There is a natural feel amongst Chelsea supporters when results begin to turn sour at Stamford Bridge. The Roman Abramovich era had conditioned fans to see the signs of a manager's downfall. A sudden drop in performances, a transfer spat, and some concerning post-match comments.
In speaking with one supporter who travels home and away, we both reflected that losing two of the opening five games this season had shades of the disastrous 2015/16 campaign when Chelsea's title defence went up in smoke within weeks and Jose Mourinho was sacked before Christmas with the Blues hovering above the relegation zone.
As I spat out my coffee on Wednesday morning at news of Thomas Tuchel's dismissal, the latest message from him had switched the comparison to 2007/08, the first time Mourinho was dismissed after a 1-1 draw to Rosenborg in the opening Champions League group game.
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For Tuchel, it was a defeat to Zagreb. The shock is palpable amongst Chelsea fans and the football world. Particularly when you factor in the serious backing the German received from the new ownership in the transfer window, over £250m invested on players he specifically signed off on. Most chaotically this comes under 24 hours after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's debut for the club, the most Tuchel of the 'Tuchel signings'.
The last time this happened, the aftermath of Frank Lampard's dismissal was quickly surpassed by the arrival of Tuchel, already lined up to take training the following day. Names are already being touted, but that feels like an issue for another day (or hour given how fast Chelsea life moves).
Where do you start to pick up the pieces of this? How do we reflect on Tuchel? Ironically dismissed after his 100th game in charge, which adds a neat number to an inevitably incomplete story.
My first instinct is to think back to Tuchel's first press conference. As someone who had been bruised by his predecessor's dismissal for very obvious sentimental reasons, the way he handled that occasion was remarkable. With humility and charm, Tuchel welcomed those who loved the club into his approach. He made self-deprecating jokes, he laid down bold ambitions of making Chelsea "a team nobody wants to play against".
His comments about Lampard were sensitive and filled with empathy, he said what Chelsea fans needed to hear on that day, and for that, Tuchel set the tone for his opening year at Stamford Bridge.
Even a month after taking the role, he was joking about getting the sack. "If they sack me, they sack me" he told BT Sport with a cheeky grin across his face. This honesty was what made the connection to Tuchel so easy for supporters.
Tuchel has the language to speak to those who love Chelsea, something a few of his predecessors failed to do.
The Champions League win can never be undone, nor can this dismissal overrule the historic achievement and memories he will forever be connected to. Beating coaching powerhouses and top European clubs within a matter of months to propel Chelsea back to a stage that seemed so far away.
Before Tuchel arrived, Chelsea had not won a Champions League knockout game for seven years, they had not reached a final since the triumph in 2012. He did that, along with winning at both Anfield and the Etihad in under four months.
His tactical acumen to reconfigure a fractured, disorganised-looking squad into one that became the best in Europe, rivals Antonio Conte's transformation in 2016/17. He turned highly doubted players into ones who, even if for a short period, replicated the achievement of 2012, which in itself is a remarkable feat.
There were hopes that a glorious night in Porto would propel Tuchel and Chelsea back to the heights of the domestic game, but sadly it did not.
There will be many moments you could pick out to question Tuchel. His sudden exclusion of Tammy Abraham, the purchase and then complete failure of Romelu Lukaku. His inability to ever make an expensively assembled attack click. His reliance on experience over youth, when the performances of some of those experienced players did not justify such trust.
Tuchel's best moments all seemed to come outside the Premier League, which felt symbolic for the final years of the Roman Abramovich era. He was the perfect cup coach in an era when Chelsea's biggest highs came in the cup competitions. In one-off encounters, Chelsea probably could not have picked a shrewder tactician. His ability to get to the finals of the FA Cup (twice), Champions League, Club World Cup, Super Cup and Carabao Cup justified the reputation he came to Chelsea with.
I was most struck by a comment Tuchel made preceding his 100th, and now final, in charge. "100 is nice. I hope there will be another 100 and another 100 coming but I have to earn my way through it, so I am very proud, very happy to have a 100. The wish is clear. I want a win and nothing else."
