When Jürgen Klopp dropped the bombshell news that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, it took a while for most Reds fans to come to terms with the announcement.

If Liverpool ends this season with 'only' the Carabao Cup, it will not be Klopp's January statement of his intention to leave that is the reason behind that.

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Richard Keys is one person to have made that suggestion and there are some among the Liverpool fanbase who would agree.

All of those factors, rather than the pressure of Klopp leaving, appear most likely as explanations for why Liverpool has dropped off in recent weeks.

Klopp leaving might have brought the narrative that Liverpool needs to win the league this year more than anyone else, but whether that has had an impact or not, it isn't based on the reality of where this version of the Reds is up to in their development.

The biggest change since Klopp's exit was confirmed is not in the pressure itself, but the narrative of what constitutes success.

Had anyone said at the start of the season that Liverpool would comfortably qualifying for the Champions League and also win a trophy, given what happened in 2022/23, then the Reds would have lapped that up.

The fact that Klopp is leaving shouldn't change that: Liverpool is still ahead of schedule in comparison to what almost everyone expected.