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While Chelsea didn't entirely destroy their prospects of ending up in the highest eight places of the European competition group stage, they executed a precise, surgical strike on their own chances of strolling directly into the knockout stages. Of course, the good news is that in the brief history of the recently revamped tournament, achieving a place in the top eight may not be as crucial as it seems.

The Core Problem: A Predictable Lack of Consistency

Unfortunately for the club's supporters, the sole predictable element about Enzo Maresca’s side is a reliably erratic inconsistency, which has been widely discussed following their loss in Bergamo. Since apparently rubber-stamping their credentials with an impressive beat-down of a European giant, followed by a feisty stalemate with a London rival, the team have been defeated by Leeds, played out a snoozy stalemate at the south coast club and have now been beaten by a mid-table side from Italy's top flight.

Although critics have been eager to point the finger on a team selection approach that seems to see the coach change his lineup constantly, the Chelsea head coach insists that, knack and naughty step permitting, the core of his starting lineup for games against strong opposition is largely set in stone.

“I think in that game, first XI, we had on the field the majority of the team that play against Spurs, they play against Barca, they played against Wolves, Arsenal,” he droned. “We had most of the regulars that are the ones playing every time for these kind of games. So if you look at the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth game, it’s a different situation.”

What Comes Next

For a genuine opportunity of avoiding the additional knockout round, they will have to be victorious in their remaining two matches. First up, they host the unexpected contenders a Cypriot team, before heading back to Italy to face the Italian title holders, Napoli.

“Victories in both are required, otherwise, we will face the extra round and then go to the next round,” remarked the Italian coach, whose following fixture is a game against an Everton team whose current form has propelled them to the dizzy heights of seventh in the domestic league.

Side Stories

Quote of the Day: “It's interesting, it’s somewhat ironic because his biggest dream was me turning pro in golf. That was his ultimate ambition. So when I was 10, he forced me to take up golf. So I played golf every week from when I was 10 to 13” – Erling Haaland explained how, if his father had his preference, he could have been teeing off rather than scoring goals in the Premier League.

Fan Correspondence

“So, no wonder Wolves are in such a poor situation. As any longtime reader of this column will know, the only effective pre-match protests involve walking from a public house that the supporters planned to be at anyway, to the stadium that they were always going to. Just arriving 10 minutes late? That’s how long it takes fans to get to their seats anyway” – one reader.

“I note that one correspondent not only got the previous letter o’ the day, but also a mention in a separate letter. On a night where both Sheffield teams again dropped points after leading, I am led to ponder: could the city be proving that the regularity of appearances in your letters section is inversely proportional to the success of anything our teams are achieving on the field?” – another fan.