Jurgen Klopp had long been an advocate of the mid-season break introduced by the Premier League in recent years to relieve some of the competition's relentless intensity.
But a near six-week shutdown before Christmas was undoubtedly not what the Liverpool boss had in mind.
For more than seven years since it was announced the 2022 World Cup would be shifting from summer to winter, the Reds - along with everyone else - have known this campaign would come to shuddering halt due to the controversial finals in Qatar.
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That it has come after the pandemic-affected seasons of 2019/20 and 2020/21 and Liverpool's mammoth effort of last campaign means the disruption hasn't quite been as much a shock to the system as may otherwise have been expected.
However, the lack of preparation time going into the tournament for the respective national teams has meant the usual build-up, concerns and conjecture have spilled over into domestic endeavours. Players, whether subconsciously or not, have been affected by both their desire to prove they are worthy of a place in the finals, or an inevitable deep-rooted fear of picking up an injury that would rule them out of the tournament.
And an already unusual campaign was complicated further for Liverpool by the quick turnaround from last term, a shortened pre-season, the need to realign the attack following the departure of Sadio Mane and, of course, an absentee list that has seen 20 different players miss at least one game through injury.
The latter issue has undoubtedly been provoked by the others, prompting an imperfect storm from which the Reds have found it difficult to escape.
Of course, Liverpool haven't been the only club affected, with arguably only runaway leaders Arsenal and moneybags Newcastle United negotiating the first three-and-a-half months of the Premier League campaign in a successful manner.
Klopp's side will resume top-flight hostilities at Aston Villa on Boxing Day a sizeable seven points off the top four, albeit with a game in hand. But the state in which the leading squads will find themselves come Christmas is now the latest great unknown of this bizarre, stop-start season.
Seven Liverpool players - England duo Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Brazil pair Alisson Becker and Fabinho, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, France's Ibrahima Konate and Darwin Nunez of Uruguay - will travel to Qatar, matching the Reds' lowest representation at a World Cup since 2006.
That all are effectively first-team regulars will nevertheless be a concern. But overall there are far greater worries in other leading Premier League squads, with Manchester City (16), Manchester United (13), Chelsea (12), Tottenham Hotspur (10) and Arsenal (nine) all having more players in the tournament. Newcastle have five.
The prominent variable, of course, is exactly how much physical and mental strain the World Cup will be put on the players involved. Much will depend on how their country performs and how deep into the competition they travel and, as has been proven on numerous occasions, the hangover from a summer tournament can stretch months into the new campaign. Witness how many England players struggled after their Euro 2020 disappointment.
This time, however, there will be little time for rest and recuperation. Indeed, Liverpool are at Manchester City in the Carabao Cup fourth round four days after the World Cup final in Doha. But players won't be able to step straight back into domestic duties. "We’ll definitely need a little break and we’ll probably get a little break as well," said Virgil van Dijk last month.
Those Liverpool players not involved in the World Cup will be given a short holiday before the squad travels to Dubai for a warm weather training camp in December, where they will be joined by the rest of their team-mates after their respective campaigns in Qatar conclude. Friendlies against AC Milan and Lyon, while not quite signed off yet, are expected to take place.
Klopp can anticipate some positives ahead of the restart. Luis Diaz has already begun running having been sidelined for more than a month with a knee issue, Diogo Jota should be back available after his hamstring problem while Naby Keita and Joel Matip will have overcome their current fitness issues. Liverpool should, all things considered, be in a much stronger position going into the New Year than they have been for much of the season, which could yet be improved further with the January transfer window on the horizon.
The next challenge, though, will be to integrate those returning from the World Cup as soon as possible. Having began the season slowly, hitting the ground running after Qatar can help Liverpool close the gap on their rivals. A fresh start awaits for everyone.
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