I've always thought that creating a business should be judged by how well it works when you're not there. If you rely too much on one individual and perform poorly without them, you cannot consider yourself successful.
In that context, Liverpool's impressive rise to the top of the Premier League is as much a reflection of the tremendous work Jurgen Klopp did during his time at Anfield as it is of those who are there now.
This is not a slight on the current manager. This is still Klopp's team but with the polish of Arne Slot. It is a combination that ends with Liverpool as champions in May.
Klopp was already one of the best managers of the Premier League era. Now he has proven to be big enough to leave a legacy that his successor has been able to immediately take advantage of.
When Manchester United and Arsenal lost their legendary leaders, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the baton was not passed in the same way, for different reasons and circumstances.
On the contrary, Klopp has given Slot the opportunity to run the final leg better than any relay runner could imagine. As a result, Liverpool are advancing at a pace that few would have predicted. They are winning in the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup, everything!
Arne Slot has found immediate success at Liverpool as they sit at the top of the Premier League table.
However, a lot of credit must go to Slot's predecessor Jurgen Klopp and the work he did.
Klopp's last campaign ended as a failure; After having won the League Cup in an exciting way against Chelsea with children, the big prizes went to Manchester City and Real Madrid.
However, despite the pessimism that might be suggested, the outgoing director had not left a collection of Minis in the Slot garage, but rather Ferraris.
Liverpool did not need to make any summer signings because of what Klopp and the recruitment team did in 2022 and 2023, bringing in Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot has a lot of riches left to choose from: the best gift that can be given to any manager.
Even if the jury is still out on Núñez, Liverpool had established a formidable forward line and depth throughout the pitch; a very strong team. And Slot has had the insight to guide everything in the right direction.
He certainly inherited a better situation than Klopp when he arrived after a last inoffensive season under Brendan Rodgers in 2015. He then, through his charisma and skill, once again boosted Liverpool by bringing in a new player profile and establishing a connection with the fan base dating back to the days of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish.
Slot has seen the opportunity offered to him at Liverpool and has made the most of it. He has been sensible and tweaked some of the aspects of Klopp's rock and roll to make the team more sophisticated. There's less franticness about them if that's the right description!
No one could have legislated for Manchester City's form to fall off a cliff or for Arsenal to be less consistent than expected. He has created a perfect storm for Liverpool.
Liverpool did not need to sign anyone this summer due to the strength of their squad.
Even if Darwin Núñez's case is not yet known, Liverpool established a formidable attacking line
Leading the league by four points and with a game in hand, with Leicester City at home today (Boxing Day), they have this momentum that makes them feel like nothing can derail them, not even the noise about contract negotiations with Mohamed Salah. , Virgil van Dyke and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool are moving on and I suspect Salah and van Dijk will decide to stay and win the title. All the stars are aligning.
United and Arsenal fans might wonder why his transition was so much more difficult. United were a poisoned chalice for David Moyes, partly because they lost intellectual capital, not only in the dugout when Ferguson left, but also in the boardroom when the highly influential David Gill also left his role as chief executive.
Arsenal had reduced both transfer spending and wages over time to facilitate the new stadium, which meant they had become a participation club rather than actively competing for major trophies.
Liverpool's ownership model has been better prepared and the way clubs are run has changed even in the last decade; There is more substance, expansive thinking and detailed data in all departments.
They also had Klopp, who was considerably younger than Ferguson and Wenger when he left, and was able to deliver a team of players who were still breaking in or in their prime.
Klopp doesn't strike me as the type who will have spent Christmas enjoying other people's achievements. But even though he is no longer on Merseyside, this season is definitely partly his achievement. For Liverpool, it is the gift that keeps on giving.
Slot has seen the opportunity he was given at Liverpool and has made the most of it so far.
Although Klopp is no longer on Merseyside, this season is undoubtedly part of his achievement.
What's next for Fury?
When a friend showed me that the esteemed American magazine Sports Illustrated had included me on a 2024 boxing power list alongside names like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, I thought it was a typo.
Whether he's worthy or not, and he probably isn't, I was worried about Fury's chances in the weekend's big fight from the moment he made his walk around the ring. To me it seemed intense but without showing intensity.
The eyes, at the allotted moment before the first assault, were still demonic, just a little emptier.
There is talk that Anthony Joshua will be his next opponent. It will be a big payday and would come with bragging rights, but I don't feel a desperate need to see the union made. In an ideal world, I'd rather there be real danger when it comes to big fights, not just significant bank balance increases.
In the end, even though neither man had his pomp, having both been beaten twice by Usyk, it will still be a spectacle that boxing's new saviors in Riyadh will no doubt bankroll.
Tyson Fury (left) dropped a unanimous decision against Oleksandr Usyk (right) on Saturday.
I was worried about Fury's chances in the big fight of the weekend from the moment he made his walk around the ring.
Boxing Day Calendar
As a club owner, I loved the football festival at Christmas and New Year. Having match after match was fantastic, it was the January transfer window that I didn't like…
The season we won promotion at Crystal Palace, we beat Reading on December 23, played Millwall on Boxing Day, played Ipswich two days later and then went straight into the FA Cup.
Now I see that there are no games on Saturday to give the players an extra day off after today's games. They should have been listening to Martin Keown's argument about player welfare!
My response to the players and managers who complain about too many games at this time of year is to remind them that the fans like it and that they are the ones who give the footballers the platform they have.
The Friedkin Group, led by Dan Friedkin, has been confirmed as the new owner of Everton
Friedkin's Dyche Decision
New Everton owner Dan Friedkin would do well to keep an open mind about Sean Dyche. It shouldn't be a fait accompli to walk through the door and automatically assume he needs a different manager to lead the club on the next part of its journey at Bramley Moore Dock Stadium.
Dyche is an experienced, down-to-earth operator and will know that he is auditioning for someone else, not the people who first hired him.
My opinion is that it is very capable and American owners should seriously consider it, although of course it's a two-way street and Dyche also needs to show his new boss what he can produce.
I consider Friedkin a sensible man. I would be surprised if he didn't take the time to evaluate what is best for the club in the long term. He could still include Dyche on the bench.