Jurgen Klopp may have known nothing about 'The Ewing Theory' before selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in early 2018 but, nearly 18 months on from the playmaker's Anfield departure, the Liverpool manager has inadvertently proven just how accurate it can be.
A popular idea in American sports, The Ewing Theory basically argues that a sports team can actually perform much better without their star player.
Former NBA player Patrick Ewing was the unfortunate inspiration behind the idea, with the New York Knicks side of the 1990s often enjoying more success on the court when the 11-time NBA all-star was absent.
In the world of football, the Reds might just now consider Coutinho to be their Ewing, given Klopp's men have gone on to bigger and better things since selling the Brazilian to Barcelona in January 2018.
With consecutive Champions League final appearances either side of a club-record Premier League points haul, Liverpool have flourished without their once talismanic attacking midfielder – so, how have they done it?
First and foremost, the Reds did what every club has to in this day and age and that's pinch every possible penny out of interested clubs for their players.
In this instance, that saw Liverpool extract a whopping €145 million (£125m/$160m) out of the Catalans, thus making Coutinho the third most expensive player of all the time.
As the Anfield faithful mourned the loss of another star player to Camp Nou, Klopp and his staff were left with sly grins on their faces as they contemplated how one player's astronomical sale could help transform their entire side.
GOAL
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