There was something very worrying about this latest Chelsea setback. It was not just the fact that they extended a miserable run to just one win in their last seven Premier League matches and recorded a fourth straight game without victory.
Not even the nature of a 1-1 draw at Brighton, which was so devoid of energy or imagination. Rather, it was the reaction of Thomas Tuchel, who cut the figure of a beaten man, left to count the cost of yet more dropped points as what started as a mid-season slumps now veers towards a crisis.
The German’s sense of humour and disarmingly honest approach to the job has been a refreshing addition to English football in just short of a year in charge at Stamford Bridge. But here he was, withdrawn, introverted and reluctant to engage.
Adam Webster’s powerful second-half header that cancelled out Hakim Ziyech’s strike before the break felt like a body blow too far for Tuchel.
He could offer little by way of explanation for the result, beyond the rhetoric of the past month or so. The schedule is too much. Too much in the face of Covid. Too much in the absence of key players Ben Chilwell and Reece James. It is all just too much. Of course, Tuchel has a point.
It has been an exhausting period for the European champions with fresh challenges around every corner – be it Covid infections or debilitating injuries.
The problem for Tuchel is that, rather than offering solutions, he is reiterating the problems. And that should be the biggest concern for Chelsea at a time when their season is in danger of going into free fall.
With their title challenge in tatters and a top-four finish no longer the guarantee it once looked, their manager seems fresh out of inspiration. And if his post-match press conference at the Amex Stadium last night was anything like his interaction with his players, then it does not bode well for his chances of inspiring a turnaround in their form.
It was as downbeat as Tuchel has looked at any time in the job and far from the impression he should be giving off ahead of Sunday’s now crucial clash with Tottenham.
What would Chelsea’s hierarchy – Roman Abramovich and Marina Granovskaia – make of his body language and listless response to reasonable questions last night about where his team go from here?
Likewise, his delayed reaction during the match was just odd – waiting until 80 minutes to make a triple substitution in a desperate bid to turn the tide.
Why did he wait so long, particularly after claiming afterwards that his players are suffering exhaustion as a result of a schedule that has seen them play seven games in 16 days already this year?
For a manager who has been so decisive with his in-game changes, he left it too late, despite Brighton being the better team throughout.
No matter how justified Tuchel’s complaints, he will get little sympathy, particularly when he has the luxury of throwing on £156million worth of substitutes in Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mateo Kovacic, albeit to little effect.
His concerns are not without merit – but there is little sign of let up, so he needs answers. Chelsea are still competing on all fronts, including a trip to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup next month.
Covid is likely to continue to disrupt football and Chilwell will not return before next season, while James’ hamstring injury needs time heal. These are facts and it is up to Tuchel to find a way to cope with such obstacles.
That has been one of his strengths since taking over from Frank Lampard last January - his practical approach to problem-solving. In recent weeks, he has looked like he has run out of solutions, while last night he could barely muster the energy to offer an explanation.
“I’ve answered this question a hundred times,” he said. “If you look at our situation of long-term injuries, of key players injured, of Covid, and our schedule, you will have the answer.”
They were hardly the words to inspire players who look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. And hardly the words to convince those above that Tuchel can turn the season around.
His statistics are worryingly similar to Lampard’s in the former manager’s final weeks in the job. Three wins in Chelsea’s last 11 league games is alarming. Lampard managed two from his last eight before he was sacked.
It still feels premature to talk about Tuchel in such terms, but he must arrest their current slump and do it quickly. The man who, at one time, could no wrong, is suddenly struggling to get much right.
