"We are ready. We have no choice".

It wasn't the most inspiring battle-cry from Mikel Arteta yesterday when summing up his side's current state ahead of today's Community Shield. In fairness, Jrgen Klopp made similar overtones to the virtual press-pack when he emphatically stated his Liverpool team will be nowhere near their best because, well, how can they be after two weeks training.

There is something to be said for the need for this game in general. It currently feels of less use and relevance than winning the Asia trophy or the Audi Cup in pre-season, peddle Phil Neville and Leon Osman out to lift it to an empty stadium, only this time one so out of necessity, not choice. What to expect on the pitch today is genuinely anyone's guess - and could range from uber conservative, to cricket score, to a post-battle scene from Game of Thrones with wounded men being tended to while horses roam and wild fires smoke.

Indeed, any gloss the Community Shield once had will have fully dissipated come kick-off. That isn't to say both clubs won't be desperate to win sheerly out of hating losing. That competitive element will always remain present, but the barren spell of a whole six days without football means that the transition of season has left many wondering where 2019/20 ended and 2020/21 begins.

For Klopp, this is his most terrifying nightmare becoming a reality. He is a manager who has a checklist of supporter driven intensity, reasonable breaks and rest times for players and a schedule he deems manageable top. He will finally have the end of FA Cup replays and two-legged League Cup ties, but it has come at a cost of what is essentially 12 months of relentless football for his players.

What he has is his team around the team. Nutrition, physiotherapy and sports-science will play a leading role in Liverpool's achievements this season. Keeping the squad fit now matters more than ever before, he will need luck, more importantly he will need the version of his team which won the Champions and Premier League so impressively more than ever before.

Today is another journey, another go on the rollercoaster of Klopp that brings a city to life with a hedonism of relentless togetherness, drive and increasing wall art. Yet everything still somewhat feels on hold, as if waiting to still play the Merseyside derby in March. It's a reality that Klopp has had to adapt to quick. Today is the first day of judgement to how well he and his team have. But with what may transpire to be the mantra of the season, don't judge them too critically given the circumstances.

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Liverpool are ready for another Jrgen Klopp journey, but this one carries biggest warning yet - Liverpool.com