To those who've paid real attention, rather than looking on from afar, Huddersfield Town have enjoyed an almost perfect pre-season. Their transfer business has been immaculate, the mood around the club has rarely been better, they're thriving commercially and David Wagner is getting the work in on the training field with his squad that will best prepare them for what is to come in the season ahead.
However, with news reaching us that Jonathan Hogg - a key piece of the promotion success - would be missing around a month with an ankle injury, what had been an almost ideal period for the club suffered its first real hiccup. While news like this was enough to cause a slight dint in confidence last season, there should be no need for panic this time around.
Having had the fourth lowest budget and spend in the Championship across 2016-17, it's only natural that Town suffered some issues with the depth of the squad. David Wagner did his best to alleviate the pressure on his players by rotating regularly enough that the rigours of such a long season didn't catch up to them nearly as quickly as it may have done, but there's only so much protection from matches needing to be played and injuries occurring.
Given the nature of his all-or-nothing style of play - which couldn't be more endearing if it tried - Hogg did miss games last season, with both Philip Billing and Dean Whitehead coming in to cover for him admirably. Different types of players compared to Hogg, who remains unique within the Town squad, the main function of that position has become breaking up opposition attacks, winning the ball back as quickly as possible and giving it straight to Aaron Mooy to do with it what he pleases.
While both Billing and Whitehead were able to fulfil that role, neither were like-for-like replacements. If you think of Hogg as whole milk, Whitehead was more semi-skimmed, and Billing made of soy - they're almost the real thing, but not quite. You can get through your bowl of cereal, but you're well aware there's that little something missing.
For what it's worth, both Whitehead and Billing have their own preferred positions within the current Town set-up. Nobody is better to bring on with a lead to protect than Dean Whitehead, who'll do the basics better than anyone else on the field, keep possession intelligently and put his body on the line when called for in defence.
Billing, who may have the most impressive natural passing range and strike of the ball in the entire squad, is limited when given more defensive responsibilities, and his contribution to the team is never as telling when he's made to do so.
This, though, is where Huddersfield get to prove how good their summer really has been, and prove definitively what this squad was built for.
Bought not only to create competition for that starting berth alongside Mooy, but to occupy it when Hogg was missing, this is where Danny Williams comes in. Signed on a free, Williams is exactly the right kind of player to integrate himself seamlessly in to Wagner's version of Huddersfield Town, and can be an immediate example of just how canny Town have conducted themselves in this summer's market.
While his role at Reading was far less defined than it will be for the Terriers, it's clear to see when comparing the players side-by-side just how naturally Williams should be able to cover those bases - if we're to revisit the dairy-based analogy for a final time, Williams isn't a different kind of milk, he's just a slightly different brand of the same stuff. It goes down just the same...as long as you're not lactose intolerant.
Last season, Williams pass completion rate was almost identical to Hogg's (86% to 88%) and that's likely with more flamboyant style of distribution. Williams helped create his side more chances, while receiving less bookings, than Hogg did. And, while it's true that Hogg can boast strictly defensive metrics far higher than Williams can, the numbers the German-American posted were still significantly higher than you'd expect from a traditional central midfielder, especially where blocks, interceptions and clearances are concerned.
David Wagner is no mug when it comes to giving a player a task and getting them to stick to it, so Danny Williams - now with a blue and white leash attached - should benefit from a level of focus and purpose that perhaps he lacked in Berkshire.
One of the longest lasting memories from the play-off final is the image of Williams after the penalty shootout with his head in his hands on floor in something resembling the foetal position, bawling his eyes out. Cut from the same cloth as Hogg, this is a man who had given his all for his side, with a level of care and passion that David Wagner demands from his players.
It's no coincidence that he's the man Huddersfield pursued, and that's only underlined by the admiration with which Williams has discussed Hogg since joining the club. Clearly a man who wanted nothing more than the opportunity to test and prove himself on the highest of stages possible, Huddersfield have provided him the chance to do just that - and as fate would have it, he's been given the chance to repay that faith almost immediately.
For all the talk of too much too soon, trolley dashes and certain relegation, it's hard to imagine a way for Huddersfield to have passed the test of a first transfer window as a Premier League club by any higher score. With a cornerstone of the side like Hogg missing, this is an opportunity for the club to stand toe-to-toe with the scrutiny their business has been put under and take it out from the knees before it has even had the chance to gain any real traction.
Being prepared isn't just about making sure you're set up to do your very best - you've also got to have the flexibility to readjust without losing your stride when hit by an obstacle unawares. We'd all rather Jonathan Hogg was available, but just because he isn't doesn't mean Town will now fold like a house of cards. They've planned ahead too well for that.
You can follow Raj Bains on Twitter over on @BainsXIII , and he's also the host of our podcast, @OTBAPod.
