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In some ways, Liverpool has been here before. Just a couple of weeks ago, Dominik Szoboszlai took to Instagram to declare that the Reds were back as a result of a 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.
A few days later, they lost 3-2 at Brentford. After that, albeit with a pretty much completely changed team, Liverpool went out of the League Cup meekly, going down 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace.
It is for that reason that beating Aston Villa alone will not be enough to prove that Arne Slot's side has properly turned a corner, as impressive as that performance was. Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister were much better, but there is more work to be done.
Unai Emery's men gifted Liverpool the opening goal and forced a few decent saves from Giorgi Mamardashvili. Aston Villa, in many ways, played into the Reds' hands.
Liverpool likes to press and it doesn't like to defend from throw-ins. Emery set his team up to play in a way that was very much designed to play to its own strengths rather than look to exploit some obvious recent weaknesses.
Perhaps it is fortunate, in that sense, that Liverpool will face Real Madrid and Manchester City this week, despite those fixtures appearing to be daunting on paper, especially in such quick succession.
Xabi Alonso isn't going to be instructing Kylian Mbappe to win a second ball after an Alvaro Carreras long throw. Pep Guardiola won't be insisting that Ruben Dias punts the ball forward in the hope of winning a set-piece.
Both teams that Liverpool face this week will look to play football. And just like Aston Villa, that could play into its hands.
With three games in nine days and such a quick turnaround between huge matches, Slot will have to balance his team selection carefully. Though he might be reluctant to move away from a winning formula, there will have to be tweaks.
With Mac Allister playing so well and Ryan Gravenberch starring against Aston Villa, though, the Liverpool boss shouldn't be doing anything with his midfield trio. Szoboszlai has been Liverpool's best player this season and he simply has to be there too.
That was the midfield that saw Liverpool win the Premier League title last season, and the signs against Aston Villa (though it remains very early) were positive.
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Going with the same three in the center against Real Madrid would likely have the best combination of technical ability and physicality to be able to match the Spanish giant — and Manchester City — even if that means making a tough call on Florian Wirtz.
As so obviously gifted as he is, right now, Wirtz is better used as an impact player off the bench.
If he does find his way into the team this week, it should either be on the left in place of Cody Gakpo, or through the center as a false nine instead of Hugo Ekitike.
Splitting up the midfield axis that pressed so well and was so full of energy and verve against Aston Villa would feel like a mistake. So too would taking Ekitike out, though Alexander Isak being absent might make that decision for Slot anyway.
In time, both Wirtz and Isak — currently sidelined with an injury — will be in the Liverpool starting XI as often as possible. For now, though, the $326 million (£241 million) pair might have to wait in favor of a return to the old winning formula.
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