Nobody who has watched Champions League football, or Chelsea for that matter, thought it was going to be straightforward. Nobody expected that, though, did they?
Some Chelsea supporters may have – and in that case, hats off to you. Even when the Blues went a goal down in Croatia, a comeback would not have been an ultimate surprise.
But because of Chelsea's recent form on the road – three away defeats on the bounce – nobody can really be that surprised. That's the damning thing.
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When Thomas Tuchel faced the BT Sport cameras after the game, he was a dejected figure. He didn't seem particularly angry, he just seemed really upset. He wasn't too shocked.
"It's too much to analyse. I'm a part of it," the Chelsea head coach said. "We're not where we need to be and where we can be. It's on me and on us and at the moment everything is missing."
Chelsea looked bright in the opening 10 minutes or so. The new-look front trio of Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked as if it had some potential.
Aubameyang, who was playing with a protective mask because of the broken jaw he recently suffered, got into some decent positions, threatening the Zagreb defence. However, when Mislav Orsic smartly wrapped up a quick Zagreb counter-attack, things started to become stale for Chelsea.
Their somewhat dangerous attack became blunt. It's not the first time this has happened this season – and by last night's evidence, it won't be the last. Chelsea came out in the second-half with four at the back. Tuchel had seen enough and the majority of Blues supporters on social media had seen their wish granted.
Cesar Azpilicueta, who was poor in the first-half, made way for Hakim Ziyech. Chelsea went to what looked like a 4-4-2 with Havertz and Aubameyang up front. This was the case for about 25 minutes – and it wasn't great, but there were signs it could work.
Chelsea did not play the game out like this, however, and Tuchel swiftly changed back to a three-man defence on 70 minutes. Marc Cucurella came on for Ben Chilwell and the former went to left centre-back, with Ziyech moving to left wing-back. It was a decision that looked to bewilder the Moroccan.
Ziyech did not impress out there. He wasn't having his best game out on the right wing, in truth, but there were glimpses of what he could produce on his left foot.
It was the third time – that I can recall, anyway – that Tuchel changed formation in the game. Chelsea, if they were to get any momentum, were deprived of doing so. The match finished with so many players not in their actual positions.
Football is a very complex sport. Nobody has perfected it. It's impossible to do so. And despite what some angry Chelsea fans might think right now, Tuchel is one of the very best in the business. He has proved as much.
However, he didn't get it right on Tuesday evening. He was the first to admit that after the game. The criticism is warranted right now, but he will be demanding a strong response for when his side take on Fulham on Saturday.
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