As the seasons officially pass from one to the next, there is a significant group of Liverpool players who will perhaps be glad to see the back of the 2022/23 campaign.
And at least one for whom the final weekend came far, far too soon.
Joe Gomez caused a mild stir by agreeing a new long-term contract last summer having struggled for game time after recovering from the serious knee injury that had limited his minutes the previous campaign. That decision, though, appeared to pay off as he started 13 of Liverpool's 22 games before the World Cup.
However, that didn't tell the story of his inconsistent form. He was hooked at half-time after massively losing his way in the Champions League at Napoli, and followed a superb appearance in the Premier League win over Manchester City with a poor showing against West Ham United a few days later.
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It was the same story in the New Year, until a hamstring injury in the 5-2 home defeat to Real Madrid. While he only missed a fortnight, Gomez only made two further appearances in Liverpool's final 17 games.
Fellow centre-back Joel Matip was limited to just eight appearances before the World Cup through injury, one of which saw a late Champions League winner against Ajax. He was poor in defeats at Brighton and Wolves and, while there was another headed winner at West Ham United, that he played only three times since February indicated he had slipped down the pecking order.
Kostas Tsimikas, the FA Cup final hero of the previous campaign, too often found his form desert him despite regular action in the first half of the season, with his underwhelming displays when called upon in the closing weeks doing little to help his cause for more minutes at left-back in the new season.
For Thiago Alcantara, it was another frustrating term, suffering a hamstring injury on the opening Premier League weekend at Fulham that kept him out for almost two months. He was a regular on his return and assumed greater midfield responsibility during the Reds' dreadful run in the New Year until, after 10 consecutive starts, he broke down with a hip injury that ultimately ended his season following surgery after a brief comeback in April.
Summer signing Fabio Carvalho began strongly with plenty of appearances along with goals against Bournemouth and Newcastle United. However, being replaced at half-time against Everton and then Brighton was a warning of what was to come, with the 20-year-old playing for just 11 minutes in the Premier League after starting the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in October.
Curtis Jones made his first start of the season at the City Ground after a stress injury in his bone that then helped ensure his next appearance in a Premier League XI wasn't until April. However, Jones then kept his place for the unbeaten end to the campaign and prospered in the new-look formation playing on the left of the midfield three.
And it was a breakthrough season for Stefan Bajcetic, who impressed on tour during pre-season, made his debut from the bench in both the Premier League and Champions League, scored on his second top-flight outing on Boxing Day at Aston Villa and, at 18, forced his way into the starting line-up in impressive fashion in January before his campaign was ended early in March due to an abductor injury. Like Jones, he will be raring to go in August.
End of season ratings: Gomez 5, Tsimikas 5, Thiago 6, Jones 7, Matip 6, Carvalho 5, Bajcetic 8
