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In response to questions on a familiar theme throughout the season, Thomas Frank has been keen to emphasise the goals his Tottenham side are missing.
Asked why his players have more often than not failed to deliver in attack, the Dane has pointed to injuries to Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.
There has not been a single competitive start between them this season. Solanke has at least featured, but only for a total of 31 minutes off the bench in the Premier League.
Add in Heung-min Son, who left Spurs in the summer, and that is 49 goals from last season unavailable.
It is Son, now an LAFC player, who will be the only one of the quartet on the pitch tonight as Spurs host Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
He will bid an official goodbye to the club, speaking to supporters ahead of kick-off, having not had the chance to do so in the summer.
In the post-Son and Harry Kane era, Spurs are still waiting for the talismanic baton to be passed on. Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Monday, Mohammed Kudus had the air of a man ready to run his leg with it.
Asked what he needed to do to take his game to the next level, Kudus answered succinctly with a smile: "Win a trophy with the club."
Lifting the Europa League last season elevated Son, by his own declaration, to "legend" status at Spurs. His return tonight should provide his former team-mates with a reminder of the highs of that triumph in Bilbao.
The trophy bid this season now rests entirely on the FA Cup, barring a Champions League miracle. Spurs will host Aston Villa, who beat them in October, in the third round.
That can be parked to one side until next month. For now, building on Saturday's win over Brentford to finally get some momentum at home is the priority.
Or, as Kudus put it, to "kill" those problems on home soil.
"I think home or away, there's pressure to win every game, especially playing for a big club like Tottenham," he said.
"The pressure has always been there but definitely we want to do our best to win more games, whether home or away. But more important especially in front of our home fans as well.
"Definitely this Saturday was a good boost and thanks to the fans for their support because we are all in this together.
"We just need to build on that and then kill it [against Slavia Prague] as well."
Kudus has five assists in the Premier League, bettered only by Bruno Fernandes. He has also chipped in with two goals.
There is a sense, though, that there is more to come. So much of Spurs' attacks go through Kudus on the right wing and he has a tendency to overcomplicate things, trying to beat his man two or three times.
Son played with a ruthless efficiency and it took him into double figures for goals in all but the first and last of his ten Premier League seasons.
Frank's focus on crossing and using Kudus as a more traditional winger makes that kind of output difficult, but he can be a talisman in other ways.
Whether it be through his assists, wriggling his way out of tight spaces to get Spurs up the pitch, or adding some flamboyance to an attack that is at times too stodgy, Kudus has the ability to be the difference maker.
Xavi Simons could prove to be that man too, but is still adapting to the Premier League. Kudus is in his third season in England.
With Son watching on from the stands, Kudus will hope to show him the club is in safe hands. The trophy talk will come, but for now Spurs need a new leader of the attack to drag the team through choppy waters.
