Graham Potter's mini-injury crisis at Chelsea has already created problems for the new manager, but his ingenuity has proven to be an effective way of overcoming the stresses.
Having come into the job and taking over with N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy unavailable due to injuries picked up under Thomas Tuchel, that's two first team stars out of contention straightaway. He has also had to balance the return of Mateo Kovacic and careful management of Thiago Silva, 38, and Wesley Fofana, relatively fresh off the back of a long-term injury.
In the four weeks since his appointment Mendy has returned, but is yet to play, Kovacic is getting back to full fitness and Silva has been a first choice other then when illness kept him out against Wolves.
On top of these have been the more damaging recent events that have seen Reece James ruled out for at least six weeks, ending his pre-World Cup game time, Fofana enduring his own knee injury likely to keep him out for the same period, and a reccurrence of Kante's hamstring strain which will see him out until the New Year too.
That is three starting players unavailable for the toughest and most intense period of any Chelsea team, let alone one manager by a coach without experience of a standard winter at a European club anyway. There is also a risk with Mason Mount, who was facing a scan on a thigh injury ahead of the trip to Aston Villa.
Potter has so far been able to bypass the injuries without much scare. Trevoh Chalobah is a good replacement for Fofana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is having one of his best periods of form at Chelsea in midfield and Cesar Azpilicueta played ahead of James as precaution in the 3-0 win against Wolves. The new manager has shown that his rotation and flexibility can work; back-to-back wins and clean sheets against AC Milan demonstrate as much.
Trying to replace James could be a trickier task though, and with his ever growing influence at Chelsea, Potter's way of doing it may have to be just as drastic.
As for Mount, if he is fit to play, which is still a possibility, then Potter will have a big bonus. If he isn't, there could be a perfect replacement in the form of Conor Gallagher. The 22-year-old has started well under his 47-year-old manager after a tough introduction to the team for Tuchel.
Gallagher returned to Stamford Bridge his loan spell at Crystal Palace last season where he impressed enough to earn a first England call-up. His eight goals drew the attention of Tuchel as well, and Gallagher said that despite interest in him over the summer, there's only one place he wanted to be.
"I always knew that I wanted to go back to Chelsea," he told Sky Sports. "I felt like I was ready to play for Chelsea, I had done four different loans and they've all been a step up and I felt like I was ready to play for Chelsea.
"I had a conversation with Thomas [Tuchel], the manager at the time and he agreed. He thought the same which was amazing to hear and from there it was only showing him what I can do and play as much as I can and as well as I can."
Gallagher's early days were hard, being played in a stricter, deeper role than he had enjoyed at Palace, Charlton and Swansea, and saw him struggle to control matches or himself, getting a red card within half an hour of his full home debut.
Potter has moved him into a more attacking role though, and the difference has been radical, scoring his first goal for the club after being trusted as a late substitute against Palace. "Everyone was excited for the gaffer to come in," Gallagher told Sky Sports.
"With the jobs he had before Chelsea you could see he was a brilliant manager and I think it was a great thing for himself and for Chelsea as well. All the players are excited and we've got off to a good start so hopefully we can continue this.
"From the first day [under Potter] the training was so competitive and it made you feel like everyone had a chance to play and everyone was training really hard to impress a new manager like you do when a new manager comes in," he said about the introduction of Potter.
"It's healthy competition. If players are on the bench they understand and they're always ready to come on and in his first few games as a manager the players that have come on have been just as important as the players that have started.
"He's very good at speaking to players and dealing with players."
Gallagher's impact at Chelsea under Potter is one of several big improvements since the new manager came in and has meant that heading into the Villa match, Mount is always a player that will be missed, but if Gallagher was to play then he appears readier to play than before.
If he scores though, don't expect the calm reaction after his stunner against former club Palace. "When I saw it go in I went to run off as an instant reaction like I'd normally do, I'd go mad but I have too much respect for the club and what they did for me last season so I said to myself I wouldn't celebrate if I scored in that game, I just have too much respect for them."
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