There is a natural feel amongst Chelsea supporters when results begin to turn sour at Stamford Bridge. The Roman Abramovich era had conditioned fans to see the signs of a manager's downfall. A sudden drop in performances, a transfer spat, and some concerning post-match comments.
In speaking with one supporter who travels home and away, we both reflected that losing two of the opening five games this season had shades of the disastrous 2015/16 campaign when Chelsea's title defence went up in smoke within weeks and Jose Mourinho was sacked before Christmas with the Blues hovering above the relegation zone.
As I spat out my coffee on Wednesday morning at news of Thomas Tuchel's dismissal, the latest message from him had switched the comparison to 2007/08, the first time Mourinho was dismissed after a 1-1 draw to Rosenborg in the opening Champions League group game.
