Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp still has a long way to go in the transfer market this summer.
But there is a part of the squad that has a strength no one can match.
Liverpool have only played two friendlies and it would be pointless to overstate the analysis, but a clear trend is already emerging.
It looks like Liverpool could concede a few goals in today’s prospect (although more signings are close to fixing that), but should be more than confident of scoring plenty too, with question marks over some defenders and gaps in central midfield but plenty of firepower.
Mohamed Salah is the only “certainty” to start the season opener.
The remainder of pre-season will provide a guide for the rest of Chelsea’s attacking line-up for this fixture, but along with Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo, Jurgen Klopp has a wealth of options accrued over the past three transfer windows thanks to an initial investment of $177m (£138m/€160m) (with surcharges the total will be higher).
How much football Ben Doak will pick up remains to be seen – there’s a good case for him spending the season on loan – but it’s also another option to consider.
But among the five senior stars, Liverpool have almost unlimited potential.
Salah wants to build on a season in which he’s scored 30 times;
Díaz has just returned from a long injury and could be a new signing (although it is a cliché, it is also true); Núñez scored 15 goals in his debut season and is hoping to turn on a second;
Jota is electric when she’s fit and already looks very sharp; and Gakpo has all it takes to become Roberto Firmino V2.0.
It would be fair to say that this is a level of attacking quality – should the team be luckier with injuries this year than last year – that no one else can match.
Manchester City could come closer with Erling Haaland, supported by Julián Álvarez, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and, at least for now, Riyad Mahrez (although the Algerian could move to Saudi Arabia, then expected to be replaced), but Pep Guardiola is heavily reliant on the Norwegian for goals.
At Liverpool, he will be more popular thanks to his five-pronged assault weapon.
Arsenal added Kai Havertz and already had Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli; USMNT star Folarin Balogun is back from loan and Gabriel Jesus hopes to continue, but that’s not the level Liverpool’s forward line should be.
It’s the same all over the continent. Real Madrid have Vinícius and Rodrygo but are yet to replace Karim Benzema and former Stoke player Joselu is among the substitutes.
Barcelona have Robert Lewandowski as their main player but Ansu Fati, Raphinha and Ferran Torres haven’t scored many goals, while PSG could lose Kylian Mbappe soon after Lionel Messi has already moved to MLS.
There are clearly things Liverpool still need to sort out this summer as there is a lack of control, particularly in midfield and the defense also needs a boost.
But the offensive evolution is complete for now, with that $177 million spending possibly representing the most exciting forward options for any team in the world to pick from. At the very least, it makes for a potentially exciting season.