Chelsea broke their transfer record in August to sign Romelu Lukaku in the expectation he would fire them to the Premier League title. Yet in the first week of January, the Blues find themselves 10 points behind leaders Manchester City and with their €115 million acquisition facing a decidedly uncertain future.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel wrote himself into Chelsea folklore by galvanising a squad with palpable fault lines last January, transforming them into European champions, and now he must do so all over again.
The task is harder this time because more is demanded of him.