The absence of Liverpool in Gary Neville's pre-season top four prediction was, in some part, motivated by the lingering resentment and schadenfreude only lifelong rival can provide.
Yes, the Manchester United legend's take was spicy, but it nevertheless shared a sentiment almost all pundits and fans accepted as fact as the Reds prepared to embark on a campaign without Jurgen Klopp for the first time in eight years.
But in the space of three months Neville has had to publicly eat his words, Opta's supercomputer has installed the Anfield club as favourites for the Premier League and Liverpool supporters are genuinely starting to believe this could be their year.
The remarkable turnaround in excitement and expectation has been achieved after Arne Slot's exceptional start as Liverpool boss. This season the club have claimed 15 wins in 17 games in all competitions and they currently sit top of the Champions League and five clear at the league summit.
Reds fans might not want to hear it but the fortunes of managers who have enjoyed similarly blistering starts has varied - even a start as good as the Dutchman's is no guarantee of success. With that being said, let's take a look at the managers with the best records after their first 11 games in the Premier League.
Arne Slot has won 15 of his first 17 games as Liverpool manager, the best start as Reds bossThe Dutchman has brought a slightly different style with him to Anfield and it is paying dividends with the side sitting top of the Premier League and Champions League
Jose Mourinho The first of four Chelsea managers on this list, Jose Mourinho took English football by storm when he arrived as European champion in 2005. The smooth-talking Portuguese joined a club flush with cash and ready to be molded in his image.
Mourinho set about constructing one of the best sides in Premier League history and broke a series of records that would only be topped by the frankly ludicrous Manchester City and Liverpool teams of the late 2010s.
As for his start, well, Mourinho led the Blues to eight wins, two draws and one defeat in his first 11 matches. That loss came away at Manchester City and ended up being their only loss all season.
Chelsea conceded just three goals in their opening 11 games and their record stood at 15 by the end of the campaign. Not even Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's sides could get close to that one.
The Blues ended the season with a League Cup win and their first top-flight title in 50 years. Jose Mourinho took the Premier League by storm when he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004The Portuguese manager led the Blues to their first top-flight title in 50 years in a dominant debut campaign
Luiz Felipe Scolari Big Phil Scolari touched down in west London in the summer of 2008 after Roman Abramovich decided he'd seen enough of Avram Grant, who had guided the Blues to second place in the Premier League and the
Champions League final.
Mourinho had been sacked earlier in the campaign after only six matches. Chelsea spent big in the 2008 window, bringing in France stars Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka for big fees.
The likes of Alex, Branislav Ivanovic and Claudio Pizarro were further high-profile additions and the Blues reaped the rewards with eight wins, two draws and a loss in their first 11.
They sat top on 26 points at that point but would end the season third after a mid-season wobble saw their World Cup-winning manager sacked and the heroics of an interim boss who we will come onto later.
World Cup winner Phil Scolari lasted seven months at Stamford Bridge despite his great start Ange Postecoglou The Australian's remarkable start in north London had Robbie Williams changing the words to his iconic song 'Angels', need I say more?
Spurs had been linked with Ruben Amorim and Arne Slot in the summer of 2023 before deciding on the Celtic manager and their choice was met with a collective sigh from everyone who had not seen his Hoops completely dominate Scottish football for two years.
Postecoglou brought his dour demeanor and gruff persona south of the border and blitz opponents with a dazzling gung-ho approach which yielded a remarkable eight wins, two draws and one defeat.
Tottenham,
iconwin yes Tottenham, were top of the league at the end of the October. Unfortunately that was as good as it was going to get. A catalogue of injuries, dismissals and strange decisions put pay to their dreams of a title - and that was just in the next game against Chelsea.
The north Londoners ended the campaign fifth, only two points outside the coveted Champions League spots.
Ange Postecoglou steered Tottenham to the Premier League summit after 11 matches last term Maurizio Sarri Like the Chelsea managers on this list before him, Maurizio Sarri arrived in west London to much fanfare, having crafted a Napoli team that thrilled spectators in Serie A.
Coaching in England was a bit of a culture shock for the Italian, who returned to his beloved homeland after only one season to manage Juventus. But homesickness had clearly not set in in the season's early weeks as he got off to a superb start.
Eight wins and three draws gave the Blues 27 points from their opening 11 games. And their record of 27 goals scored and just eight conceded looked to have given them the foundation to go and challenge for the title.
But there's was just one problem, well two, City and Liverpool were in the midst of an insane title tussle. Even after their great start, Chelsea still found themselves third, a position they would own for the remainder of the term
Sarri did manage to lead the side to the Europa League in May thanks in large part to a brilliant performance from Eden Hazard in his final appearance for the club.
Maurizio Sarri arrived at Chelsea to much fanfare after crafting a spellbinding Napoli sideThe Italian claimed his maiden trophy as a manager when he guided the Blues to their Europa League win in 2019
John Gregory Aston Villa manager Brian Little resigned in February 1998 with the side in 15th place, having led them to 4th and 5th in the previous two seasons.
The Midlands outfit turned to one of their former players for salvation and their gamble paid off as John Gregory led them on a stunning run, which ended with a seventh-place finish and a European qualification for another season.
Gregory's side claimed nine wins and suffered two defeats in the final 11 games of the campaign and finished just two points behind Leeds United in fifth. In that period his team scored 21 goals and conceded just 10, beating the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and the champions Arsenal.
A couple of sixth-placed finishes followed before they fell to eighth in Gregory's last full season at the club. He was later sacked under a cloud in 2003 but would subsequently win his case for unfair dismissal.
John Gregory claimed nine wins and suffered two defeats in the final 11 games of the campaign, leading Aston Villa to seventh
Frank Clark When legendary manager Brian Clough left the City Ground in 1993 following their relegation from the top-flight, Nottingham Forest fans could not have imagined they'd be dreaming of European glory again so soon.
Not only did Frank Clark lead them back to the Premier League but he even threatened to match the extraordinary feat of his messianic predecessor and former boss.