Liverpool will be content with their start to the 2025/26 season, having lost on penalties against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield but then rebounded with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Bournemouth to kick off their Premier League title defence.
At this early stage, it's all about finding your footing and maintaining consistency while you're at it, but there is no question that defensive fragilities have formed a glaring talking point, with many pointing toward Arne Slot's side having a lack of balance.
The fast and hungry style which this new variation of Liverpool are trying to implement has left them looking exciting yet exposed to counter-attacks and crosses.
Florian Wirtz in action for Liverpool
Florian Wirtz in action for Liverpool
It's nothing to worry about at this stage, but it's certainly something to fix. The Reds continue to pursue a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, having already signed 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma.
However, the pursuit of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak also rumbles on, with the Merseysiders in clear need of a bit more depth to complete their frontline.
Liverpool looking at more forwards
Isak remains Liverpool's top target this summer, but Newcastle are proving difficult at the negotiating table, unwilling to entertain the wantaway Sweden star's departure without signing two alternatives.
With two weeks left until the end of the window, the Magpies have yet to sign a single centre-forward, missing out on a slew of targets. Still, the cogs are whirring beneath the surface, and Liverpool wait patiently to place a second offer after seeing an £110m approach rejected at the start of August.
However, it's wishful to think that Isak could join the Anfield ranks alongside another elite-level forward this month, and if Newcastle don't budge, Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has an alternative lined up.
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are joined by Arsenal in having maintained their interest in Real Madrid's Rodrygo, although Manchester City hold the lead in the race.
Real Madrid's Rodrygo-1
Real Madrid's Rodrygo
Valued at €100m (£86m), Rodrygo is considered expendable by Los Blancos, though they would only part ways if their asking price is met.
It would be worth it. The 24-year-old is one of the best wingers in the world, and his style of play could see him provide the flame to kindle Florian Wirtz's potential in a Liverpool shirt.
What Rodrygo would bring to Liverpool
Cody Gakpo scored as Liverpool beat Bournemouth on Friday evening, but his overall performance left something to be desired. In Rodrygo, Slot would land a far more dynamic and electric left winger.
Rodrygo-Real-Madrid-stats
Rodrygo stats
Despite struggling to play his best football last season, Rodrygo still scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists for his teammates across all competitions, also ranking among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, underscoring his roundedness.
After all, Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham remarked that the Brazilian "is probably the most talented and most gifted player in the squad."
In this way, he could be the perfect teammate to get Wirtz up and running after the German's start to life in Liverpool, showing plenty of promise but yet to bring it all together.
Wirtz-Liverpool
The 22-year-old joined Liverpool for a British-record £116m fee in June and is billed as one of the best rising stars in world football, but he struggled to find an outlet and impose himself against Bournemouth on Friday, albeit he created three key passes and won three duels, via Sofascore.
Looking at how Rodrygo compares to Gakpo over the past year, it's clear to see which forward boasts the more expansive skill set, and this could play to Wirtz's strengths.
Rodrygo vs Gakpo (past 365 days)
Stats (per 90)
Goals
Assists
Shots taken
Shot-creating actions
Pass completion
Touches (att pen)
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Data via FBref
Slot created something special at Liverpool last year, and a big part of that was his success in sparking interchangeability; in Rodrygo, Liverpool could have a roaming left-sided forward who can play down the touchline or weave inwards, opening many dimensions for Wirtz to play with.
Rodygo knows where the back of the net is. If played in position at Liverpool, he could turn into one of the division's biggest forces, serving as a wide outlet from which Wirtz can channel his creativity while concurrently utilising his snappy movement to create space for the German, should he wish to strike on goal himself.
Though Isak remains Liverpool's top target, Rodrygo is proven as a "world-class" star, as remarked by Luka Modric, at perhaps the biggest club in the world, and his versatility could actually work to Liverpool's favour, allowing Wirtz to go from strength to strength too.