There was a time on Merseyside, not too long ago, when Liverpool supporters would have taken the prospect of Champions League qualification in a heartbeat, without demanding success of a more profound kind.
Now, however, expectations are much higher, with Jurgen Klopp's managerial appointment in 2015 ending an interminable period of instability and kicking off an ascent to the top of domestic and continental competition.
Last season's fifth-placed finish marked an end to a seven-year stay in Europe's elite club tournament, and resulted in sweeping changes made to a deteriorating midfield that had stood as tall and mighty as an impregnable fortress for the majority of Klopp's rule.
The prestigious Premier League outfit is now battling for a spot on the podium once again, and its manager is certain to be targetting the highest spot.
The 56-year-old boss labelled his side 'Liverpool 2.0' after years of illustrious success appeared to have ended with the drastic decline last year, but now there is optimism anew that silverware can be sniffed out in its hordes again.
All this is an illumination of the strides made under Klopp's tutelage, with the Premier League and Champions League trophies among the expansive scale of honours won during this grand period.
It's a far cry from the previous days of misery, with the season preceding Klopp's arrival, the 2014/15 term, among the most miserable of campaigns for the Reds in a very long time, with the £75m sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona seeming to shut the door on the halcyon days for good.
His replacement, Mario Balotelli, was something of an enigma, but if his cloak of mystery was enticing at first, the overt failure of his acquisition became too clear only too quickly.
Why did Liverpool sign Mario Balotelli?
Losing Suarez felt like an insurmountable blow; who could replace a world-class striker who had just ripped English football to shreds and spearheaded an unlikely title charge, posting an unbelievable 31 goals and 17 assists from 33 matches.
Liverpool needed a solution, and myopic investments and business over the summer had left the club in an unfavourable position in the closing stages, with Loic Remy's transfer from Queens Park Rangers falling through due to health concerns.
The answer came in the form of Balotelli, who completed a £16m transfer from AC Milan in the late days of the 2014 summer transfer window, with his signature preferred to Samuel Eto'o's, who was on standby.
The Italian marksman had previously enjoyed success in the Premier League with Manchester City, scoring 30 goals from 80 appearances across three seasons and providing the assist for Sergio Aguero's historic title-winning goal against QPR.
Moreover, he had 26 goals from 33 Serie A outings since leaving the Etihad Stadium, and despite off-field controversies, at least offered a consistent goal threat, and a menacing presence in the final third… right?
How did Mario Balotelli perform for Liverpool?
To say that Balotelli's time in Liverpool was underwhelming would be quite the understatement, and it is, without a doubt, one of the worst signings of the modern era given the stark decline of the Reds squad after such a tantalising glimpse of something more the term before.
Having branded his time at Anfield "the worst mistake" of his life, the 36-cap international flattered to deceive and then some, only making 16 appearances in the league, with injury and disciplinary issues restricting his impact.
That sole Premier League strike was hardly enough to earn the Italian a reprieve from his dreadful performances, however, with just four goals – and seven bookings – from 28 matches for the club.
It was hardly the impact that the club's support would have hoped for after such devastating attacking feats from the side's erstwhile Uruguayan striker.
How much did Liverpool sell Balotelli for?
It clearly wasn't working out and Balotelli, who was on £85k-per-week during his stay, hardly provided the level of prowess to bolster the frontline after such a remarkable rate of scoring.
In fact, he was among the lowest of Liverpool's squad across the league campaign, outscored by the likes of Alberto Moreno, Rickie Lambert and Lazar Markovic.
Moreno, in particular, was a left-back who had been signed from Sevilla in a £12m transfer that summer, and offered offensive qualities that impressed the Liverpool faithful but was far too frail in his defensive capabilities.
After that one season at the club, Balotelli was loaned back out to Milan but failed to impress for another year, hampered by his poor 12 months under Brendan Rodgers, scoring just three times, before joining French side OGC Nice on a free transfer in 2016 – swiftly discarded by Klopp in his first summer transfer window with Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard
9
Raheem Sterling
7
Philippe Coutinho
5
Jordan Henderson
6
Adam Lallana
5
Daniel Sturridge
4
Alberto Moreno
2
Rickie Lambert
2
Lazar Markovic
2
Mario Balotelli
1
Glenn Johnson
1
Fabio Borini
1
Joe Allen
1
Emre Can
1
Martin Skrtel
1
Sourced via Premier League
Of course, the following season saw the dismissal of Rodgers and the arrival of one Jurgen Klopp, a move that will forever be etched into the club's lore.
Signing Balotelli was always going to be a high-risk roll of the dice for Liverpool, but his past exploits did underscore the prolificness that the club thought would mollify the bite of Suarez's departure.
Unfortunately, it really did spiral into something of a nightmare scenario for all involved parties, and his presence at the club really is emblematic of the dark days preceding Klopp's arrival.
The sheer brilliance of the German's reign has eradicated all feeling of dread that seeped through Anfield's very walls. The road to prominence is often paved in a chequered past, but Liverpool have now reached their illustrious destination.