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Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has rubbished suggestions that his old side got things wrong in the summer transfer market, insisting that Arne Slot's team will soon come good.
The Reds spent big money on the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, with neither having shown their full potential yet. The latter is now set for a spell on the sidelines with a muscle injury.
But Pennant says when they are both fully fit and firing, there is no reason for Liverpool to be concerned. In both cases, the individuals are simply too talented not to work out at Anfield.
"There is more to come from Wirtz, but there has also been a lot so far," Pennant told Liverpool.com. "I think people are missing little things. If Mohamed Salah had squared the ball to him four times, he would have had four goals to his name.
"If the boys he set up had put the ball into the back of the net, he would have had about six assists. The team is just in a transition period, where it is gelling.
"He has struggled alongside the rest of the team, but apart from that, he has showed some great touches when he is on the ball. His IQ is off the charts.
"You know there is a great player there and you can see that for Germany. When Liverpool are playing well and he is there, there is a star there.
"I am not worried. He is still only 22 and when Liverpool start coming good, he is going to be at the front of that, for sure."
While Liverpool needs to ensure that it gets back into the Champions League places as a bare minimum this season, it was always going to take time for things to click.
The only worry that Pennant has is Salah, who has struggled for form in the early part of the new campaign.
"The drop-off with Salah is a bit insane," he said. "We're not used to seeing Salah's numbers like this and the way that he is so ineffective in games.
"Again, he is still trying to build that relationship with Conor Bradley. Is he missing Trent Alexander-Arnold more than we would think? But I think he is just getting used to new teammates.
"It's a long season. We're only 11 games in and there are still 27 games to go. There is time for him to turn it around but I'm hoping the whole team can click into gear and we see the stars start playing to their potential."
Even for Salah, there is a new team around him to get used to, even if he has been at Liverpool for a long time.
"It's about finding relationships," Pennant, speaking on behalf of New Betting Sites, said. "When you meet a new friend, you build that relationship and then you become tight. It's the same at a football club: you get close to certain players, and the team bonds.
"All of a sudden, you're going out there as a family. It's just about the new signings getting used to the new surroundings and the club, and the history, and everything that comes with it.
"Once they feel at peace and at home, we will see the team come good. They're integrating a lot of new players into a new system and it does take time.
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"What we're seeing now, I expected to see when Arne Slot first came in. To win the league was a shock and a bonus for everyone. Now with the new players, it will take a bit of time.
"They will come good because they are great players. We've seen that with their national teams, how good they can be. It is just a matter of being patient.
"If you have good players, that is only a good thing. We talk about PSG having that famous Neymar-Messi-Mbappe front three, but they didn't work for the team. It was them three, and everyone else working around them.
"That's not the case for Liverpool, so having great players will only benefit the team once they gel and they come together, and we see that masterplan get into gear."
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