As soon as the summer transfer window shut, the autopsy began.
One addition during the window for Liverpool, that of £36m Ibrahima Konaté from RB Leipzig early on, was the only piece of business concluded by FSG. The lack of action to address perceived weaknesses in midfield and attack was the cause of much ire and plenty of heated debate among some Reds fans.
Jürgen Klopp has long had the ability to tune out the noise and focus on what he can control. Despite the complaints, the summer saw him bag a long-time target and address a lack of depth at centre-back, as well as seeing a number of his key players pledge their long-term future to the club.
Mohamed Salah's future still remains unresolved, with Liverpool keen to extend the stay of the talismanic Egyptian King at Anfield, although it will likely be a costly exercise to get that particular deal done. However, trying to replace him like-for-like will be a mammoth task, and one that will also be hugely expensive for FSG — if indeed it is possible at all.
One of the main sticking points with the summer business was the lack of any new blood in midfield to fill the void from the departed Gini Wijnaldum. Meanwhile, the perceived lack of faith in both Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi was enough to lead some to think that money should have been spent on bringing in another first-team challenger into the attacking ranks.
"You have to make changes from time to time, but then there must be room to do it," explained Klopp back in August.
"We do not want more players. If something happens somewhere, something can happen somewhere else, but it makes no sense to add more players."
Nothing else happened with regards to moving players on at the required level to facilitate any moves in the market. There will be those who claim that Klopp may be simply trotting out the company line, but for a man such as Klopp, never afraid to speak his mind and be transparent, that seems like a stretch. Maybe he is happy with what he has. Maybe he believes that the depth is there.
Naby Keïta has started the season in fine form, and while Klopp's above comments were spoken before Harvey Elliott's nightmare injury at Leeds United earlier this month, they likely still ring true.
Last year's defensive injury crisis and the loss of Virgil van Dijk hobbled Liverpool's Premier League title defence and, at one stage, had looked like even being enough to wipe them out of the European picture altogether this season.
That, of course, didn't happen and Klopp, in what must rank as one of his greatest achievements as a manager, managed to bag third place and an automatic Champions League spot despite ending the season having to rely heavily on a defender who had been playing in Germany's second tier months before, another who had been loaned out by the Bundesliga's rock bottom side and a third who a year before had been playing in the National League North for Kidderminster Harriers.
Konaté's arrival and the return of Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip to full fitness means that Liverpool have a case for having the strongest defensive line and cover in the Premier League, probably even world football. When you add full backs like Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold who is really coming close to that? Seriously?
Wijnaldum's departure was a blow but in Keïta they have a player back in the fold with a point to prove, having only made 10 Premier League appearances last season. Rewind three years and Keïta, with his £52.75m price tag, was seen as the great midfield hope, taking on the famous number eight shirt that Steven Gerrard vacated in 2015.
Fringe players have left, and it can be argued that Xherdan Shaqiri's departure and the lack of any new additions to the front line means that those options have been weakened from last season.
Look, it was the Carabao Cup at a rotated Norwich City side who have lost their last 15 Premier League games across two spells in the top flight. There is nothing to get giddy about when assessing the 3-0 win at Carrow Road on Tuesday night. But there were some positives to take, positives that point to some of those who couldn't contribute last season being able to do so this season.
Takumi Minamino was impressive, netting twice, and the Japanese attacker, for whom much was hoped for when he joined for just over £7m from Red Bull Salzburg, looks like a player who has benefited from a loan spell away and a chance to find himself on the pitch again.
The almost forgotten figure of Divock Origi found the net, and while he won't be relied on heavily this season he has at least shown he is ready to be in the mix when called upon.
The Carabao Cup isn't high on Liverpool's list of priorities, but it does at least provide some kind of gauge as to how competitive the fringe players can be, with youngsters Conor Bradley and the impressive 16-year-old Kaide Gordon both starting, and shining, while Caoimhin Kelleher continues to look an able deputy between the posts. It is in Liverpool's best interests to continue their involvement in the competition as far as they can.
Elliott, when he returns — hopefully prior to the season's conclusion — looks like the real deal, while there are already signs that Gordon could well be a major asset for the future. He became the third-youngest starter in Liverpool history aged just 16 years and 351 days in Norfolk on Tuesday evening.
Another attacking addition, you feel, would have pushed Liverpool closer to being able to go blow for blow with their rivals, rivals who have spent big this summer, some of them in a bid to recapture former glories and nudge their way ahead in the scramble for honours.
But such business, for a player who would have made a real difference and also been willing to rotate, would have been elusive and expensive for FSG. There is also a chance that it would have provided less wriggle room financially when it comes to keeping Salah, which must be the top priority of the Liverpool hierarchy right now.
With every injury that is picked up there are often collective groans about a lack of depth. But that depends on how much depth you can reasonably expect a club to have, especially when its wage bill is the second highest in English football and still rising. There can't always be a world class player ready to step into the breach to cover injury after injury.
Liverpool legend Luis García last week spoke on how rotation was key to winning silverware, especially the Champions League. The strength of the side put out by Klopp at Norwich, and the ease with which they dispatched the Canaries, points to the Reds boss having what he said he did: enough options.
The African Cup of Nations in January will provide the greatest test of that squad depth, with Salah, Sadio Mané and Keïta among those who could be missing for a month of action.
Ensuring that the likes of Minamino and Origi are in the fold early on helps any transition that will be made for that period. There will be an open window in January for FSG to address any deficiencies that Klopp identifies, even in the short term.
The bigger the squad and the bigger the profile, the harder it is to maintain harmony, something that has underpinned Klopp sides. Klopp feels he has what he needs for this season, there has been no attempt to dampen expectation, which points to a confidence that the German has in his own abilities, his team's and the depth at his disposal.
Klopp's man management is one of his best qualities. Getting the last drop out of those on the fringes, who know they may have a sniff this season, will be key.