A competitive ball has not even been kicked yet this season, and the stakes already feel increased before Chelsea's final pre-season game against Udinese on Friday evening.
That has mostly been fulled by the shambolic display against Arsenal in Orlando. The confrontational mood of Thomas Tuchel has sparked unwanted comparisons to an irritable Jose Mourinho preceding that disastrous 2015/16 season.
With only four warm-up games on the schedule and another intense campaign afoot that includes a World Cup, the fear amongst supporters is that the Blues are not ready. Even if Friday's game might bring some much-needed encouragement, it is hard to think it can resolve all the wounds picked up on the tour of America.
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There are several chinks for Tuchel to fix before kick-off at Goodison Park in 11 days.
The experiment with 4-4-2 went horrendously wrong against Premier League opposition in Orlando. However, the overall energy and focus within the performance felt like a more telling issue that goes beyond whatever shape the German opts for.
Raheem Sterling has now gained around 90 minutes of action this summer, the second half against Charlotte and the first against Arsenal. The hope will be for an increase against Udinese, so the star arrival can start to form a bond with whoever will be joining him.
So far, it appears Mason Mount and Kai Havertz will be the two, though both Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi could still impress if given a chance from the off in Italy.
The early concern over Sterling's innate connection to his fellow attackers, albeit with little game time, feels like a regular occurrence under Tuchel, something that cannot be pinned solely on the shoulders of Romelu Lukaku this season.
The lack of inspiration against Arsenal raised alarm bells over Tuchel's continued attacking shortcomings, particularly when you contrast that with Arsenal and Gabriel Jesus' immediate impact despite only signing last month.
Moving further back in Tuchel's team and the long-term positioning of Reece James again has been put into question with reemerging links to Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries.
There are again suggestions that James, should a more natural wing-back be acquired, would move into a right-centre back role as we have seen before. But this in itself sparks frustration given the player's obvious creative talent and threat.
Why would Tuchel actively restrain a player who provided more Premier League goals than Timo Werner last season and created 10 in all competitions?
In an attack that has naturally lacked creativity and consistent output, James has stood out alongside his fellow academy graduate Mount.
Both should be seen as attacking threats, and against Udinese, it should be made clear that James will be mostly deployed as a wing-back or fullback no matter who Chelsea could sign before deadline day.
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