Given the instability that has underpinned Everton Football Club since the start of last season, it is perhaps no surprise that a number of striking statistics have emerged about the Blues.
One win in 15 Premier League games was a bad one - no need to dwell on that - as was the fact that only one outfield player started the last two Merseyside derby outings against Liverpool, which came just nine months apart.
But perhaps the most startling figure to emerge among many was the simplest one - one. That was the number of passes Everton midfielder Allan completed in the clash with Liverpool in April, a game in which the Toffees battled hard, defended gamely and eventually lost 2-0.
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That day, the Brazilian - who completed his solitary pass from kick off in the 73rd minute - was asked to do an ultra-defensive job in an ultra-defensive performance for a team that had sagged into the relegation zone earlier in the day.
So it was perhaps no shock that Everton supporters were quick to leap to his defence amid jibes from rival fans and big 'banter' accounts online, with the 11 interceptions and tackles he made the most of any player on the pitch. But since then, by misfortune, lack of fitness or by design, the Brazilian has found himself on the fringes under Frank Lampard.
Following that match at Anfield, the former Napoli man has not started a Premier League game and his two substitute appearances total just 27 minutes. And while there has been occasion talk of injury issues - something that blighted his pre-season preparations - the 31-year-old has been left on the bench for eight of Everton's last 11 games, while in two of those matches he wasn't involved in the matchday party at all.
Speaking ahead of Everton's clash with Nottingham Forest earlier this term, the Toffees boss made it clear the veteran was fit.
"Allan is fit, he is in the squad," said Lampard on August 19. "He's back. He missed games in pre-season and, obviously, he's missed that part so we're trying to get him match-fit but he's a really good pro and he's fit, ready to go."
Yet Lampard decided not to turn to him that day, nor away at Brentford when the team was under pressure, nor away at Leeds as the midfield tired in the final stages. In the latter encounter, the Everton boss actually thought the best course of action was no substitutes at all.
It leaves Allan in a curious position. With new signings Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana arguably now set to line up alongside the reinvented Alex Iwobi in Everton's best midfield trio, he clearly faces a fight to get into the best XI.
But with Tom Davies performing well, Abdoulaye Doucoure close to making a return and James Garner clearly highly regarded after his summer signing from Manchester United, you could make a feasible argument that Allan is currently Everton's seventh choice midfielder.
It represents a significant relegation in status for a man Carlo Ancelotti clearly regarded highly when he brought him to Goodison Park a couple of years ago.
"He is going to put strength in midfield," said the Italian in the summer of 2020. "This is his best quality. For this reason, all the players we have with quality are going to improve for being with him. He is not just a player for himself. He is a player whose energy can make the others better.
"He's very aggressive. Defensively, he is really good. My personal opinion is that he is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. He is intelligent tactically and he has got a lot of energy. One against one, he is really strong."
While Allan's stock is clearly no longer that high, perhaps it would still be premature to consider him surplus to requirements.
After all, there has been no substantial speculation linking him with a move away from Everton, nor has there been any indication that a fall out has occurred with Lampard.
Fitness has clearly been an issue, with the midfielder suffering with a number of niggles in recent months. Finding the right time to get him on the field amid the pressure and intensity of a hectic Premier League start may be easier said than done too.
And while the addition of three new central midfielders this summer means there are more obstacles for Allan to conquer on his way back to the XI, some of those additions may allow Lampard to better utilise the player's strengths.
Allan, after all, has never been a natural number six, albeit that is where he has almost exclusively played during his time on Merseyside. The Brazilian is an impulsive defensive harrier who thrives when given license to hunt the football - but as the sole pivot in front of a back four, that instinct can trigger a midfield void.
In theory, with Gueye, Onana and Davies able to operate at the base of a three-man midfield, Allan could be freed up to do what he does best in manner similar to when he played his best football at Napoli There he had the deep-sitting Jorginho providing a defensive assurance as he went foraging after the opposition.
The intensity may not be there from his Partenopei days, but if Everton are to make use of the Brazilian, this feels like the best way to do so. His experience, tenacity and tidiness in possession mean that he can be an effective piece in the right kind of framework, especially if his workload is managed.
But those two advanced midfield positions will be hotly contested, with Iwobi, Doucoure, Onana and Garner all likely seeing that berth as their best role.
With English football in the midst of a break that could be prolonged, the World Cup looming large on the horizon and the January window to come after that, the man who was claimed to have 'wheels for feet' feels close to reaching a critical point in his Everton career.
If he wants to extend it, he may need to get a move on.
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