Mohamed Salah and Pep Guardiola are two of the most iconic figures in Premier League history -- how Liverpool and Manchester City cope without them will define their seasons.
For the first time since 2016, Liverpool kick off a campaign without Egypt forward Salah as their talisman, while City can no longer rely on Guardiola's managerial genius to inspire them after a glorious decade.
Salah joined Turkish club Trabzonspor earlier in August, ending the Anfield career of one of the greatest players in Liverpool's illustrious history.
Guardiola resigned at the conclusion of last season, bringing the curtain down on the most successful period in City's history.
Now Liverpool and City launch new eras without them as the Premier League season gets underway.
City host Bournemouth on Sunday in Enzo Maresca's first league game as Guardiola's successor.
Just a few hours later, Liverpool's new manager Andoni Iraola will pick a team shorn of Salah when the Reds travel to Newcastle.
The uncertainty over the prospects of both City and Liverpool this season is a reflection not only on the loss of Guardiola and Salah, but also the turbulence that preceded their emotional farewells in May.
Guardiola won six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League crown among a remarkable 20 trophies after taking charge in 2016.
The 55-year-old lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in his last season, but he exited with City removed from their perch as England's pre-eminent force after failing to win the title in his final two years.
Guardiola admitted he struggled to generate the energy required to lead City's fight against Arsenal last term, with the Gunners eventually finishing seven points clear as they clinched the title.
The departure of his trusted director of football Txiki Begiristain in 2025 left Guardiola lamenting "a part of me is leaving".
With City also fighting against Football Association charges relating to alleged financial breaches -- a protracted saga that still doesn't have a resolution -- Guardiola felt he must remain loyal to the club.
But he looked increasingly fatigued by the strain of rebuilding a squad in need of new blood after the departures of several stalwarts, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Kyle Walker and Riyad Mahrez in recent years.
- 'Generational talent' -
City's expensively assembled rebuild has been only a partial success, leaving former Chelsea boss Maresca with a daunting task to follow in Guardiola's footsteps.
The Italian knows City well after working as Guardiola's assistant in their treble-winning 2022-23 season.
But Maresca has only limited managerial experience after less than two seasons at Chelsea, a year in the second tier with Leicester and a brief stint at Parma.
The 46-year-old's sparse CV is a far cry from Guardiola's trophy-filled time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before his move to Manchester.
Just 35 miles down the East Lancashire Road, Liverpool are also taking tentative steps into season one of their post-Salah story.
When Salah joined Liverpool from Roma for £36 million in 2017, few would have predicted the success that followed.
Salah had flopped during a spell at Chelsea, but he was an immediate hit on Merseyside.
The 34-year-old amassed 257 goals for Liverpool in 442 appearances in all competitions, making him the third top goalscorer in the club's history.
He produced countless magical moments while winning two Premier League titles, a Champions League and the FA Cup and League Cup.
But the denouement to Salah's Liverpool career was ugly.
He was dropped several times by Arne Slot last season and accused the club of throwing him "under the bus".
Salah's rift with Slot was never fully healed and he scored just seven league goals as Liverpool finished fifth prior to the Dutch coach's sacking.
Replacing a generational talent of Salah's status will take more than one player.
Iraola will hope Sweden striker Alexander Isak is much improved after an injury-plagued first season at Anfield, while new signing Victor Munoz and teenager Rio Ngumoha have great expectations.
But no matter how hard they try, neither Liverpool or City will ever be quite the same without their era-defining icons.
