter of a Goodison clash against runaway leaders Everton, the timing of the 237th Merseyside derby could have been better for the world champions.
But the international break, while normally a curse in terms of momentum and the possibility of injury, has at least this time given Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff a chance to forensically analyse what went wrong at Villa Park and what changes are required.
And there’s one potential approach Everton will have never previously encountered.
While Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane remain among the most feared strikeforces on the planet, remarkably they have never started a Merseyside derby together as a three-pronged attack.
Since Salah's arrival in June 2017 completed the forward line, Liverpool have played Everton eight times – six in the Premier League and two in the FA Cup.
The Anfield derby in December of that year saw Firmino benched and later replaced Salah, who had scored in a 1-1 draw.
A month later, Salah was injured for Liverpool’s home FA Cup third round win, and also missed the goalless Goodison return in April that came in between the two legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City. Firmino was substitute.
The one time the trio have all started a derby came in the Anfield clash the next season.
However, it wasn’t as a front three, with Salah playing centrally, Firmino in attacking midfield and Xherdan Shaqiri on the right, although it was Divock Origi who snatched the dramatic late winner from the bench.
At Goodison the following March, Firmino was only a substitute in another goalless stalemate as he returned from a minor injury.
Last season, Shaqiri and Origi joined Mane up front as Firmino was restricted to a late cameo and Salah stayed on the bench in a 5-2 Liverpool triumph at Anfield in December.
In the home FA Cup win a few weeks later, none of the three saw action with Mane not required to come off the bench.
And across Stanley Park in their first match of Project Restart in June, Salah was among the four substitutes not to appear.
Goodison, then, awaits.
Mane has returned to training this week after, along with Thiago Alcantara, serving a period of self-isolation following a positive coronavirus test, while Salah’s Egypt were not in action during the international break.
It could be asking a lot to include Firmino who, along with Fabinho, will only return to Melwood on Friday after international duty.
The forward, though, showed signs of rediscovering his form with two goals and an assist for Brazil over their two World Cup qualifying wins.
Takumi Minamino, Diogo Jota and derby expert Divock Origi patiently await their opportunity.
Klopp, however, will surely be tempted to give the Everton defence a problem they’ve never had before.
