The inevitable
When Willian left Chelsea in the summer of 2020 for Arsenal, the Brazilian posted a heartfelt open letter across his social media profiles. Within it was a message to supporters. "I am really grateful to Chelsea fans for the affectionate way they greeted me at Stamford Bridge and their support throughout my time at the club," it read.
Things didn't work out for the winger at Arsenal. Nor at Corinthians in his homeland. It's why in the summer he made a return to west London with Fulham. At 34 years old, many doubted whether Willian still had the capability to thrive in the harsh environment of the Premier League. How wrong that has proved to be.
Willian has featured in 12 of Fulham's 19 Premier League matches this term and remains a hard-working and reliable presence down the flanks, something which can't be said of every attacker in the current Chelsea squad. And it felt inevitable that Willian would enjoy a decisive moment against his former club.
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on Joao Felix red card, Zakaria injury, Chelsea supporters' anger
That moment came in the 25th minute at Craven Cottage. The ball fell to the Brazilian on the edge of the box and he squared up former teammate Cesar Azpilicueta. The Chelsea captain must have known what to expect – he spent seven years training with Willian, after all – yet he still fell for the shimmy and shift of the ball to the right.
Willian then fired toward goal and watched as the ball clipped the inside of Trevoh Chalobah's leg and skewed into the far corner. There was nothing Kepa Arrizabalga could do on that occasion.
Such is the affection Willian still has for Chelsea, he opted not to celebrate his goal. It was a classy moment from a player whose time at Stamford Bridge has been reconsidered by many supporters in the years since his departure.
The frustration
Everything that can go wrong is going wrong for Chelsea at this moment. Any hope is quickly snuffed out. Any positivity almost instantly transforms into negativity. That was encapsulated by the debut of Joao Felix, who was thrown into the team by Graham Potter after just one training session following his loan move from Atletico Madrid.
For 58 minutes, the Portuguese international brought an inventiveness to the Chelsea attack that has been so desperately absent in recent weeks. There were clever flicks, sharp turns, and plenty of efforts on goal that worked Bernd Leno. But one rash challenge on Kenny Tete ended Felix's night early.
Chelsea supporters could have no complaints about the decision: Felix was high and certainly endangering an opponent. The biggest frustration is the 23-year-old will now be suspended for the next three Premier League games. “I don’t think it was an emotional one from Joao, it didn’t feel that to me," Potter said about the challenge in his post-match press conference.
"It was a miss-control and then just a football action that can happen with the speed of the Premier League and a game of football at this level. There was no malice, he didn’t go into hurt anybody, he didn’t lose his head, it just was what it was. Sometimes these things happen and they’re against you and you have to suffer. And believe you me, we are suffering at the moment.”
The red card coupled with the injury suffered by Denis Zakaria moments prior altered the moment of the contest – and Fulham went on to find a winner as Carlos Vinicius headed home after Kepa Arrizabalaga had misjudged the flight of a cross. It was a poor goal to concede.
There were many different reactions across the pitch. Mason Mount covered his face with his hands. Jorginho threw his arms into the air. And Kai Havertz ended up punching the ball in fury before he composed himself for the restart.
"I think the goal itself is a frustrating one from our perspective because I didn’t think they were putting us under too much pressure even though they had an extra man," explained Potter. "So felt like a soft goal to concede and that is something we have to do better with.”
Once the full-time whistle was blown, Chelsea's travelling support let their feelings be known. Anger was the overriding emotion and that grew into a rage when several players opted against applaudings the fans and headed straight down the tunnel.
"I can understand they are frustrated because we’ve lost," said Potter. "That is normal. I made sure I went over and clapped them because you appreciate the support. It’s not easy. We’re suffering and they are suffering. So we feel for them and feel their disappointment. I think it’s important we stick together and try to get through this tough period, because it really is a tough period.”
The concern
Chelsea have almost reached the halfway point of their Premier League campaign – and yet they lie 10th in the table with just 25 points, 10 of which were claimed under Thomas Tuchel before his departure in September. It's little wonder that Potter is coming under increasing pressure.
The 47-year-old is far from the sole reason for Chelsea's current slump. And some will argue – with some justification – that he's not the main one. However, there can be no debate that Potter is not doing enough with the current resources at his disposal.
Injuries have been a problem all season for Chelsea; they are something the club has to get a handle on. Yet they cannot be used as a cover-all excuse for the number of limp performances. That not a single player's form has improved in recent games is also a noteable concern.
"It's really frustrating and incredibly challenging," said Potter. "I feel for the supporters." That may be so, but unless Chelsea step up against Crystal Palace on Sunday and produce a strong display on a day that will honour Gianluca Vialli, the pressure on the head coach is only going to grow.
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