A key feature of Arne Slot's early days at Liverpool has been his willingness to bring off players without fear or favor.
Subplots and storylines may have subsequently emerged from his substitution of players like Jarell Quansah hooked and Trent Alexander-Arnold's substitution reaction , but the Reds' head coach has not ducked anything so far. Questions around his decision to sub Quansah at halftime of the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on the opening weekend were followed up by a simple explanation for the introduction of Ibrahima Konate in his place.
"First thing I said was we don't have to speak about tactics if we lose so many duels and that's what we did," Slot said. "That's not that Jarell lost every duel many of us lost too many duels but I think we needed Ibou Konate to win these long balls in the air from the No. 9 (Liam Delap)."
With Konate named for the 2-0 victory over Brentford, another mid-match switch prompted further questions when Alexander-Arnold looked particularly miffed to have been swapped out for Conor Bradley shortly after Mohamed Salah had doubled the lead on the day.
Slot said: "He didn't look that happy after being taken off? I can understand that. Every player wants to play 90 minutes, but I don't think the players who were on the bench from the start were really happy with the choice I made. Trent came back from the national team."
"At the beginning of the tournament, he played quite a lot, then he didn't, then had some time off. It's only his third game, and we have to take care of him because we need him for the whole season, not only for the first two games. What's good for me is that I have a very good backup available as well with Conor so that means we are taking care of Trent. He played a good game, that's also what I saw."
Having a fully fit squad available in the early days is something of a luxury for Slot but the importance of a settled, first-choice back five cannot be overstated for the season's overall aims and ambitions. It was something Liverpool were simply unable to call upon far too often last time out. It was a debilitating factor that turned a potentially historic term under Jurgen Klopp into one that has since come to be viewed as one of promise for what could lie ahead.
Alexander-Arnold's 37 appearances was the fewest he has made in a Liverpool season since 2017/18 and he went over a month between Premier League starts across September and October last year after a muscle problem in a victory over Aston Villa at Anfield. Further issues at the turn of the year hampered him further; he missed two months between February and April including the Carabao Cup final, with the England international only able to enjoy the post-match celebrations on the pitch in a club tracksuit and a knee brace.
Robertson's four-month layoff with a shoulder issue limited the Scotland captain to just 30, which equaled the lowest of his own seven-year career on Merseyside. Robertson conceded recently that he even played through the pain barrier from March onwards, which inevitably impacted the output from the long-serving left-back, and had he not, the number of minutes would have been by far the lowest of any of his years with the Reds.
"Look, I was playing in pain from March onwards and obviously It was a really important time for the club and then a really important time for my country," Robertson revealed. "I hoped that the three weeks off would have settled things down but it didn't and I needed a wee bit longer. So I managed to get my fitness up to a really good level in terms of not being with the team, which was hugely frustrating."
An injury to Konate that was picked up at the midway stage of a Europa League hammering of Sparta Prague in March lingered and the France international didn't look the same player upon his return, ending the campaign out of sorts and out of the side having been usurped by Quansah. The low point for Konate came in a chastening evening at Everton, where the home fans sneered about Liverpool 'losing the league at Goodison Park' in April.
Van Dijk and Konate were able to partner up just 21 times in the Premier League last season, despite Joel Matip's season-ending injury in early December in the 4-3 win over Fulham, while Alexander-Arnold and Robertson - the full-back pairing who have been instrumental to the success enjoyed in recent times - were restricted to just 13 matches together; a statistic that highlights the constant upheaval in the full-back areas last time out.
Such was Liverpool's general fitness problems last season that even their goalkeeper wasn't immune. Alisson Becker was sidelined for over two months between early February and mid-April, with his 32 appearances by far the fewest across the course of a campaign since he moved from Roma in July 2018.
Caoimhin Kelleher filled in with aplomb during a period where the Reds won the Carabao Cup but the absence of such a gifted player inevitably hurt, particularly Alisson, who those at the club widely regard as the best in the position in world football. It's why Slot's reputation as something of an 'injury prevention specialist' is so important for the season ahead and why his early habit of hauling off his big guns once games are safe is a strategic plan for the long term.
Liverpool ran out of steam at the exact wrong time last season as the succession of fitness problems all bit down hard seemingly at the same time around late March time on Merseyside. Unfit and out-of-form, the Reds saw their hopes of glory fade in the early Spring, with the inability to field a regular and first-choice back five eventually catching up with them.
It appears as though Slot is taking some preventative measures to combat that early.
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