Things won't change quickly
Few would have expected them to but defeat to Wolves reinforced that Frank Lampard's return won't be a simple nostalgia trip until the end of the season. If anything, Chelsea looked even less likely to score a goal at Molineux than they had against Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Kai Havertz was anonymous, while Raheem Sterling struggled to get into the game and Joao Felix recorded the Blues' only shot on target of the match. They added 12 more shots but it never felt from the stands that the west London side would trouble the scoresheet with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic finding similar problems upon their introduction.
Caretaker boss Lampard has had little time to impress his methods on the squad and is short of time to do so once again against Real Madrid. He emphasised in his first press conference after returning that he wanted to see urgency and effort from his side. His words following the game against Wolves suggest they did not meet his standards.
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He said: "We know we're not in a position we want to be in. There's always a reason for it, the reality of the league season. I was aware of that and I didn't expect to solve everything in one day. At the same time, maybe a bit of it, I think it was a performance if I really analyse it and you want to win a Premier League game, I think you have to have more aggression in your game. More speed, more competitive duels that go your way rather than the opposition.
"That baseline of stuff of a team that our fighting for their Premier League lives will always dictate the turning of the result of the game regardless of the talent maybe on each side. I think there was a little bit of that today.
"The players need to be aware of that because without that you can't win games and you can't be the team that Chelsea have been and we want to get back to. It was interesting to see in many ways. I'm here to help with that. This is not stinging criticism. What are the reason why we maybe can be like that at times? Find that and I know there's a lot of talent there, I've seen it in the last couple of days and I'm looking forward to more of it."
Chelsea will be careful with N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante's return to fitness has been a rare positive point in recent Chelsea matches and after a very impressive performance against Liverpool, it would be easy to have high expectations of what he can offer. It would also be easy for someone in Lampard's position to want to use possibly the team's most talented player in his first game, given the short time period he has to make an impact.
Kante's return to fitness has been carefully managed however, despite Chelsea's desperate situation. That has been true from the moment it was decided he needed an operation to the decision over when he should come back. The Frenchman was fit enough to play on Saturday but he has been managed to ensure he is ready for Real Madrid - a game that will go a long way to decided Chelsea's season.
As it stands, Kante's contract will expire in the summer but with the 32-year-old still expected to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, the Blues are preserving someone who appears like they could remain a key player.
Back four still has issues
Not necessarily in their ability to defend. Despite the odd lapse, Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana were probably among Chelsea's best performers against Wolves. Chelsea's full-backs were obviously more limited in a attacking sense, while Enzo Fernandez dropped deep to pick up the ball among the backline and tried to work from there.
Simply, there was little connection between each line of Chelsea players. Conor Gallagher attempted to attack the box from midfield, while Joao Felix perhaps had the most success connecting play, albeit often through carrying the ball himself but there was little in the way of intricate patterns and obvious chances, much like Graham Potter had found before reverting to three central defenders.
Mason Mount was key to connecting the lines in Lampard's first stint and perhaps could do again but the issue runs deeper than that. Chelsea's play was perhaps best summed up in the second half when Koulibaly had time on the ball and looked ahead of him. No movement and no options. The former Napoli star could only turn around, not under pressure to pass it back to Kepa Arrizabalaga.
More solutions will be required to fix Chelsea's goalscoring woes, if they cannot find their forwards regardless of whose fault it is. Lampard acknowledged work was needed.
He said: "In terms of the lower part of the pitch - I think our players can all receive the ball and accept the ball but if I'm agreeing with you in any part it's that you receive the ball down low because you want to progress up the pitch.
"You have to find the right solutions, the right positions and the right ideas and that takes some work. That will be part of the process. You have to options where you can play over or out of the press. We have to be able to do that as well."
Lampard takes defeat hard and the squad must stand up to be counted
The joy in Lampard's voice on Thursday had disappeared without a trace by the time he came to face the media on Saturday evening. There was no hiding the disappointment the Chelsea legend felt about the result and any momentum his presence had looked to bring appeared to have halted as quickly as he'd been appointment.
There was realism in the caretaker manager's words and while he hinted at the silver linings he had witnessed so far it could not overcome the dour tone he entered the press conference room carrying. Regardless of what Lampard can do, the squad must play their part too. As Mateo Kovacic noted when previewing the game, the group of players resident at Stamford Bridge have a part to play.
The Croatian said: "We need to be honest with ourselves. In the end it’s easier to sack a coach than 30 players."
A number of stars will be playing for their futures at the club and elsewhere before the end of the season and Lampard's temporary nature will give him freedom to make more brutal decisions. They could come quickly if Chelsea's stars do not find the aggressive baseline Lampard demands.
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