Liverpool are experiencing an unprecedented time at the moment. As the business end of the current campaign approaches, the Reds can still entertain the prospect of winning an incredible quadruple.
It is testament to the work of Jurgen Klopp. Since moving from Germany to England, the 54-year-old has dragged his team from the middle of the Premier League table to the pinnacle of Europe.
He is Liverpool's saviour, but will it all end when he leaves? In a recent episode of The Overlap, Gary Neville suggested that success at Anfield wouldn't last beyond Klopp's tenure.
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“Liverpool fans don’t see it now because of where they are," he said. "But once Klopp leaves, the money they’re spending means they finish 4th or 5th - which is where they should be - Liverpool fans won’t be happy with their owners.”
It was a defiant statement, but one that isn't entirely true. Klopp is a huge reason behind how the Reds have evolved over the course of the past few years as he's one of the world's best coaches, but he isn't the only reason and he's profited from elite support.
As much of the club's success should be attributed to the footballing operations behind the scenes, specifically the recruitment. Some years ago, Klopp was convinced that Julian Brandt was the man to bring to Anfield, but the Reds boss was instead convinced into signing Mohamed Salah by Michael Edwards and the rest of the transfer team. The rest is history.
Liverpool have delivered hit after hit in the transfer market in recent years, merging data with expert judgement to assess targets. The club's scouting network is as refined as it gets, with the capture of Luis Diaz in January acting as perfect evidence of how the Reds manage to pick up stars who haven't yet been noticed on the global stage.
Neville's words suggested that Liverpool should rank further down the table because of their spending power, but the ruthless efficiency of the club in the market has allowed them to spend less while making gains on the pitch. Fewer mistakes tends to equate to less spending.
Dedicating excessive amounts of money on players does not guarantee success, as showcased by Neville's beloved United outfit. Instead, the players have to be the right fit, and Liverpool ensure that is the case.
It remains to be seen how the club will manage Klopp's eventual departure, but the infrastructure that has been formed around him since his arrival on Merseyside should allow Liverpool to continue at the summit of English and European football for years to come.
Regardless of who replaces him, Liverpool will still behave exactly the same and that includes demonstrating their knack for picking up diamonds such as Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Fabinho and Andy Robertson to name but a few.
Liverpool's future without Klopp is undeniably daunting but contrary to what Neville believes, the club have everything in place to ensure that his departure isn't as destructive as Sir Alex Ferguson's has been on United.
On top of that, Neville has a poor recent record of predictions when it comes to the Reds. At the start of the campaign he suggested something was "not quite right" at Anfield.
With one trophy in the bag and the possibility of several more remaining, Liverpool have arguably already proved him wrong. And they may well relish the chance to do so again when the Klopp era eventually ends.
