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While Chelsea didn’t completely torpedo their hopes of ending up in the top eight of the Bigger Cup group stage, they performed a targeted blow on their own chances of waltzing straight into the round of 16. Of course, the good news is that in the brief history of the new and not-necessarily-improved competition, securing a top-eight finish may not be as crucial as it seems.

The Core Concern: A Monotonous Inconsistency

Unfortunately for Stamford Bridge regulars, the sole predictable element about Enzo Maresca’s side is a monotonously predictable inconsistency, which has been widely discussed following their defeat in Italy. After seemingly confirming their quality with an commanding victory of Barcelona, followed by a bad-tempered draw with a London rival, Chelsea have been stuffed by a Championship side, played out a dull draw at the south coast club and have now lost against a mid-table side from Serie A.

Although critics have been eager to point the finger on a selection policy that appears to see the coach rotate his team constantly, the manager maintains that, knack and naughty step permitting, the core of his first eleven for big matches is largely set in stone.

“I think in that game, first XI, we had inside the pitch the majority of the team that play against Tottenham, they played against Barca, they play against Wolves, Arsenal,” he droned. “There were eight, nine players that are the ones playing every time for matches of this magnitude. So if you look at the five changes that we did from the previous game, it’s different.”

What Comes Next

For a genuine opportunity of avoiding the additional knockout round, Chelsea will have to win their final two group games. First up, they host the unexpected contenders Pafos, before heading back to the continent to face the Italian title holders, the Neapolitan side.

“Victories in both are required, otherwise, we try to play the extra round and then progress to the following stage,” sniffed the Italian coach, whose next appointment is a match against an Everton team whose current form has propelled them to the surprising position of seventh in the Premier League.

Other Notes

Quote of the Day: “You know, it’s actually funny because his greatest wish was me turning pro in golf. That was his ultimate ambition. So when I was 10, he pushed me to start on golf. So I played golf every week from when I was 10 to 13” – a star striker revealed how, had his dad got his way, he could have been teeing off rather than scoring goals in the Premier League.

Readers' Letters

“Well, no wonder Wolverhampton Wanderers are in such a sad state. As any regular reader of this email will know, the only good pre-match protests involve walking from a public house that the supporters planned to be at anyway, to the stadium that they were inevitably going to. Just arriving 10 minutes late? That’s how long it takes fans to get to their seats anyway” – a correspondent.

“I note that a reader not only got the previous letter o’ the day, but also a name check in a separate letter. On a night where both clubs from Sheffield again surrendered points after leading, I am led to ponder: could the city be proving that the regularity of appearances in your mailbag is inversely proportional to the success of anything our teams are accomplishing on the field?” – another fan.