Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp know the reason that their results have not been at the required level of late: injuries.
For all the clamour for a more complex or controversial explanation, the fact that so many key stars are missing - including the three senior central defenders the Reds began the season with, and their two replacements who move back from midfield - is fundamental.
Even with a decimated squad, however, Liverpool need to return to the Champions League next year, in what would be their fifth consecutive campaign in the top European competition since returning there under Klopp for the first time in 2017.
Doing so will be a challenge; if the explanation for recent results is injuries, then the solution is not a simple one.
But there is at least one player who is on the verge of being back fit again in Diogo Jota.
Jota is expected to feature in Liverpool training on Wednesday for the first time since the beginning of December when he was injured in a Champions League dead rubber in Denmark.
No surgery has been undergone, but until the end of January, the Portugal attacker was wearing a leg brace. That, though, has now gone and there has been enough progress made for Jota to return.
That will help Liverpool two-fold: firstly, Jota will allow Roberto Firmino to have a rest, with the Brazilian having been overworked in recent weeks and often looking tired.
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Since Jota's injury, Firmino has started in 14 of the 17 games Liverpool have played, featuring off the bench in the other three, even coming on for half an hour against Aston Villa's youth side in the FA Cup third round.
More than just giving him a rest, though, Jota will also provide a way for Liverpool to change formation - and get away from being blunted against ultra-defensive game-plans.
"Jota's return is going to be huge - especially for the rest of the season," said Marcus Banks on the Blood Red podcast.
"His goals earlier in the season were papering over the cracks a little bit as a result of the injuries.
"Liverpool are getting to the point where they need to try something different. The 4-3-3 is tried and tested and it has had massive success but I think if teams continue to play in a low block, Jota needs to come in and play.
"He needs to come in and play with the front three in that 4-2-3-1 shape that we saw at times earlier in the season.
"You can move Mohamed Salah into the centre, and drop Firmino deeper.
"Firmino has been out of form for a while but he is the one who is struggling the most against this low block - he works best in space and he has got zero.
"You could also shift Sadio Mane over to the right just to try something different, with Jota on the left and Firmino in the hole and Salah central.
"They need to try something different because the form is dreadful and they just need to try something different against that low block blueprint.
"Hopefully [Jota being back] can give a confidence boost and turn the fortunes for Liverpool."
That formation change could, of course, have already have been done, but with only Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri in reserve, it is no surprise that has not been the case so far.
Jota, though, is a different proposition entirely. With nine goals in his 15 Premier League and Champions League matches at Anfield to date, his return could not be more timely.
