Arne Slot's platform for success at Liverpool was laid by Jurgen Klopp in his final season at the helm at Anfield, with Didi Hamann describing the German's "gift of a team" crucial to their current form.
The Reds have enjoyed a terrific start to life under the Dutchman, after almost a decade under the German on Merseyside, leading both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League this term.
A 2-0 victory over old European rivals Real Madrid earlier this week further underlined their credentials as the continent's in-form team this term, and they can extend their domestic lead against Manchester City on Sunday.
Hamann, a member of the Liverpool side that won the 2005 UEFA Champions League against Milan, believes Slot deserves his share of credit for their turnaround, but adds Klopp is also key to their success this term.
"Slot inherited a wonderful team, and the league table proves that," he told Genting Casino. "The players that Klopp left are certainly better than the one that he inherited when he took over.
"Slot took over a team that is capable of winning major titles. You still have to do it though. This is a team that was in the title race last season with four or five games to play.
"There was a time when it looked like Liverpool would win the title in Klopp’s last season. I think Klopp would have left the season before but didn’t because Liverpool had some major problems that needed to be resolved.
"He thought [he could not] leave the team like this. He bought a lot of midfield players - [Alexis] Mac Allister, [Ryan] Gravenberch and so on.
"He felt that he could leave because he could leave the gift of a team that was capable of challenging for all of the major prizes to his successor, and that simply wasn’t the case the season before."