Tottenham lost 3-2 to Southampton on Wednesday and their lack of squad depth became even clearer, as they failed to keep the lead they had twice during the match.
There were defensive mistakes which led to the Saints' two goals in two minutes but there was also, yet again, a lack of composure and creativity in the middle of the pitch for large spells of the game.
One reason for this could be the players that made the move away from N17 during the January transfer window, which saw four academy players and four first team players leave north London.
Antonio Conte had requested a right wing-back, striker and central midfielder during the winter window but Fabio Paratici only fulfilled the latter.
Dele Alli was the only first team player who made the permanent move during the January window, now playing under Frank Lampard at Everton.
Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil all made temporary exits as they have been loaned out to Lyon, Villarreal and Valencia respectively.
Although none of the aforementioned players were getting regular game time or performing consistently well when given the opportunity under Conte, the defeat against Ralph Hassenhuttl's side clearly showed the missing part for Spurs.
Oliver Skipp was unavailable on Wednesday due to his recent injury, which meant Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Winks were the duo who occupied the two midfield spaces to start the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both midfielders had moments of shaky play, being dispossessed a number of times and some poor passing, failing to add any creativity for the Spurs attackers.
On the hour mark, Rodrigo Bentancur made his Premier League debut for the Italian and replaced the Dane.
It took just minutes for the new arrival to make an impact on the game, with a solid ball played down the field to Lucas Moura, although it came to nothing after a poor cross.
The Uruguayan international added more creativity and composure in the middle of the field in the half an hour he was on the pitch than had been seen in most of the first hour of the match.
Bentancur coming on didn't change the struggles Winks faced and his performance didn't improve.
Ideally, Conte may have taken the 26-year-old off and given another midfielder a chance...if Spurs had the squad depth to do so.
The only other option the Italian did have on the bench who could've replaced Winks was Harvey White and at just 20-years-old and with a lack of first team experience, it would've been a lot of pressure to expect him to come on and change the game.
Although the three central midfielders that did make an exit during the January window weren't performing consistently well under Conte, they did show on a number of occasions that they could produce more creativity than the options the 52-year-old now has.
The Spurs boss spoke about the January business that was done in a recent press conference.
"About the players that went on loan, they need to play more games," he admitted in his pre match press conference before the Brighton game. "I think it was right for both sides, the club and the players. These players needed to play more games.
"For sure, it was strange. It was strange to send on loan, and sell one player, in the January transfer window. It was strange because it means something went wrong in the past. It was strange, I repeat in January to send four on loan, and sell one player."
There is an argument to say that if the players weren't performing at the required level then a move was best for them, but letting three central midfielders go and bringing just one in, doesn't help with Tottenham's squad depth problem.
After the defeat against Southampton, Winks had his say on the January departures.
"Nobody is given a free pass - everybody is under pressure and under scrutiny," he admitted. "That is just part and parcel of football. I would not say it was a wake-up call. Everybody knows the high demands at a club like Tottenham and that you have to be performing."
Conte's managerial techniques have already been well received by the Spurs players and the 26-year-old's admission indicates they all know how hard they have to work for a space in the Italian's regular team.
Therefore there is hope that further changes can be made in the second half of the season to improve on the key areas of players' performances that still need to be worked on.
It was a risk for Paratici to move four players on, whether temporarily or permanently, in the January window but the Lilywhites have to accept the business that has been done and Conte can only work with the players that are still with him to try and have the strongest end to the season that is possible.
