Liverpool take on Monaco at Anfield on Sunday in what will be the first home game under new head coach Andoni Iraola. But just as intriguing as events on the pitch will be the reaction in the stands.
If recent events and decisions behind the scenes have prompted heightened scrutiny of Liverpool, the same can very much be said of a fanbase that has become increasingly divided over the last 15 months.
Roots of the division
Matters can be traced back to last May when, just days after announcing his intention to leave that summer having helped Liverpool to the Premier League title, Trent Alexander-Arnold was abused by large sections of the Anfield crowd when emerging as substitute against Arsenal.
It prompted an angry discourse with those who regard it against the ethos of the club to jeer a current player under the belief it can only harm the efforts of the team. Sure enough, a distracted Liverpool conceded an equaliser just three minutes after Alexander-Arnold was introduced.
That, though, was a mere precursor to last season, when head coach Arne Slot was targeted for similar treatment as Liverpool floundered during a dreary, dismal campaign. Indeed, at the final whistle of some games the entire team was booed off. Anfield was toxic.
A warning from history
While not entirely a new phenomenon - there was very occasional vocal dissent even during the dominant era of the 1970s and 1980s - a previously rare occurrence was in danger of becoming the norm and contributed to Fenway Sports Group axing Slot.
So much for the renowned patience of the Liverpool crowd, his sacking coming barely a year since Slot masterminded the first championship supporters were able to properly celebrate in 35 years.
But although admittedly a fanbase hurting from the tragic death of Diogo Jota, their reaction was merely a reflection of society, driven particularly by a social media age in which there are very few shades of grey. You're either in or, in the eventual case of Slot, out.
What lies ahead for Iraola
What happens during the opening months of Iraola's reign, then, will be instructive, not least given it appears Liverpool should most likely be braced for a further inconsistent period given the clear issues that have not yet been addressed in a squad that underperformed so alarmingly last season.
Of course, pre-season friendlies often attract a somewhat different crowd, not least given it represents a chance for those who, either through lack of availability or cost, find it otherwise difficult to attend home matches. Sunday's game against Monaco and the visit of Como seven days later should be a celebration welcoming in a new era rather than offer any great expression of ongoing concerns.
The real test
Instead, the real litmus test will come with Iraola's competitive Anfield debut with the Premier League visit on August 29 of Nottingham Forest, who have won the last two such fixtures without conceding a goal.
Given it is a 12.30pm kick-off hardly conducive to creating an atmosphere and comes after a difficult opening weekend trip to Newcastle United and just days before the transfer window slams shut, it will give a much clearer indication of feelings among the matchgoing fanbase.
Certainly, the lack of transfer activity this summer - both in terms of bringing in clearly required reinforcements and in comparison to the business completed by Liverpool's main rivals - is causing understandable consternation among supporters who were made painfully aware last season there needs to be vast improvement this time around for the Reds to compete for honours.
The Anfield powerbrokers hope some will come from the work of Iraola and his coaching staff, but the Basque needs greater backing from the club. For good reason did the new head coach waste no time going public with the business he believes is still required.
With three weeks until the Forest game, plenty can - and must - change regards Iraola's squad options. But regardless of what ultimately transpires in the market, the Anfield crowd are going to have to rediscover the value of patience and unity.
After all, this Liverpool team isn't going to be an easy overnight fix.
