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While Chelsea avoided a total demolition of their chances of finishing in the highest eight places of the Bigger Cup group stage, they executed a precise, surgical strike on their own hopes of strolling directly into the knockout stages. Naturally, the silver lining is that in the short one-year history of the recently revamped competition, securing a top-eight finish isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

The Core Problem: A Monotonous Lack of Consistency

Sadly for Stamford Bridge regulars, the sole predictable element about Enzo Maresca’s side is a monotonously predictable inconsistency, which has been widely discussed since their loss in Italy. Since apparently rubber-stamping their credentials with an impressive beat-down of Barcelona, followed by a feisty stalemate with Arsenal, the team have been defeated by a Championship side, played out a dull draw at the south coast club and have now been beaten by a average team from Italy's top flight.

Although pundits have been eager to point the finger on a team selection approach that seems to see the coach change his lineup like a kebab shop’s elephant leg of doner meat, the Chelsea head coach insists that, knack and naughty step permitting, the core of his first eleven for games against strong opposition is largely set in stone.

“In my view tonight, first XI, we had on the field the majority of the team that play against Tottenham, they play against Barca, they play against Wolves, the Gunners,” he droned. “There were most of the regulars that are the ones playing every time for these kind of games. So if you see the five changes that we did from the Bournemouth game, it’s a different situation.”

What Comes Next

For a genuine opportunity of avoiding the Bigger Cup playoff round, Chelsea will have to win their remaining two matches. In the first, they host this season’s surprise package Pafos, before heading back to Italy to face the Italian title holders, the Neapolitan side.

“Victories in both are required, if not, we try to play the extra round and then go to the following stage,” remarked the Italian coach, whose next appointment is a match against an Everton team whose recent consistency has propelled them to the surprising position of the top half in the Premier League.

Other Notes

Notable Comment: “You know, it’s somewhat ironic because his greatest wish was me turning pro in golf. That was his biggest dream. So when I was 10, he forced me to take up golf. So I practiced every week from when I was 10 to 13” – a star striker revealed how, if his father had his preference, he could have been on the golf course rather than tearing it up in the Premier League.

Fan Correspondence

“Well, no wonder Wolves are in such a sad state. As any regular reader of this email will know, the only good pre-match protests involve marching from a public house that the supporters planned to be at 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 one correspondent not only got Tuesday’s letter o’ the day, but also a mention in another reader's letter. On a night where both Sheffield teams again dropped points after leading, I am wondering: could the city be proving that the regularity of representation in your mailbag is inversely proportional to the success of anything our teams are accomplishing on the field?” – a different supporter.