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Liverpool’s players are set to be reporting back to the AXA Training Centre over the next couple of days as they turn their attentions back to club matters following the international break - and there’s certainly plenty of work for them to do.
The Reds are of course well off the sort of position that fans will have expected after last season’s title triumph, and the subsequent summer spending spree that transformed the squad.
With Nottingham Forest lying in wait on Saturday, Arne Slot has to find a way to get his side firing consistently again as they look to make up ground on Arsenal - and the Liverpool boss has more than a few problems to solve upon the Reds’ return.
Here’s a look at what is on Slot’s to-do list following the international break…
Ekitike and Isak conundrum
It's the million dollar question - or perhaps the $254 million dollar question to be exact. What does Slot do with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike?
That's been answered for him over recent weeks with Isak out injured, but with the Premier League's most expensive signing of all time now back fit again, there's a big call to be made.
Ekitike has been the more impressive of the pair so far, although even his goals have dried up recently for Liverpool, and the club isn't going to let its record signing just sit on the bench for too long.
It should be Ekitike that has the spot up front right now, with Isak being eased back in after his layoff, but the Swede will be expected to emerge as the No.1 in time - that is, assuming there's just one spot up for grabs.
Slot did experiment with both players in the same side just before Isak's injury, and it did seem to work to a degree during the first half against EIntracht Frankfurt. Then again, Liverpool's opponents didn't seem too preoccupied with defending that night.
Will we see that experiment again? It would be a big call, given Liverpool has to hit the ground running now after the international break, and the upheaval it could cause in the rest of the team, but Slot has a decision to make one way or another.
Where does Wirtz go?
Slot has another rather expensive problem that he has to solve in the shape of Florian Wirtz. We have definitely not seen the best of the 23-year-old so far, and despite what the German media would have you believe, you can't pin the blame on Mohamed Salah.
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It seems clear that Slot still hasn't settled on Wirtz's best position in his side. He looked as though he may have hit upon the answer with a decent performance from the left against Real Madrid, but it was right back to square one against Manchester City.
Everyone knows about Wirtz's talent, and it was on display during the international break. But how does Liverpool extract that talent?
Slot needs to make a decisive call on where he sees him playing long-term for Liverpool, and stick to it.
Szoboszlai and Kerkez's heartbreak
Slot certainly has enough on his plate at the moment at Liverpool, but the international break will have thrown up a different sort of challenge for him regarding two of his players.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Milos Kerkez wouldn't be human if they didn't arrive back on Merseyside still feeling down after the way in which Hungary had its play-off place snatched away from it by the Republic of Ireland.
Slot now has to ensure that heartbreak doesn't affect their game back with the Reds. Szoboszlai has arguably been Liverpool's best player so far this season, while Kerkez has struggled to find his feet, which presents its own unique challenge.
Szoboszlai will likely get the chance to shake off that defeat in Budapest almost immediately, but Kerkez is certainly not guaranteed that luxury, especially with a buoyant Andy Robertson to contend with at left-back. Slot's title might be head coach, but his management skills are going to be tested on that front.
Contract calls
Perhaps not wholly a situation where Slot will have the final say, but certainly one where he needs to have his say, is the contract uncertainty surrounding two of his players.
Both Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are set to see their current deals expire in the summer, and although there might not be the same level of drama that surrounded Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold last year, it is nevertheless important that Liverpool gets this situation under control.
Konate has addressed recent reports over his future during the international break, and has suggested that he wants to make an announcement soon. Considering January isn't too far away and he'll be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club then, you can see why his comments are particularly significant right now.
The sooner we know what the future holds for Konate and Robertson, the better. If the uncertainty remains heading into the New Year, it will make for a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere.
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