Arne Slot couldn’t even bring himself to mention their name. But the moment the final whistle blew on the last round of matches in the revamped Champions League first stage on Wednesday night, everyone associated with Liverpool was acutely aware of the danger imminently on the horizon.

Finishing top of the new-look table may have offered some prestige to the Reds - while sending a reminder of their quality after a year out of the competition - but it may not provide too much of an advantage beyond giving them, along with the others finishing in the top eight of the 36-team league, direct passage to the last 16 without the need for a play-off round.

Liverpool already know they will next face one of four teams in March. And while Benfica, Monaco or Brest will be difficult, the real threat comes in the form of a resurgent Paris Saint-Germain.

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A draw on Friday will determine which of domestic rivals Monaco and Brest the French champions will face in the play-off round, with Benfica facing the remaining team. But it won’t be until those are completed and a further draw to map out the remaining stages of the competition takes place on February 21 that Liverpool truly know what they will potentially have to overcome to reach the final in Munich on May 31.

The Reds can put Europe to one side until March, although it could be argued that initially happened last week when they secured a place in the last 16 with a game to spare.

Indeed, Slot - with one eye firmly on Saturday’s difficult Premier League trip to in-form Bournemouth - was unperturbed by the defeat on his return to Holland on Wednesday night when a scratch side was beaten 3-2 at PSV Eindhoven.

The Reds boss had elected to leave nine fit senior players at home, while Joe Gomez wasn’t risked after only returning to training on Tuesday after a month out with a hamstring injury. Darwin Nunez travelled to Holland but was sent home before the game due to illness.

Those who stayed behind on Merseyside underwent a regular training session at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday while the travelling party underwent the usual recovery programme in Holland and didn’t fly out of Eindhoven until late afternoon.

Just three of those involved against PSV - Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Kostas Tsimikas - are realistically competing for a start at Bournemouth, although the fact Tsimikas was the only one of the three to play the full 90 minutes at the Philips Stadion suggests he may be rotated to the bench.

And Liverpool will hope their rested regular starters have benefited from a breather ahead of a pivotal spell of four games in 12 days that will go a long way to shaping the remainder of their domestic campaign.

After the trip to Bournemouth, the Reds will next Thursday look to overturn a one-goal League Cup semi-final deficit when Tottenham Hotspur visit for the second leg, before an FA Cup fourth round tie at Plymouth Argyle and the rearranged final Goodison league derby against Everton.

Such a schedule underlines why Slot believed it important fringe players were given minutes at PSV to keep themselves in some sort of rhythm, while there was the bonus of an impressive performance from 20-year-old James McConnell in midfield that prompted Slot to intimate the youngster will be involved over the next few weeks.

The Liverpool boss, though, will revert to type with the focus now solely on the South Coast assignment, with Andoni Iraola’s side going into the game on the back of thumping wins at Newcastle United and home to Nottingham Forest, both of whom are also contenders for Champions League qualification.

Given nearest rivals Arsenal entertain improving champions Manchester City the following day, a win for Liverpool would move them nine points clear at the Premier League summit on the same games played and massively increase the pressure on the Gunners.

Slot will be mindful his team have occasionally been slow starters on resuming after even the shortest of breaks from routine, but will hope the opportunity to recharge will outweigh any potential temporary issues.

After one meaningless match, Liverpool are now entering the most important few weeks of their season so far.