The final line reflected the Abramovich mentality. Although Todd Boehly and Clearlake's instant investment reflects similar, as does their brutal dismissal of Tuchel, the "and nothing else" is maybe where things went awry for Tuchel when not aligning with what new owners wanted to implement.
The football had become an unenjoyable spectacle, most symbolised in Zagreb. There was a predictability about Chelsea's fate in Zagreb once Mislav Orsic steamed clear of a disorganised defence, bursting through and subtly dinking the ball around Kepa Arrizabalaga.
It was quite poetic watching the ball slowly bounce towards goal and across the line, with Wesley Fofana desperately trying to get back, only to realise the moment had already gone. It felt symbolic of Chelsea's clumsy and troubling start to this season. They have been a step behind, a moment too late.
In some ways that reflects the fine margins of elite football. The poor VAR decisions against Spurs that if given, would have seen Tuchel gain a morale-boosting win. But even after the energy gained from beating Leicester with 10 men, and coming back against West Ham, the following midweek games failed to build on them, with the defeats to Southampton and Zagreb both indicating something had gone awry.
Watching Chelsea this season has felt like struggling through a video with the audio out of sync. This is probably why Tuchel came to the conclusion after Tuesday night that "everything is missing” from his Chelsea side. He is not far wrong. If you were to get 10 Chelsea fans into a room and asked them what has been the big issue so far, few would probably give you a universal response. From the goalkeeper to the striker, from the formation to the data, every game has sprung up new concerns.
"I’m a bit surprised by this performance today." Tuchel admitted. "Obviously, I was in the wrong movie as I did not see that coming." He probably did not see the ending of his Chelsea movie coming the following morning like a scene from Goodfellas, rather than the Throne Room at the end of A New Hope.
For all you can criticise Tuchel's decisions or tactics, he was one of many recent Chelsea head coaches who ran into the cultural problems of the previous regime. A jumbled squad of differing profiles who had been built by Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Lampard. The lack of alignment or seemingly care beyond the next six months came to a head last season. For instance, it is hard to escape the irony that midfield became such a problem area for Tuchel, given for Lampard, the balance in that area was also something he could never rectify.
He also had to navigate choppy waters no person in his role had faced before. The European Super League debacle sparked mass protests outside of the Bridge, an awkward role for any incumbent coach to react to when the ire of those supporters were aimed at the people who employed him.
Then the sanctions earlier this year led to questions about war and geopolitics that he handled with dignity. For those uncertain months, he became the spokesperson for the football club, and fans clung to his every word.
A clip shared around social media back in March best epitomised that special bond. Chelsea had just beaten Lille away from home in the Champions League. Up in the gods of the Stade Pierre Mauroy, the travelling supporters were held back.
Tuchel had done his media duties and was walking back to the tunnel, but he could not ignore the unrelenting chant echoing around the mostly empty arena.
"We've got Super Thomas Tuchel, he knows exactly what we need."
He stopped, turned and let out a burst of emotion. Pumping the air with his fists repeatedly, gaining an even louder cheer from the boisterous support looking down on him.
It is those moments that today will be difficult for some to swallow knowing the journey is over. At points, it did feel like Tuchel was the guy to rally around, the one who not only had the tactical acumen to thrive on the biggest stage but the tools to speak to those who love the club.
But his inability to show much progression in the Premier League when he wasn't faced with superior opposition became an increasing concern. The lack of attacking expression and risk in games Chelsea were expected to win became a consistent theme, not at all aided by players' own poor performances.
Dismissing Tuchel has massive ramifications, particularly based on the supposed trust of the German since the summer takeover, and allowing him this much input over the club's recruitment. The signing of Aubameyang and the sale of Billy Gilmour on deadline day feels like the most obvious point here. A lot of supporters, once they pick their jaws off the floor, will ponder what comes next. And also naturally, question if their new owners are showing a lack of experience very early on, allowing one of Europe's most talented coaches to walk out the door.
Tuchel felt like the guy to break the mould of Chelsea head coaches for a while, but in the end, he was very much an Abramovich prototype, a coach for the here and now, something the club's new hierarchy is reportedly looking to move away from.
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