Thomas Tuchel couldn't see the result coming for Chelsea but he did forsee the early season trouble. His negativity and pessimism in pre-season was reason to worry and not even a group of statement signings can change that.
Speaking after the 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb, starting the Champions League group stages with a woeful performance that largely typified the season so far for Chelsea, Tuchel looked like a man with too much going on. His honest answer claiming that "everything" was going wrong was evidence enough.
It wasn't a tongue in cheek comment or one designed to deflect attention away from his players, he did that strongly enough with some scathing indirect quotes which he will hope can draw a response from his side, but was Tuchel's brain working overdrive and being unable to decipher just how tough things are and where he goes from here?
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In essence, he is looking at situation where Chelsea have struggled both offensively and defensively since the turn of the year - with issues stretching further back than that - and late transfer window moves haven't had time to settle, gain match fitness or adapt fully.
On top of that, he is still with players that have either wanted to leave the club in the summer and settled with remaining, or others that would like still to go. Add in an overriding feeling that his attackers still don't posses the flair or creativity needed to be a potent force with a three man defence and there's plenty to sort out.
He has players out of form, ones negotiating contracts, some looking forward to a chance to leave at the nearest possible opportunity and perhaps the on-field keystone to this - if Denis Zakaria is able to anchor his side into a position where playing a four man defence is viable - only joined the club last week and isn't ready to be unleashed.
It bodes that this spell of underwhelming performances and results might not relent too quickly given the avalanche that Tuchel will feel he is dealing with right now. That only exacerbates the situation more given the insatiable desire for immediate success.
It's not uncommon to be juggling complex circumstances but when the results start going against you and things are in a time of unknown, as they are with the new ownership group revamping the boardroom and senior figures at the club, it can be a lonely place for a manager who is tasked with getting the best from his group of players.
It's something that Frank Lampard has admitted he felt at Chelsea in his final weeks, and it's something Tuchel will need to take control of, not becoming overwhelmed with the mountain of things causing issues that is currently in front of him.
Speaking to Jake Humphrey's high performance podcast, the former Blues manager said, "I was striving to solve 100 problems and now as I come away I'm saying 'don't get in that position again, Frank, you've got a trust in yourself in those moments' and probably I felt what was coming.
"I felt the pressure and the thunderbolt defeat. Two thunderbolt defeats is a double thunderbolt, it's not good news at Chelsea and I probably started to second guess that and I think that's just experience in life and this job and I probably experienced it in in a pretty cutthroat manor. It felt harsh at the time but that's what it is."
For Lampard, his spell was a winter crumble as Chelsea slumped down the league table after being top of the league. Tuchel hasn't had the luxury of a positive start to the season which always makes things tougher as there isn't a bed of points to fall on, but as Tuchel's own 100 problems sit in-front of him, the manager needs to focus on what he does best and make that the way to bring his side back.
The German has already said that he is a coach and not someone that likes to, or is qualified to, be searching the transfer market for players. In this sense he now has one less worry to deal with. The window is closed and he knows his players. What comes from that is a feeling that he must repair relationships and solve each individual issue. It sounds like a tail chasing scenario and it is. One problem leads into enough and then another and quickly it can feel out of hand.
The biggest remedy for fostering a good atmosphere is to have a team that wins though. Chelsea's three this season haven't been convincing but in Fulham there is a newly promoted team that offers a chance to find their feet again. The Blues are yet to win back-to-back matches this season and starting that run will be a way for Tuchel to relax and get back to his methods.
If he doesn't do this then, the mountain will only build in front of him.
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