The stage is a convention center right at the end of the Boston Red Sox house, Fenway Park, in a happy spring afternoon not very different from the weather in the United Kingdom this week.
An unpretentious gentleman looks jeans and a hoodie is chatting with all kinds of people and the general essence is that whatever happens, he is happy in his current work and will not leave.
Man is the less stained Michael Edwards, a private individual who is so important for Liverpool's success in the last decade as Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah.
A man so private that many media articles on him use an image of a fair donation page when Edwards and other Liverpool employees directed a marathon for charity in 2019.
But telling people that they did not give up their new role leading a data consulting, Ludonautics, was in secret in negotiations to receive the main work in football operations in Fenway Sports Group.
And after the conversations with the FSG Top Brass in Boston that week, it effectively received the keys to Liverpool, which was publicly confirmed a year ago on Wednesday.
The triumphant return of Michael Edwards (half left) to Liverpool was announced a year ago
The respected sports director saw the Reds leave the Champions League this week
Liverpool was at the end of a heartbreaking defeat by penalty for the PSG of the French giants
Twelve months later, Edwards watched from the elegant seats in Anfield when Liverpool crashed through the Champions League. He was sitting next to the man who hired as a sports director, Richard Hughes, who in turn recruited Arne Slot when many external observers did not even consider the head of Feyenoord as a potential candidate.
Given the quality of the Paris Saint-Germain team that knocked them out, their departure is not a shame nor is it time for panic.
After all, Hughes and Slot, whose offices are next to Kirkby HQ of Liverpool, have supervised a season beyond the wildest dreams of most fans.
It was the hiring of Edwards that gave many of those followers faith in which the era of Klopp after jurgen would be soft and its short -term future was in safe hands.
But what Edwards and Hughes would have observed is that their work in the next five months, between now and the end of the summer transfer window, will shape whether this side of Liverpool is a wonder of a season in terms of winning the title, or if they are ready to build a dynasty in England and potentially conquer Europe, also.
With a prolific striker, for example, would Liverpool have had enough to overcome PSG? It would be difficult to complain to that assumption if you imagine a Alexander Isak, Matheus Cunha or even Liam of the line leading the line, to choose three prolific strikers who could be on the market in the Premier League this summer.
There were moments on Tuesday night Salah seemed to be disappointed by his attacker colleagues. He was marrying in a creative sense, but none of Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez or Cody Gakpo could finish his dinner.
Gakpo returns from an injury and is clearly not completely fit, while Jota may not trust his body after a series of breakdown in the last three years. The other pair faces slightly uncertain future.
Liverpool will sign a striker this summer, which means that Darwin Núñez faces an uncertain future
Liverpool has six strikers, but how many can trust to be a consistent scorer? The answer is one and that player, Salah, is out of contract in three months. Federico Chiesa, the only firm of the Slot-Hughes era, has played 25 minutes from the League since he joined.
That is a clear area to improve this summer if they are going to move forward in the premium competition of Europe. Gakpo will stay, but the other five are less clear: Núñez has an interest in Saudi Arabia, the Spanish press is often flirting with Díaz moving to Barcelona, Jota's injury history is worrying and Chiesa cannot smell.
And what happens if Salah stays but, with him to turn 33 in June, he cannot replicate his record season? The Egyptian is the best player in the league, if not in the world, this year, but it cannot be trusted forever.
This analysis is reactionary, but it is these cut decisions that will gain Edwards and Hughes their corn. In the past, Edwards worried little about loyalty and many confidence servants were transferred and replaced by younger talents.
However, the front line is not the biggest problem this summer for the maximum brass of Liverpool.
Virgil Van Dijk admits that “he has no idea” where he will be at least give in August, while Real Madrid is pressing hard and safe that they can tempt Trent Alexander-Arnold to join.
FSG has the policy of not extending the offers of those elders of a certain age, but there are a set of circumstances that justify a policy change, it is for Salah and Van Dijk.
In the red socks owned by FSG, Star Man Mookie Betts did not receive a new treatment good enough when he was a certain age and allowed him to leave, where he won two world baseball series in other places. Will the same happen if Salah leaves?
Virgil Van Dijk admitted that he has no idea if he will still be at the club next season
Real Madrid is pressing hard and sure that they can make Trent Alexander-Arnold
Milos Kerkez could join, with Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas wearing trembling at the points
Whether or not it is a murky topic. Both have expressed frustration for the lack of progress made in the conversations. The offers have been put on the table for both, but neither has accepted, so there is a conversation that is about the fact that if they wanted to stay so bad, they should have already signed?
Another problematic area is left behind, although Andy Robertson was perhaps the best Liverpool player against the PSG. The captain of Scotland turned 31 on Tuesday and his deputy, Kostas Tsimikas, does not feel like a long -term replacement.
Liverpool has been touring the market in search of man to fill the void once Robertson finally leaves and Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth is one of those he must see, just like Jorrel Hato de Ajax.
Ryan Gravenberch has enjoyed a world -class season in the defensive midfield, but he looked slightly leg in both games against the PSG. If he or Alexis Mac Allister suffered a long -term injury, the midfield department would look light.
Once again, criticizing this team is a debatable point since the space of the elite level season has supervised.
They will win this title in a gallop, but if they are going to defend their crown next season, and potentially try to follow several steps better in Europe, Liverpool may need to review several areas of the team this summer.