Tottenham Hotspur fell at the first hurdle of their mammoth run of games on Thursday night as Sheffield United ran away as 3-1 victors at Brammall Lane.
Spurs must now dust themselves off and go again just four days later as they take on Everton in the Premier League.
This is the start of a run of five games in under two weeks for the Lilywhites, meaning that squad rotation may be key for Jose Mourinho.
Spurs face Everton on July 6, before playing Bournemouth on July 9, Arsenal on July 12, Newcastle on July 15, and Leicester City on July 19.
This is far from ideal for the Special One who currently has just one recognised striker in Harry Kane, as well as one recognised right-back in Serge Aurier.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Everton game on Monday, Mourinho was asked about squad rotation, with the Spurs boss pointing out the difficulties he is facing.
He said (Football London): “I think we have to do some, yeah. We play Everton, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Newcastle with two days in between matches.
“Of course, it’s very, very difficult for a player to play 90 minutes of every match. In some positions, it will be a little bit more difficult to do it. In others, we have options and of course, rotation becomes something we need to do.”
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