Arne Slot had made a serene start to the unenviable task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest has brought the Dutchman's honeymoon period to an abrupt end and exposed cracks in the Reds' facade.
Liverpool have little time to lick their wounds with a trip to AC Milan to come on Tuesday to open their return to the Champions League after a year away from Europe's elite club competition.
Under Klopp, Liverpool's prestige at the top of the European game was restored. The English giants reached three Champions League finals in five seasons between 2018 and 2022 and won the European Cup for the sixth time in the club's history.
That is the legacy Slot inherits and the former Feyenoord boss has not been handed a kind draw by the new Champions League format.