Todd Boehly's reaction after the game against Everton showed it all. Candid frustration after he saw his team once more fail to win. Walking down the steet outside Stamford Bridge following the 2-2 draw he let his mask as happy-go-lucky owner slip.
"S*** f****** game!" he said to a fan passing him. Perhaps refreshing to see such honesty and transparency, perhaps a warning that things aren't all well at Chelsea - no surprise there. Boehly is a man that hasn't had things go the way he would have liked. There should be little shock with this though.
What he inherited was not a club at the peak of English football, despite becoming the chair of the reigning world and European champions. Chelsea's model, structure and recent decision making was not one of a club in prime position to swiftly takeover the modern game.
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It is well documented how shocked the new owners were at the state of the club they entered. Untapped potential is what they saw but the amount of work needed to restock the shelves wasn't and hasn't been immediately transparent. For a club consistently in the top four since 2017 - only missing out once since then - Chelsea look to be in good enough shape.
When it comes to the streamlined, efficient and meticulous plans of American businessmen, the image changes. Chelsea were underprepared, understaffed in key roles and frankly prehistoric in their approach. No director of football operations had properly replaced Michael Emenalo.
The entirety of Liverpool and Manchester City had been geared towards running the club in one direction. Chelsea's direction of travel changed with the wind. The results that came with consistent instability ran out and the levels dropped. From title challenges it was struggles to get into the top four and now it's tough to even call this season that.
Perhaps 2022/23 will be the year dot moment for Boehly and Co. Changes have been made throughout and more are set to come about too but results on the pitch are where the line is drawn for fans and that will ultimately be what he is judged on, much like Graham Potter.
Now there is a two-week window for the owner to take a step back and get moving without the rigours of competitive football to monitor, here's what he should be up to over the international break.
LA Dodgers focus
For Boehly, the next five or so months will take more of a split approach. From March 30 there will be league football and Major League Baseball to contend with as his other sports plaything, LA Dodgers, get their season underway.
The MLB season runs throughout the summer and doesn't have a massive overlap with the English football season, which could be a boost for the owner as he looks to have success across the globe in multiple facets. What Chelsea fans may well see here is how Boehly wants things to function when everything clicks.
The plan is for the best people to be in position at the club, allowing the owners to take a step back and watch the model run itself, effectively. Over a decade this is how the Dodgers put themselves back on the map. With games, home runs and fans flocking back to grounds in America, Boehly's balancing act begins here.
By the time Chelsea play again his USA franchise will have already kicked off the new campaign. Play ball.
Graham Potter decisions
Unlike at Tottenham, where it is largely expected that Antonio Conte won't be manager for much longer, therefore taking up most of the attention during the international break, Chelsea have settled somewhat. The Everton result did dampen the positivity after a run of three wins in a row but pressure on Potter has eased.
The season now comes down to how far the club go in the Champions League and Potter's progress in that competition may well define how he heads into the summer. Despite the availability of Julian Nagelsmann on the managerial market it doesn't seem like the Blues will have a new face in the dugout, at least not until the end of the season anyway.
Boehly will be forming contingency plans for the worst-case scenario but the loyalties towards Potter are very much nailed to the post and there for all to see. Although no major change is expected over the break, further talks and plans moving forward for Potter will be needed during the time away.
Transfer planning
With little to distract Chelsea until the end of the season they are in position to do something that Roman Abramovich and Boehly collectively couldn't last year. Between March and May the club's recruitment process was effectively stunted, paralysed and put on hold.
The sanctions imposed by the UK government on former owner Roman Abramovich and the subsequent restrictions that meant for Chelsea made preliminary talks all but void and any discussions over player sales and incomings were in vein due to the uncertainty.
It meant that any chance of getting a headstart over competitors in the market vanished. Chelsea also lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free, whereby they may have had more scope to re-sign had talks been possible.
This year there is no such barrier. Chelsea are and have been free to get going from the start and make light work of it in January. Now they have the chance to form fresh transfer plans and start sounding out targets - though it is likely this has already been happening anyway.
Making the most of this could be a gamechanger.
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