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While The Blues didn't entirely destroy their chances of finishing in the highest eight places of the European competition group stage, they executed a targeted blow on their own chances of waltzing straight into the knockout stages. Naturally, the good news is that in the short one-year history of the new and not-necessarily-improved tournament, achieving a place in the top eight may not be as crucial as it seems.

The Core Issue: A Monotonous Inconsistency

Sadly for Stamford Bridge regulars, the sole predictable element about Enzo Maresca’s side is a reliably erratic lack of consistency, which has been much remarked upon following their defeat in Bergamo. After apparently rubber-stamping their quality with an impressive beat-down of Barcelona, followed by a feisty stalemate with Arsenal, Chelsea have been stuffed by Leeds, played out a dull draw at the south coast club and have now lost against a mid-table side from Italy's top flight.

Although critics have been quick to lay the blame on a selection policy that appears to see Enzo Maresca rotate his team incessantly, the Chelsea head coach insists that, injuries and suspensions aside, the core of his starting lineup for big matches is largely set in stone.

“In my view in that game, first XI, we had inside the pitch the majority of the team that play against Spurs, they played against Barca, they played against Wolverhampton, Arsenal,” he stated. “We had most of the regulars that are the ones playing every time for these kind of games. So if you look at the several alterations that we did from the Bournemouth game, it’s a different situation.”

What Comes Next

For a genuine opportunity of avoiding the additional knockout round, Chelsea will have to be victorious in their remaining two matches. First up, they welcome the unexpected contenders Pafos, before heading back to Italy to face the Italian title holders, the Neapolitan side.

“Victories in both are required, otherwise, we will face the extra round and then progress to the next round,” remarked Maresca, whose next appointment is a match against an Everton team whose recent consistency has propelled them to the surprising position of seventh in the Premier League.

Other Notes

Quote of the Day: “You know, it’s actually funny because his greatest wish was me becoming a professional golfer. That was his biggest dream. 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” – a star striker revealed how, had his dad got his way, he could have been teeing off rather than tearing it up in the Premier League.

Readers' Letters

“So, no wonder Wolves are in such a sad state. As any longtime reader of this email will know, the only effective pre-match protests involve walking from a pub that the supporters intended to visit anyway, to the ground that they were always going to. Just showing up 10 minutes late? That’s how long it takes fans to get to their seats anyway” – one reader.

“I note that a reader 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 surrendered points after leading, I am led to ponder: could Sheffield be proving that the frequency of representation in your mailbag is inversely related to the success of anything our teams are accomplishing on the field?” – another fan.