Everton are in an increasingly desperate situation.
If it wasn't already clear before their humbling defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening, then it was brought kicking and screaming into stark context very shortly afterwards.
Defensive errors cost the Blues dearly, and that's something that has not only affected them this season, but for a number of campaigns in the recent past.
As managers always say, defending starts from the front and takes place all over the pitch - and it was all wrong for Everton in north London.
But in particular, the back four struggled massively throughout the 90 minutes.
Injuries have certainly played their role in making the Blues weaker in that department even since Frank Lampard's arrival at the club at the end of January.
He lost both Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina in quick succession, with the latter still set to be out for a further four or five weeks with his latest injury issue.
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The former, however, is set to be back in training this week - which is undoubtedly good news.
Any way Everton can strengthen their defensive options at this stage is going to be absolutely crucial in the predicament they find themselves in.
However, the Blues only need to look towards the top end of the pitch to see the pitfalls of perhaps putting too much pressure on a player returning from injury.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has not been able to hit the heights that he reached last season throughout this campaign, even when he bagged in each of his first three matches of 2021/22.
Two of those were through penalties, which contributed to none of his brilliant haul of goals last term. He was carrying a toe injury in those matches, and later succumbed to the quadriceps issue that kept him out of the side for four months.
During his time out, there was a certain amount of pressure put on his return being something of a catalyst for the form of the team to turn around.
Not least that view was held by former manager Rafael Benitez, who often brought up the England international's absence as a firm reason behind his side's struggles.
Losing that amount of goals is in many respects a valid excuse, of course, but at the same time there needed to be a plan to eventually reintegrate him back into the fold properly.
Perhaps it would have all been different if Calvert-Lewin had scored his penalty against Brighton at the start of this year, we'll never know, but as things stand he still has not found the back of the net on his return to action.
He was given hardly any service against Spurs on Monday evening and cut something of a forlorn figure at the top end of the pitch because of it.
The pressure shouldn't have been on his shoulders, but perhaps he feels that way because of the situation that occurred when he was out of the side.
And so that brings us back around to Godfrey.
He's been forced to sit out and watch as his teammates were embarrassed on their latest trip on the road, while they were also comfortably beaten by Newcastle United and Southampton in recent weeks.
His return will be a welcome one, but he can't be seen as the sole answer to Everton's defensive woes.
The situation that the Blues find themselves in now means that, more than likely, he'll be thrown straight back into the starting line-up when fit enough to do so.
Nobody can begrudge Lampard for potentially making that decision when it comes, in fact it seems to be the logical choice.
But, does the system need to change along with it? Is the formation right for the defence, and for the players in front of them?
Godfrey's return opens up the possibility for a three-at-the-back system once more, which could be preferable to have as many bodies in that area of the pitch as possible.
Or the defender could potentially fill a role at centre-back, right-back or left-back upon his return. Going by Monday's display, you could make an argument for any of those positions being replaced.
But, he's just one player. Someone who, by his own admission, hasn't hit the heights this year that he set himself throughout the majority of last term.
Everton fans would be right to be excited in seeing his name back in the starting line-up, but also know it's not the be-all-and-end-all. Calvert-Lewin is testament to that.
The rest of the side needs to step up too.
