With his players returning from international duty this week, Jose Mourinho can finally begin work on the training ground ahead of Manchester United's trip to Anfield.
Saturday's fixture sees two of the most tactically astute managers go head-to-head. Mourinho's United—like his former teams—are experts at nullifying opposition threats and their defensive performances are greater than the sum of their parts. But there is more to this team than just solidity.
United are unbeaten in the Premier League this season but that has not come at the expense of attacking football. In fact, only Pep Guardiola's free-flowing Manchester City have scored more goals.
But even a manager as conceited as Mourinho would claim to have been solely responsible for such impressive form. Like all top managers in world football, Mourinho has a team of coaches, scouts and analysts—some that have been with him for decades—to help mould and prepare his players for the rigours of modern football.
Here, Mirror Sport profiles the key men behind the man, the team behind the team.
Rui Faria
Role: Assistant coach
Faria and Mourinho met at Barcelona when the latter was working as Bobby Robson's No.2. Mourinho saw his compatriot as a man in a similar mould to himself and, when he got his first managerial position, offered Faria a job.
Faria joined Mourinho at Portuguese side Uniao de Leiria as a fitness coach and has followed the current Man United manager to every club since. His roles have varied from physiotherapist to fitness coach and, in recent years, assistant manager.
The duo have enjoyed remarkable success together, winning league titles in every country they have worked in and picking up Champions League and Europa League medals long the way.
Speaking about Faria last year, Mourinho said: “If one day I have to choose my successor, the one that I really feel thinks like me, is adapted to my way of lead, he’s adapted to my way of coaching, he’s the one with more similarities with me even in some traces of personality, is my assistant, Rui Faria."
Silvino Louro
Role: First team coach
Unlike both Faria and Mourinho, Louro enjoyed a successful playing career that saw him play for Benfica, Porto and the Portuguese national team. He won six Primeira Liga titles and twice finished runner-up in the European Cup before retiring in 2000.
Louro moved straight into coaching with Porto, then managed by Mourinho and he, like Faria, has been part of the set up ever since.
He worked primarily as a goalkeeping coach at Porto, Inter, Real Madrid and the first spell at Chelsea. When he returned to Stamford Bridge on 2013, however, his title was changed to first team coach.
Carlos Lalin
Role: Fitness coach
Lalin is now at his third club with Mourinho, having worked alongside him at Real Madrid and Chelsea.
The Venezuelan studied physical education and physiotherapy in Spain before taking up a role with Deportivo La Coruna. He spent 10 years with the club before moving to Real, where he was joined by Mourinho.
The Portuguese coach then took him to Chelsea ahead of the 2014/15 season as first team fitness coach. During his time at Stamford Bridge, he was credited with helping Diego Costa return in time for the season after weight and fitness issues.
He followed Mourinho to Old Trafford in 2016.
Emilio Alvarez Blanco
Role: Goalkeeping coach
Alvarez is one of the newer additions to Mourinho's backroom team but he has close ties to people in and around the club. The former goalkeeper is good friends with Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes, and is also credited with overseeing David De Gea's breakthrough at Atletico Madrid.
Alvarez was reportedly asked to pick between Sergio Asenjo, Roberto and then-rookie De Gea. He told Quique Sanchez Flores—Atleti coach at the time—that De Gea was the best keeper, and then went on to help him become a first team regular.
The arrival of Alvarez at the club in 2016 was likely due to a recommendation from Mendes, but was also seen by many as a bid to convince De Gea that his future lies at Old Trafford.
Ricardo Formosinho
Role: Opposition scout
Formosinho has enjoyed an extensive managerial career of his own, ranging over 21 different jobs between 1990 and 2015. Prior to that, his playing career spanned three decades in Portuguese football.
In the summer of 2016, however, he joined Mourinho at Manchester United. The two had previously worked together at Porto and Real Madrid.
Formosinho's role is to provide extensive dossiers on upcoming opponents, not just for Mourinho but also for the players. This is a position that Andre Villas-Boas occupied when he worked under Mourinho.
Giovanni Cerra
Role: Tactical analyst
Cerra's journey to becoming part of Mourinho's set up differs considerably from his colleagues. Born and raised in Rome, he initially acquired a BA in Performing Arts and Sciences before then earning another degree in Industrial Design.
He followed these two degrees with a masters in Systems Design and finally a second masters, this time in Interactive media, from Goldsmiths University in London.
His working life took him to jobs at companies like Microsoft and the Barbican Centre before eventually joining Chelsea in 2013. He spent four years at Stamford Bridge before eventually moving to Old Trafford.
His duties include analysing match action and working alongside Formosinho. Cerra produces visual reports and infographics to help illustrate data, tactic and strategies. He is also partly responsible for helping to devise tactics at set pieces.