Before Graham Potter took over at Chelsea the last time they had gone unbeaten in four matches was March. The last time they won three in a row was March. The last time they did that in successive league games was March. The last time they kept back-to-back clean sheets was February. The last time they did that at home was October 2021.
That demonstrates the struggles, the inconsistencies and the toil that Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea had been through in 2021. Crowned World Champions in December, top of the league in November but the season had fizzled out by April and watching matches had become a chore.
The circumstances behind that are plentiful. It's too simple to say it was all because of the disruption of Romelu Lukaku's interview or a re-emegence of Covid-19 impacting matches. The winter schedule was tough and didn't treat the squad nicely.
