How football changes, shifting and weaving through narratives at lightning speed and seeing fortunes drastically switch in the blink of an eye.
One year ago, Liverpool had won the Carabao Cup and were challenging across every front, concluding the 21/22 campaign with the FA Cup after a remarkable pursuit of a historic quadruple, falling at the final hurdle in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Fast-forward to the present and Jurgen Klopp's Reds have been knocked, meekly, out of the Champions League at the hand of Real Madrid for the third successive season, with a loss to lowly Bournemouth in the top-flight preceding the detrimental encounter in Spain, leaving Liverpool six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
No player embodies the slump from prominence more profoundly than Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been subject to intense scrutiny for his defensive performances this season, also failing to exhibit his renowned offensive arsenal due to the collective woes of the squad and his own inhibition.
With the club's golden youth graduate lacklustre and perhaps needing a period of time to collect himself and devise a new strategy to rekindle success, unleashing a Kirkby academy prospect of similar could be the best formula to get the cogs whirring at Anfield once more.
Should Klopp drop Alexander-Arnold for Mabaya?
Liverpool have fallen by the wayside this term, but the injection of youthful vibrancy has been one of the shining lights of the campaign; maybe the brightest, all things considered.
18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic has been a revelation since emerging to first-team contention, featuring with regularity since the conclusion of the World Cup before cruelly having his breakthrough year snatched away from him, with Klopp recently confirming the Spaniard has picked up a lengthy thigh injury.
The German manager must look to emulate the success of investing in youth by providing Mabaya with the platform to flourish, with the burgeoning full-back impressing with the U21's.
The 18-year-old was hailed as "a speedy, dynamic and intelligent player who is versatile and adaptable" by journalist Bence Bocsak, having made a total of 54 appearances for Liverpool's respective youth outfits, scoring six goals and registering 13 assists.
Last season, in the U18 Premier League, the dynamo scored two goals and provided seven assists from just 16 appearances, earning his stripes before ascending to the second team.
With Alexander-Arnold recently branded a "training dummy" by Casey Evans for his woeful showing in the recent defeat to Los Blancos, Mabaya could flourish with an opportunity to carve a way into Klopp's plans.
And with Mabaya also praised as "superb" by Paul Gorst, he can hardly offer less from a defensive standpoint than his senior peer right now, having displayed his robust side against Salford City in the Football League trophy earlier this term, winning seven of his nine duels and making four tackles and interceptions apiece, as per Sofascore.
Time will tell how Mabaya will fare when unleashed on the senior stage, but the signs are promising and given the quandary Liverpool are engulfed in right now, his inclusion may just provide the fresh dimension requisite for success.