Liverpool's defensive injury crisis is not a new topic of conversation, with the Reds having known since mid-October that they would be without Virgil van Dijk for the majority of the season.
Joe Gomez picked up a problem with a similar timescale on his return soon afterwards, compounding the issue, and it appears unlikely that Liverpool will be signing anyone in January to rectify the problem.
But something that might go some way to explaining that gamble is that despite the losses at the back, it is actually the attack that is currently underperforming and the reason for just two points being collected in their last three Premier League games.
"In the early part of the season when Van Dijk was injured and Gomez were injured, that looked like a position where Liverpool were going to be really vulnerable over the next few months," said David Hughes on the Analysing Anfield podcast.
"But the reality is that in league games, Liverpool have not conceded more than a single goal since the Merseyside derby [when Van Dijk got injured].
"On Monday against Southampton, that was the 14th different centre-back pairing that Liverpool have used this season and Alisson has been in and out as well.
"If you are only conceding one goal or less every game, with the attack Liverpool will have, you will win more games than you lose. But with the attack starting to not deliver, the results are starting to disappear."
There is, of course, more to it than simply the defence not being a problem despite the lack of bodies.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been below par, possibly because he does not have his usual compatriots alongside him, while Jordan Henderson was needed at the back rather than in midfield on the south coast, meaning Liverpool's midfield was lacking.
And the whole makeup of the team was altered by having two midfielders in the centre of the defence, rather than the one they have become accustomed to in the form of Fabinho.
Even Van Dijk's passing range can help explain the lack of creativity, with even two players like Henderson and Fabinho unable to replicate the switches of play that the Dutchman possesses.
"Liverpool are maybe missing more the offensive qualities of Van Dijk - the switch passes and the composure in possession," Hughes added.
The bad news for Liverpool is that Fabinho playing at centre-back is not going to change any time soon, and Henderson being alongside him again cannot be ruled out.
But the good news is that as long as the output from the front players increases - and with Diogo Jota's return expected in a couple of weeks or so, that will only become more likely - their struggles with results are unlikely to continue.
