One month on from Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Liverpool, Sam Drury looks at the initial impact the German boss has made - and where he still has work to do...
Barely a month has passed since Klopp breezed into Anfield and charmed the assorted press at his unveiling as the new Liverpool manager.
The fanfare surrounding the former Borussia Dortmund man has only marginally abated in the weeks that have followed and having taken charge of seven games in 22 days, Klopp has had ample opportunity to get acquainted with the British press.
But with games coming thick and fast, chances to work with his players on the training pitch have been more difficult to come by. Add to that a host of first-team players sidelined by injuries, and it has been a far from straightforward start.
Rather than use the injuries as an excuse, Klopp has been keen to focus on the players who are available to him. So what's he discovered so far and what does his early analysis suggest is to come?
"The important thing is we have speed, we have technical skills, we have tactical skills, we have good defenders, good midfielders, good strikers, wingers."
He has taken on the challenge of restoring belief to his mentally fragile squad from day one and it is a topic he has referenced time and again in recent weeks, perhaps most pointedly in the wake of Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Now, slowly but surely, his message appears to be getting across. The Reds' 3-1 win away at Chelsea came after falling a goal behind and even in defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Klopp's side responded well to draw level late in the first half.
The key man on both of those occasions was Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian scored twice at Stamford Bridge and again against Palace, marking a welcome return to form.
Jordon Ibe is another player who appears to be enjoying himself under the new manager. He scored the winner at Rubin Kazan and was rewarded with another start against Palace on Sunday.
The teenager seems to be revitalised under Klopp and the player skipping past defenders with ease of late is a world away from the one putting in such timid displays earlier in the season.
Roberto Firmino is also beginning to show his quality, Christian Benteke was fantastic off the bench at Chelsea - finding the net after playing a part in Liverpool's second goal - and Lucas Leiva looks to have a new lease of life in central midfield. But the man who has arguably stepped up most since Klopp's arrival is now facing two months out.
Mamadou Sakho spoke of feeling like 'a caged lion' in his spell out of the team under Brendan Rodgers and has played like a man possessed for Klopp's Liverpool, establishing himself as the club's first-choice centre-back alongside Martin Skrtel.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defender's influence is such that Klopp insisted he would have 'preferred to lose 4-1' against Palace than lose Sakho to injury.
"Maybe we can be very well organised, as good as possible after a short time, because that's what we have to train for at this moment."
With so many injuries to deal with, Klopp's tactical nous has been more important than ever in helping Liverpool pick up results.
"The aim is to develop a recognisable brand of football," Klopp said in the days after his appointment.
Of course, it is far too soon for Klopp to have accomplished that but, even at this extremely early stage, the direction he wants to take the team is clear to see.
For all the talk of the full-throttle, heavy metal football that Klopp would bring to Liverpool, the man himself stressed the importance of defensive solidity.
The porous nature of Liverpool's defence in recent years is well known and so perhaps it is little surprise that this was the area Klopp and his coaching staff chose to tackle first.
The results have been impressive. Liverpool have conceded just three goals from open play in Klopp's first seven matches and appear altogether more compact - often little more than 30 yards separates the defensive line and furthest player forward.
As a result, where one of the major complaints from Liverpool supporters last season and the early part of this was how often the striker was left isolated, now the man up front can expect to be surrounded by team-mates waiting for a flick on, a lay-off or ready to win the second ball.
It was also assumed that Klopp would line his team up using the 4-2-3-1 formation he favoured at Dortmund and there were even suggestions that he was something of a one-trick pony tactically.
However, the 48-year-old opted for 4-3-2-1 system in his first few games, moving closer to a 4-2-3-1 in the Capital One Cup against Bournemouth as well as in Liverpool's two most recent outings, the win in Kazan and the game with Palace.
His much-vaunted counter-pressing approach has also been evident and proved effective, even in defeat, against Alan Pardew's counter-attacking specialists on Sunday.
Perfecting that system will take time, though, with Klopp keen to make clear that there is far more to it than just running a lot.
"We ran 116km against Tottenham," he said. "There were 5km that were not useful and we did them - but we did them because we wanted to.
"It was not the most clever thing, but now we can try to turn the screws and do it in the right way, in the right moment, with better timing and [being] cooler with the ball. It will get better and better and better."
"After the goal on 82 minutes, with 12 minutes to go, I saw many people leaving the stadium. I felt pretty alone at this moment. We decide when it is over."
One thing that has certainly got better since Klopp arrived is the atmosphere around the club. The frustration and disappointment that shrouded Anfield by the end of the Rodgers era has been lifted, with hope and optimism taking their place.
"Football should be about joy and fun and that must be reflected throughout the entire organisation," Klopp said in his first programme notes, but there has been little joy during the last 18 months for Liverpool supporters.
And certainly, while a fractured fan base was united by their delight at Klopp's appointment, turning 'doubters into believers' will take time as the mass exodus that followed Palace's 82nd-minute goal on Sunday showed.
He has achieved plenty in a short space of time but that certainly remains a work in progress.
"Who wants to be the best team in the world today? We want to be the best team tomorrow or another day. That's all."
Quite clearly, so does the team. Unbeaten in his first six, including a run of three straight wins, the defeat to Palace was a reality check for those who thought Klopp had already cracked it at Anfield.
Scoring goals remains a problem, Liverpool have managed just eight in seven games under Klopp.
However, with Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson among those expected to return before Christmas and summer signings Firmino and Benteke nearing full fitness, Klopp will be hoping he can begin to rectify those problems.
Doing so on the training ground will be difficult for Klopp and his team, though, they face another eight games in a month when domestic action resumes after the international break.
A trip to league leaders Manchester City next up is a daunting one but the fixtures that follow look friendlier, on paper at least, and could provide Klopp and Liverpool the chance to really build on a positive first month and pick up momentum going into the Christmas period.