When Luis Suarez departed Liverpool in mid-2014, moving to Barcelona for a costly £75million, he left a huge hole inside Anfield.
It wasn't simply his 31 league goals. Nor, was it just his burdening reputation as one of the most known strikers in the world. Neither, was it his unwanted ability to turn attentions towards his behaviour, and off the pitch.
At times, Suarez embodied the phrase 'one man team'
What El Pistolero left behind, was his ability to carry the mantle of Liverpool's team. The way he could represent, through one individual performance, the way that everyone around him intended to play.
Throughout his three and a half years at the club, Suarez embodied everything that the Reds wanted to do going forward. This was most notable in that fabled 2013/14 season under Brendan Rodgers, when the Uruguayan was the pioneer behind a surprising title charge.
Never injured and always willing to give 110% to the cause, Suarez's ability to press, or for a better word, harass, the opposition defences allowed him to bag a bucketload - with the Reds netting over 100 in the league alone.
Many thought it was too good to be true, and they were right. Biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, Suarez was off, and Liverpool had lost their talisman. What happened next is history, with Rodgers gone by October the following year.
Few have tried, and failed, to replace the Suarez magic
Whilst the team did go downhill, it wasn't necessarily for a lack of quality. Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard were all still at the club, but for various reasons, all failed to replace Suarez's magic.
For Gerrard, it was more of a case that his magic had gone. The veteran was winding down, and would only stay at the club for one more season. If anything, Suarez had taken over the mantle from Gerrard back in 2011, and expecting the captain to come back with a bang once again was nothing but wishful thinking.
Losing arguably the best striker in the world isn't so bad when you've got 25 goals a season coming in from Sturridge anyway. However, the Englishman's injury woes reared their ugly head once again when Suarez left, and he's played little football since.
Coutinho was slightly different, as he did look to become the driving force behind the team, and was a key factor in Liverpool's upturn in form from January to March last season. However, you get the feeling that the little magician always plays better with quality around him, and bar the odd screamer, he struggled to drag the Reds out of the mud.
Firmino is coming into his own
Step forward, Roberto Firmino.
Albeit, it hasn't been plain sailing for the forward, who could potentially be Liverpool's new superstar. Singled out as a shining light in a summer of fairly underwhelming signings (see James Milner, Christian Benteke), certainly took his time to settle in.
Troubled by the usual issues that face foreign stars coming to a new country, and a cracked bone in his back that kept him out for some weeks, few believed that maybe it just wasn't meant to be for Firmino.
Things weren't quite clicking for him, with an early highlight being hitting the post from 30 yards out in a 0-3 defeat to West Ham United. This, however, was somewhat reminiscent of Suarez's early days on Merseyside, as one talented individual attempted to drag a fairly average team up the league table.
Then, came the appointment of Jürgen Klopp, who knew and admired Firmino back from his time in the Bundesliga. The pair seemed to hit it off instantly, with the Brazilian instrumental in one of Klopp's early highlight's, scoring and assisting in a 1-4 away win against Manchester City.
It was January where he really hit his stride though, picking up the PFA Player of the Month. Whilst Liverpool's inconsistencies continued, Firmino was little other than brilliant, hitting braces against Arsenal and Norwich, whilst also playing a part in the Reds' qualification for February's League Cup final, against familiar opposition in the aforementioned City.
What now for the Brazilian?
It's unfair to compare Firmino to Suarez in terms of playing quality, as the Uruguayan is undoubtedly amongst the top five players in world football.
However, their skill and determination show similar characteristics, as does the fact that they've been stand-out players in times of woe for the Reds. If Firmino is currently having his version of Suarez's 2012/13 season, he'd certainly hope for a similar impact next season, attempting to out-do Suarez's 13/14 achievements.
Although they've now got a man who many consider to be a better man in charge, with Klopp having a much larger pedigree than Brendan Rodgers, those around Firmino really do need to step up, and signings may need to be made.
Should that happen, given the supposed lesser quality of today's Premier League, the top four shouldn't be out of Liverpool's reach next season. But if it continues to be, the Reds may well have another Suarez saga on their hands, with a different South American this time around.