'I never thought it was going to be easy but seriously it's way more difficult than expected.'
Those were the words of Thiago Silva's wife Isabelle on social media following another demoralising Chelsea setback against Aston Villa on Sunday.
They could easily have come from club's owners and the hierarchy overseeing this Chelsea project, having had little to show for their staggering £1bn-plus investment so far.
From the posh seats up in the stands, around the Stamford Bridge pitch and down the tunnel co-owner Behdad Eghbali – increasingly prominent across Chelsea while fellow co-owner Todd Boehly has taken a step back - plus sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart strode following the Villa loss, Eghbali attempting to lift spirits in his interactions with Mauricio Pochettino's players in the dressing room area.