To make matters worse both had off days after promising displays earlier in the season. The arrival of Nathan Dyer helped inject more energy into the midfield, but did little to improve Saints ball retention or the quality of the final ball.
While Idiakez will certainly help retain possession and will be the key playmaker Saints have been lacking, there are still question marks over whether Saints have enough strength in midfield to allow Idiakez to work his magic.
In Viafara, Saints have a committed ballwinner who is big and strong in the tackle. A little harsh but there are similarities with former Saint Carlton Palmer of whom Dave Jones famously said: "Carlton covers every blade of grass on the pitch... but then you have to if your first touch is that crap."
A player with plenty of ability not least a piledriver of a shot, Burley has been working hard on the training ground this week to get Viafara's passing game going. However, if he has as little support as against Preston, he will need to cover every blade of grass.
In the search for balance, Burley will be looking for more experience on the field. Skacel is starting to show his magic as he slowly returns to fitness and is a shoe in on the left of midfield, as is Viafara in the centre. After waiting so long to get his man, Idiakez will go straight into the starting line-up.
This leaves Burley with a difficult decision as to who to play in the final midfield slot. Wright is back to full fitness, but Belmadi and Licka are still troubling the treatment table. Lallana will not start again in the immediate future, particularly away from home, leaving a choice between Dyer and Wright.
With Idiakez in his first game, Burley is likely to go for the extra experience of Wright with the only real question mark over where he will play. Away from home a more defensive line-up would see Wright and Viafara occupy the central midfield berths with Idiakez and Skacel providing the creativity and quality delivery from the flanks.
Wright is versatile enough to play right midfield having covered at right back several times before and this may be the line-up Burley settles on initially, with the potential to switch Idiakez and Wright as the game progresses and bring on Dyer's pace and enthusiasm from the bench.
Certainly Saints will need to get Idiakez and Skacel on the ball. Matters will be helped by the return of the all-action Ostlund to provide extra cover and penetration down the flanks after being so unfortunate to be omitted in favour of Makin.
At home, Burley has the option of using Belmadi's magic on the right provided the Algerian can get himself fit again after yet more injury problems. That would provide Saints with a high quality midfield, but will require the creative trio to do their fair share of defensive work.
Whatever the final combinations over the next month, Saints simply have to find the right balance to progress up the league after a slow start.