Last season was a tough one for Tottenham Hotspur fans, but this one has been on another level entirely so far.
The North Londoners have been ravaged by injuries from the word go and, at present, are down to the bare bones in defence and missing players in midfield and attack to boot.
However, while injuries and suspensions have certainly played their part in the team's poor results, those who have been fit have also underperformed and been responsible for draws and defeats that should have been won.
It was the same story last week, as Ange Postecoglou's side fell to a late equaliser against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and with an even more challenging game to come against Newcastle United today, changes need to be made in the attack, with club captain Son Heung-min dropping to the bench.
Why Son should be dropped
Okay, so the first thing to say is that, regardless of his form, nobody can deny Son's monumental impact on Spurs over the years and the utterly sensational performances he has put in season after season.
However, time comes for us all, and so far this year, particularly of late, he has just looked miles off the pace regardless of whether he starts on the wing or down the middle.
We saw his diminishing impact in the game against Wolves, as in his 64 minutes of action, he missed a penalty, created a paltry expected assists figure of just 0.02, took 28 touches, misplaced 100% of his crosses, didn't attempt a single dribble, played a single key pass and made just 15 passes.
Unsurprisingly, with a display like that, the watching press was suitably unimpressed with the South Korean superstar.
For example, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold gave him a dismal match rating of just 4/10 and wrote that it was just another game in which he 'struggled to make an impact' and that he 'couldn't argue with being taken off at the hour mark.'
At the end of the day, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace can still be a useful player for Postecoglou and Spurs, but he cannot start against all-action Toon today.
The player who should take Son's place
So, with Mikey Moore still out with an illness and with Timo Werner being even more underwhelming than Son this season, the player Postecoglou should start on the left is Dejan Kulusevski.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, we know he's been brilliant in midfield this year.
However, he has some experience playing off the left, and he is such an unbelievably talented footballer that he'll be able to influence that game from anywhere on the pitch.
Moreover, this frees up another spot in the middle of the park for James Maddison to come back into the team, making the North Londoners even more dangerous going forward.
For example, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across the Premier League, the former Leicester City star sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders or wingers for actual and expected non-penalty goals, the top 4% for assists and progressive passes and the top 8% for total shots, all per 90.
Likewise, FBref has also placed the "world-class" Swede, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, in the top 5% of attacking midfielders or wingers this season for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for touches in the opposition's penalty area and the top 16% for progressive carries, all per 90.
It would be an even more attacking set-up from the Lilywhites, but with Fabian Schar out for the Magpies, the attack might genuinely be the best form of defence today.
Ultimately, Postecoglou is in a rough spot with injuries and the overall form of his team, so going all out for the three points today with Maddison and Kulusevski in the side might just be a gamble worth taking.