Another day, another game and another goalless disappointment for Chelsea, who failed to shake off the ghosts of Graham Potter in their 0-0 draw at home to Liverpool on Tuesday. That's now 420 minutes of consecutive football between the two sides without a goal being scored legally.
Other than Potter being a thoroughly nice person without grudges, he may well have allowed himself a rye smile watching this from his home by the sea. Chelsea played more like a Potter team than they ever did under him, for the better and the worse.
They were slick in possession, moving the ball nicely in-between a Liverpool team not too sure of itself. They, on the whole, defended well enough to stop a back-up front line from Jurgen Klopp that was lacking spark rather than toothless, but then they forgot to do the scoring bit.
Having missed 35 shots across the last two games under Potter without scoring, a similar theme continued with Mateo Kovacic (twice) and Kai Havertz (more than twice) missing major chances to give the Blues a deserved lead.
As it happens the game finished goalless because, well, of course it did. The table doesn't look too much different. Bruno Saltor's temporary squad are still in the bottom half an miles off a Champions League spot. They've got one week to find their shooting boots against Real Madrid. Here's how the fixture list stacks up compared to their rivals.
Wolves (A) – Premier League – April 8
Chelsea won't want to waste their goals so perhaps not scoring against Wolves would be better than using them up and going dry ahead of Madrid? The Blues have one game left to prepare for the first of two games that decide just how long fans will be interested in their season - if any still are anyway.
Wolves are fighting for much more than Chelsea and will pose a stubborn test on Saturday. Julen Lopetegui's men are moving away from the relegation battle, just, but could end the weekend in the bottom three. The stakes are higher for the home side here.
The reverse fixture accounted for 14% of Potter's league wins in charge at the club, 25% of home league wins, 14% of league goals and 30% of total home league goals.
Real Madrid (A) – Champions League – April 12
This is Chelsea's season. They may well have a new manager in place for it too with noises from the club suggesting that having an elite coach in place is their goal but with an exhaustive process still to be taken, that timeframe may well be pushed.
If not, Bruno has the small task of managing an away tie against the European Cup holders, coming toe-to-toe with one of the best managers in the world. For context, Carlo Ancelotti has won four times as many Champions League trophies as manager as Bruno has taken charge of games.
Brighton (H) – Premier League – April 15
It was the reverse of this game, a 4-1 loss by the coast, that started the decline of Potter at SW6. Nine games unbeaten by that stage but Roberto De Zerbi's rocket fuelled and fired up Seagulls tore Chelsea apart.
Potter, nor the players, every properly recovered. Brighton are now challenging where Chelsea want to be. On the plus side it gives Todd Boehly a chance to have a meal with De Zerbi and we all know how that usually ends...
Real Madrid (H) – Champions League – April 18
If the away tie isn't the be all and end all of Chelsea's season then this certainly is. The last match in the Champions League for years to come or the next step in a magical journey?
The chances of having a new coach in place for this are more likely than for the first leg but if Bruno can mastermind his way through, why change? These are all hypotheticals of course, Chelsea will need Stamford Bridge to be on form here.
The big boost is that N'Golo Kante returned to action against Liverpool and there's a chance of bedding Thiago Silva back with a view to going all guns blazing here.
Liverpool next four fixtures:
Arsenal (H) - April 9
Leeds (A) - April 17
Nottingham Forest (H) - April 22
West Ham (A) - April 26
Manchester United next four fixtures:
Brentford (H) - April 5
Everton (H) - April 8
Sevilla (H) - Europa League - April 13
Nottingham Forest (A) - April 16
Tottenham next four fixtures:
Brighton (H) - April 8
Bournemouth (H) - April 15
Newcastle (A) - April 23
Manchester United (H) - April 27
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