It is never good to hear boos after a new head coach's first game. As the full-time whistle blew at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, condemning Chelsea to another irritating result, the sounds of chairs being slammed back into place reflected a general apathy that Graham Potter will have to overcome.
Context is critical here. This game comes a full week after a very popular coach had been dismissed, a decision that has still left many reeling, some even despondent. Even if supporters want to give Potter time and connect to his ideas, the scars will take time to heal, as they did for sections following the sacking of Frank Lampard for different reasons.
What Thomas Tuchel benefitted from in January of 2021 was the absence of crowds. His first game did not give the impression of much improvement. A painstakingly dull 0-0 against Wolves on a bitter winter night did little to signal the transformation that was about to transpire. There would be no vocal sign of frustration from the stands, Tuchel was able to get to work. By the time he did meet Chelsea fans in person against Leicester in May, he had gotten the Blues to a Champions League final. They had taken him to their hearts.
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The tension around Stamford Bridge at the current point feels like the build-up of a lot of things. Very few actually aimed at Potter. Even for Chelsea supporters trained in chaos, 2022 has been a pretty draining year of twists and turns.
Sanction and uncertainty over the entire future of the club, the change in ownership, poor home form and another sacking. Potter also got his first introduction to the irritating sense of inevitability that Chelsea will be underwhelming in attack and fragile at the back: Chelsea don't look like winning the Champions League.
Even getting out of the group might prove a test given the bleak reading of Group E after two games, only look if you dare with a double against AC Milan commencing next month.
Potter needs to be clinical and transparent in his decision-making. There were tweaks and alterations to praise. Raheem Sterling looks like a threat in an advanced wingback role and Mason Mount returned to his usual influential form from a deeper midfield spot. However, the selection of Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho did not signal the fresh vision some might have been hoping for.
It is only one game. But in that game, Potter may have come to the quick realisation many Chelsea onlookers have for some time over older heads in the current squad. That knowledge of the club is not enough to translate to reliable output. He is blessed with younger options to resolve that arguable mishap quickly, there are ways to inject new ideas, always aided by younger players who supporters inside the Bridge have shown great support in recent years.
The lack of clinical edge in the final third, balance issues in midfield and tired legs in defence are not new revelations, only ones that Potter's fresh eyes can hopefully offer productive solutions to. The lack of a game until October can be looked at as positive or negative. Tuchel was again blessed with a favourable one to end his first week in charge, beating Burnley 2-0, a burst of joy that was desperately needed.
"It’s the same players, so why should anything change?" was Tuchel's pretty damning assessment in pre-season as cracks began to appear. By the evidence of Wednesday, some might feel the German has been vindicated. It is a sentiment that is probably being shared this morning as some supporters bemoan the exit of Tuchel whilst weighing up the feeling of Dejavu.
After Salzburg, there is nothing Potter can do until next month when he takes his team to Selhurst Park to face a tricky Crystal Palace side. This is not going to be a quick fix, and maybe, just maybe, that is the real dose of medicine that Chelsea have needed to taste for the past five years. Whether that can radically save those helpless chairs in the Matthew Harding Lower though, is an entirely different question.
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