Thomas Tuchel has twice opted to utilise a three-man midfield in a big game for Chelsea. On each occasion the midfield trio of N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have been unable to exert the control they needed in the game, put under pressure by an effective press from the opposition.
Against Manchester City in September and Lille on Wednesday evening the Blues had their struggles, and while the Premier League champions may have more quality than their French counterparts - Chelsea were as limited in the opening 45 minutes in France.
The key difference however, was the Blues had once real chance and one goal. Christian Pulisic showed a striker's instinct to slot the ball past Leo Jardim from Jorginho's intricate pass. Tuchel has needed some individual moments of brilliance to overcome tough performances this season, but this felt calculated.
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While the Champions League last-16 second leg did show the Blues having some issues connecting midfield and defence, Pulisic's goal was indicative of a group of forward playings starting to find their feet in the season.
"We know they’re a good team and coming here is never easy," Pulisic said following the game, "In the first half they were strong and there was a good atmosphere in the stadium. They put a lot of pressure on us right away.
"They gave us a lot of trouble and then with the handball penalty they were back in the game. We made a few changes and were able to calm the game down a bit with some possession but the goal we scored before half-time was really important because it restored confidence."
While the goal no doubt restored the confidence of the Blues going into the break, it will also only add to Pulisic's own.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger has netted six times this season to reach his ninth goal involvement, just one behind his tally record in 2020/21. Crucially, Pulisic has recorded four goals in 2022 having found more time in the final third.
The American is not the only one to have seen their return improve since the turn of the year. Much has been written about the devepment of Kai Havertz as a striker, and the German international has scored seven of his 11 goals since the turn of the year.
Hakim Ziyech has also thrived, taking full advantage of not attending AFCON. Four of Ziyech's seven strikes have come in 2022, as the Moroccan managed to create, when much of his team could not, to earn points against Brighton, Tottenham and Crystal Palace.
Mason Mount has not seen the same weighting but has been consistent throughout Chelsea's struggles to connect in advanced positions under Tuchel and before the 48-year-old's tenure. The England international has started to show a return to form after struggling to impact the scoresheet in the early months of the year. Mount only has fewer goals and assists combined than Mo Salah, Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen this season.
That leaves Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku in a difficult position. Each forward was signed for a hefty fee to solve the Blues issues in front of goal. Outside of the FA Cup, the duo are struggling to make their way into Tuchel's XI at the moment.
Werner has scored against Chesterfield and Luton in the FA Cup but barely played a minute in between, and his start against Newcastle will have done little to persuade the Blues boss he should not pick another forward option.
Lukaku showed signs of finding some fluency with his goals in the Club World Cup but saw his stock fall after his struggles against Crystal Palace, while Kai Havertz being entrusted to lead the line appears to be having a positive impact on the players around him.
Even as Chesea led the league in the early parts of the season it never felt like they were fluent going forwards, and required moments of magic to earn their results. More players are beginning to find those moments more regularly and maybe Tuchel is starting to discover how to unlock his riches, even if the Blues are not quite in the position of thrashing the opposition just yet.
