Chelsea came crashing back down to earth on Wednesday night after staggering to a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Europe, highlighting the inconsistencies that have frustrated Enzo Maresca since taking over.
The west Londoners face a tough battle to secure an all-important spot in the top eight of the Champions League group standings, with tricky ties against Barcelona and Italian champions Napoli to come.
Maresca has been desperate to utilise his expensively-assembled squad this season, but has been forced to contend with injuries to key players including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Liam Delap - a knock-on effect from their exertions at last summer's Club World Cup.