The hard work starts now for Jurgen Klopp. The Liverpool manager has taken his team into the top four, and that is an impressive achievement, but the next few weeks will determine whether qualification for the Champions League is a staging post for success or an aberration. It will take significant strengthening of the squad to enable the German to compete in Europe and consolidate Liverpool's position in the Premier League.
Anfield has had only one season of Champions League football this decade. After finishing second in the Premier League in 2013-14 and selling Luis Suarez to Barcelona, Liverpool spent more than £120 million in an attempt to build a team that could compete with the Continent's best. It did not work, and they were shunted into the Europa League before Christmas. All the momentum gained in the previous year's title race dissipated; it has taken two seasons to get the sense of progression back.
Klopp knows that he needs to upgrade the team. His shopping list includes a left-back, a physical centre-half, a dynamic and mobile midfielder, a winger and a striker. Fenway Sports Group will find the money to finance this spending spree. Cash has never been a problem for the American owners. Getting value has been the issue.
The summer of 2014 provides a warning for Klopp. Emre Can and Lazar Markovic were heralded as game-changers by the club's recruitment staff. Can has contributed this season but isn't considered a long-term first choice in midfield, while Markovic has spent two seasons out on loan. It's unlikely that he will come back.
Liverpool needed a left-back three years ago and pursued Alberto Moreno avidly. There was real excitement about the Spaniard's pace and potential, but he will leave, unmourned, in the next few weeks. The club gambled on Mario Balotelli that summer, and it didn't pay off. They took a similar, less expensive risk on Rickie Lambert, but it was also unsuccessful. Of the class of 2014, the only unqualified success is Adam Lallana. Dejan Lovren and Divock Origi are part of Klopp's squad, but questions remain about both players.
This wave of recruitment happened more than a year before Klopp arrived on Merseyside, but the man who oversaw that summer of spending, Michael Edwards, is still at Anfield and holds the position of Sporting Director. Klopp has the final say on transfers, but Edwards is deeply involved in finding potential targets.
Simply put, Liverpool cannot afford another disappointing window. For the team to kick on, they need better value for money in the market than they've found in recent years.
The 49-year-old manager has overachieved this season -- finishing above Arsenal and Manchester United is an impressive feat -- and there have been times during the campaign when Liverpool have played with an uplifting verve. The pace and motion of Klopp's forward play have hinted at glorious possibilities. On the other hand, there has been a skittishness in defence and an uncertainty of purpose when the pressure has been turned up.
Some of these flaws should have been addressed 12 months ago. There's no excuse for a club such as Liverpool muddling through the season with a makeshift left-back. James Milner deserves praise for his devotion to duty, but the midfielder did not enjoy his deployment on the left of defence; it's an issue that should have been sorted out a year ago.
This is the summer when Klopp needs to really put his stamp on the team. That process is underway, of course: the impact of Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum in this campaign hinted at the possibilities for this team, but there were too many areas of the pitch where pre-Klopp mediocrity lingered.
The squad is also thin. Klopp's policy of using homegrown youngsters on the bench is admirable, but often there were too many inexperienced players among the substitutes. A more seasoned squad will be needed if Liverpool advance to the Champions League group stage.
Klopp can be sure of the backing of the owners, both personally and financially, but this summer is a massive test of the manager's support network. Does Anfield boast the infrastructure to sustain challenges on the domestic and European front? The club's dealings in the transfer market will answer that question.
Overall, the targets next season are clear. First, Liverpool must secure a top-four place, preferably without going to the last game of the season. Secondly, they should aim to advance to the Champions League knockout round. Getting dumped into the Europa League again would be a massive disappointment. Ideally, they would like to win a cup too. It has been five years since the last silverware graced the Anfield trophy room.
Klopp has made a big step forward this season, but it is just the start. There is no time to dwell on the success. The future starts now.
Arsenal face a difficult future
Arsenal are in a mess. There is dissent in the boardroom, Arsene Wenger no longer has unqualified support, and despite a five-game win streak to end the season, they're likely to be overwhelmed by Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
An unlikely victory at Wembley would paper over the cracks at the Emirates, but the fissures are too wide to cover up for long. Whatever the result against Chelsea, Arsenal are likely to remain in a state of flux next season. Difficult days lie ahead.
Terry's absurd final act
It was so John Terry to turn himself into the biggest story of the last day of the season with his 26th-minute substitution and in-game guard of honour during Chelsea's match against Sunderland. The ridiculous nature of the situation will linger in the memory, which is what Terry wants, but he has not thought this through.
When we think of Chelsea's greatest captain, we should recall dominant performances, brilliant leadership and heroic feats. Fans at Stamford Bridge will feel this way. Others will evoke images of a tearful missed penalty in the Champions League final shootout in Moscow, a full kit celebration, despite his being suspended after Chelsea became European champions in Munich and Sunday's bizarre pantomime.
It is not the way one of the Premier League's great defenders should be remembered. Terry, unfortunately, has a tendency to court absurdity.