Liverpool will never really be able to fully move past the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, but this weekend was the first chance the club and the squad have had to begin to return to some state of normalcy.
Here is a quick summation of what the club got up to this past weekend.
Preseason return to action
The Reds kicked off their preseason fixture list with a trip to Deepdale Stadium to take on Preston North End.
A first-half goal from Conor Bradley and second-half strikes from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo saw Liverpool depart with a 3-1 victory.
Given the circumstances surrounding the fixture and it being the first outing, the performance was solid across the board and something to build on for Arne Slot as he looks to bed new siginings in and retain the Premier League title.
A few words of appreciation for Preston are in order for how they handled the occasion.
Navigating a fixture like this, particularly when the visitors are the ones with things that must be considered and planned for, would have been a tall task, but Preston handled everything with aplomb, something that should not be taken for granted.
Debuts galore
As is always the case for the first preseason fixture, Sunday was the first opportunity for supporters to see the club's new acquisitions in action, though they were made to wait a bit longer before seeing Florian Wirtz suit up for Liverpool.
Giorgi Mamardashvili was in goal for the first half of the match and kept a clean sheet, though he was not called into extensive action.
The second half saw new additions Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong feature, with both showing promising signs throughout the 45 minutes,
Kerkez was especially lively. It will be interesting to see how Slot opts to utilize both Frimpong and Bradley at right-back this season.
To understandably less fanfare, third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman also made his debut in the second half and, though he did concede the lone Preston goal, there was nothing he really could have done with the header.
Darwin Nunez's move to Napoli stalls
Though Darwin Nunez likely will be playing football elsewhere next season, it seems increasing likely he will not end up in Naples alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
This is a move that has been rumored for weeks, though nothing has really happened by way of official bids and, based on the news this weekend, this might never happen.
According to Sky Sports, Napoli have made the decision to abandon a move for the Uruguayan due to 'excessively high costs.'
There is still plenty of time left in the window for the Italian club to reconsider their stance on what constitutes a suitable fee for Nunez but, for now, it appears they will be shopping for the new striker elsewhere.
Giorgi Mamardashvili fully announced
Forgive me for cheating, as this happened on Monday, but this felt worthy of a mention.
It has been a long time coming but Liverpool has finally released the sort of media is customary of new signings: the first interview with the club's media team.
The goalkeeper spoke glowingly of the transfer, describing it as a "dream come true." and that he is "ready, motivated and proud."
He also acknowledged that it was a tough moment for the club when he officially joined this summer but that "everyone here supported each other" and that he sees the squad as "one big family."
As fans, it is always nice to get the thoughts of new players as they join the club and
Mamardashvili is no different.