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In the first half, in particular, as Liverpool lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace, the center-back narrative essentially wrote itself.
In the week that Giovanni Leoni looked excellent against Southampton but was then cruelly stretchered off, Ibrahima Konate was all over the show as he took on Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park, and Marc Guehi quietly impressed.
Liverpool shorter than it would like to be in terms of defenders? Check. Konate, the man whose contract is edging towards expiry, playing poorly? Yep. And Guehi, who could easily have been lining up against Crystal Palace doing so well for the Eagles? Inevitable.
Konate emerged from the second half with some credit as he restored some composure to his performance, but he was frankly fortunate to emerge after the interval. Conor Bradley wasn't afforded the same chance to put things right.
Arne Slot hooked Milos Kerkez at Burnley even before the break because he was on a booking and walking a tightrope, and Konate looked much more likely to make a costly error here.
In the end, it was the right decision to keep Konate on the field even if Liverpool still lost. But his form at the start of the new campaign might be cause for some concern.
Even alongside Virgil van Dijk, Konate has looked flustered at times. At his best, he is a physical monster who is impossible to pass, but it has been a while since he put in a showing of that level.
The best attribute of a center-back is consistency and at 26, Konate should be taking the next step in his development and getting better on that front. Though he did well to recover in the second half, Liverpool's first 45 minutes resembled the infamous 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa, with Van Dijk admitting afterwards that Crystal Palace should have been "three or four" goals up.
Konate can be a 9/10 defender when he performs at his best. But here, he rated at 3/10 for 45 minutes and bumped up his mark after the interval.
Guehi, in comparison, is rarely going to get above an eight, but is unlikely to slip down below a seven.
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While Liverpool identified a market opportunity for the Crystal Palace captain, it didn't quite come off in the end. And losing Leoni to an ACL injury was not something that could be planned for.
But being down to just three senior center-backs for the remainder of the campaign will require minutes to be managed. Konate can't play every game all the time, and after his performance against Crystal Palace, there will rarely be a stronger argument to bench him.
Joe Gomez looked a little rusty against Southampton in the League Cup, and throwing him into a tasty atmosphere in Turkey against Galatasaray would come with a level of risk of its own, but that should certainly be an option under consideration.
Konate simply hasn't gotten going this season. With both rotation and his form in mind, going with Gomez for at least one of the two big games that follow this week seems a plausible solution.
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