Chelsea are scheduled to meet Liverpool this weekend, with the winners of this year's Carabao Cup set to be decided at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
It looks set to be a tight contest featuring two of Europe's best sides, although one of the two coaches will be missing two of his regular and most important starters on the day.
Thomas Tuchel is likely Reece James and Ben Chilwell for the high-profile bout. The pair of defenders have been sidelined for the whole of 2022, and the Blues have missed them greatly.
Marcos Alonso has attempted to compensate for the absence of Chilwell in particular, but the English duo cannot be adequately replaced. They are both mobile, attack-minded, youthful, creative and capable of scoring goals on a regular basis as wing-backs.
Tuchel's system was essentially constructed to maximise their contributions on the flanks. Without them, his 3-4-3 has not been the same.
Interestingly, Chelsea's upcoming opponents could offer an insight into their struggles by providing a degree of perspective. Liverpool experienced a disastrous period last year due to injuries, but they have recovered and return to normal this season.
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all suffered from long-term absences, and Ibrahima Konate was still playing for RB Leipzig in Germany. Klopp was forced to adapt, fielding midfielders in defence before settling upon a centre-back partnership which consisted of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
Two months after Van Dijk's disastrous injury, the Reds were still top of the Premier League table having just beaten Crystal Palace 7-0, but it was the additional setbacks suffered by Gomez and Matip which effectively turned their campaign upside down.
During Liverpool's most turbulent spell, several narratives emerged regarding problems with the squad for the club to solve. Klopp needed a whole new attack according to reports, and a managerial change was even mooted at one stage.
However, the club remained convinced by their primary issue of injuries and once their absent players found full fitness, results returned to normal and another title charge began.
Chelsea have found themselves in a similar predicament of late. Romelu Lukaku has been criticised for a number of different reasons, and the club's recruitment has been deemed as inefficient. The future of Tuchel's job at Stamford Bridge has also been questioned by some.
Despite the noise, the Blues should take note of Liverpool's improvement since their key players have returned. Once Tuchel is able to field Chilwell and James on a regular basis once again, it is reasonable to suggest that Chelsea's elite level will return.
The German coach will have to find temporary solutions in the meantime - especially this weekend - but he must not forget the principle reason behind why the team have encountered troubles.
