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Andoni Iraola has overseen his second press conference as Liverpool manager, as the new head coach made a few things abundantly clear in his time with the media so far.
The 44-year-old is now into his second week of pre-season training, where he is getting an up-close view of the Reds and what he will have to work with over the next campaign.
Supporters will get a first glimpse of Iraola and his team in the first friendly match in America, which comes against Sunderland, though the manager will be without a full roster of first-team players at his disposal.
There remain plenty of questions surrounding how the new era will look, from style of play on the pitch to the players at the manager's disposal.
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Iraola looked to answer as many of those questions as possible ahead of his first season as Liverpool boss, with everything from transfer approach to vice-captains.
So, with that said, here's a look at some of the lessons learned from the latest press conference.
Vice-captain choice
Liverpool is on the search for a new vice-captain, with an exit for experienced stars such as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah leaving clear gaps in the leadership space.
So far, Iraola hasn't announced a second-in-command to Virgil van Dijk, with the head coach revealing that a decision wouldn't be made just yet.
He explained: "We will address it [later]. I don't have all the squad and not seen them face to face. I always say you don't need an armband to be a leader, a captain. I find a lot of captains and leaders without armbands.
"You can lead a team or an important player not just because you have [an armband]. We need as many as we can [get]. In terms of the decisions we take, a lot of players [will be looked at]."
Right-back concerns
Right-back has been a problem position over the past year for Liverpool, as injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong has left the team light on options.
Iraola claimed that any move for a player in that position will depend on the fitness of those key players, as he claimed: "It depends on Conor's situation, a healthy Conor Bradley we are ready to go and we don't ask these questions [of a new right-back] because we trust him and he is our right-back but he is still far from returning. Defensive depth, we are very thin right now."
Bradley is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, and is yet to return to action.
Transfer approach
One thing that Iraola reinforced in his second press conference was that transfers into the club are needed before the possibility of any exits.
"It's difficult to say a number," the manager explained when asked how many deals need to be done over the summer months.
"You always have to be open for options to improve the squad. We analyse the market. It depends on a lot of things. We definitely need to sign a winger."
It sent another clear message that the head coach wants to focus on improvements to the team, especially with the relative lack of depth through injuries and key sales.
The mention of a winger is another key point, as Liverpool continues to delay on a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah in the market, after missing out on Yan Diomande.
Players staying
Several first-team stars have been linked with exits this summer, with Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister among those suggested as candidates for a move away.
Alisson was the subject of interest from Juventus, but after the Reds seemingly turned down a move from the Italian side, focus has been on keeping the goalkeeper.
"We have a situation right now, I think we have Alisson, Giorgi [Mamardashvili], now we have Armin [Pesci], keepers who go out and have the guarantee of those keepers who have already [been here]," Iraola explained.
"He [Alisson] is someone with experience who will definitely help us with the adaptation of new signings, we need references like Alisson, who've been here a long time."
It certainly suggested that the manager was keen to keep hold of the experienced goalkeeper, who is now into the final year of his contract with Liverpool.
Another player who has a dwindling deal is Mac Allister, who is into the final two years under contract, and faces a huge decision over his future moving forward.
Links with a transfer to Real Madrid have emerged, though his father shot down suggestions of a move to the club, and doubts still remain about his time at Anfield in the future.
Iraola defended the future of the midfield ace and said: "I think Alexis has been one of the best at this club in years, look at the World Cup, it's normal other clubs want the best players.
"Other clubs want my good players but I am looking to sign players than lose the ones we have here."
Pre-season returns and injuries
Liverpool's pre-season return has come in a way that is far from smooth, due to a mixture of the World Cup impacting when players return, along with the injury issues within the team.
Iraola shed plenty of light on when his players would be available over the coming weeks, starting with the players who are recovering from injury.
"We have some players with big, big injuries, so they have to recover," he explained. "Stefan (Bajcetic) and Wataru (Endo) are close to train with the group. They will start partially with the group.
"The others, we have to wait. (Giovanni) Leoni is the closest, then Conor (Bradley) and Hugo (Ekitike). The last two we are talking about months."
As for other players, the manager revealed that Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Ryan Gravenberch will be back in the second week of the pre-season tour, as he said: "The three players will join us in the second week.
"We have decided now with some who have been left out now since the World Cup. I think the sooner we can start working with them, they can understand what we want, the better. I have talked with them and they understand the main things."
However, the trio of Alisson Becker, Cody Gakpo, and Virgil van Dijk are not available as they will start their training next week back in Merseyside.
Iraola continued: "In terms of days of training, they will start just at the AXA in Liverpool. Virgil has been the player with the most minutes in Europe I would say.
"They will start the same week as the others but instead of making them come here, it makes sense they start the first week at the AXA."
There are also delayed returns for Victor Munoz and Mac Allister, following their involvement at the World Cup, adding a longer wait for their meeting with Iraola.
It remains to be seen just how much of an impact the staggered returns could have on the team heading into the new season.
