The message from the owners has been the same ever since Graham Potter took charge in September: this is very much a long-term project. Yes, that's great, but did Todd Boehly ever envisage things getting this bad?
Back-to-back games against the superb Manchester City is far from ideal for any club but it couldn't have come at a worse time for Potter and the Blues with six defeats from Chelsea's last nine games in all competitions. In fairness, Chelsea were at least competitive against City on Thursday (that is, rather unfortunately, where the standards are right now).
But on Sunday, it was so easy for the champions – and, let's be honest, they could have gone up another two gears at least. It could have been any score City wanted to.
READ MORE: Chelsea sacking Graham Potter solves nothing as Todd Boehly faces new Thomas Tuchel challenge
Pep Guardiola's side turned the second-half into a training session, just keeping the ball with ease to see the clock down. Chelsea were essentially in damage limitation mode at that point so it suited both teams at the Etihad Stadium.
Potter's post-match press conference was a strange atmosphere. Prior to the game, he spoke about how having to keep his cool and stay professional in press conferences despite sometimes facing "stupid" questions. Well, Potter will have known coming into the press conference room in Manchester that he was about to face even more questions he didn't necessarily like, but those regarding his future were inevitable.
"Well, the results in terms of the Premier League matches, I think we’ve lost four matches," Potter replied when asked how much time he needs to turn Chelsea's form around. "Newcastle away before the World Cup when we had nine players out, we lost 1-0 to Arsenal, we lost on a bad day at Brighton, and I think we lost to Man City. Those are the teams we've lost to and we’ve drawn against Manchester United and Brentford so the results in a small space of time aren’t positive.
"Like I've said, you can make excuses and look for reasons or you can say it's not good enough. Both of those answers are correct so we have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we're suffering as a football club and it's not nice at all. That's where we are at the moment."
He couldn't give a definitive answer on how long it would take before Chelsea supporters will be encouraged again, but it's an impossible question, really. Chelsea are not known for giving managers time, but this is a new-look club with different people making those difficult decisions.
Supporters have been told since day one of Boehly's ownership that it would be completely different to the cut-throat nature of Roman Abramovich's tenure. Many were on board with that at the time, yet on Sunday we heard numerous chants of Abramovich's name coming from the 7,000 Chelsea supporters in the away end.
There is a toxicity within the Chelsea fan base at the moment. In a way, it's understandable. The Blues have not played the football supporters have wanted for quite some time now. You'd have to go back to the end of the 2020/21 season when Thomas Tuchel took charge and of course led Chelsea to that famous Champions League victory in Porto.
After that, though, even under Tuchel – whose name was also being chanted by Chelsea fans in the second half of the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City – the side were not playing great football and results were far from perfect. A big 2022 summer transfer window, where Boehly was the interim sporting director, rather controversially, pointed towards the new owners backing Tuchel for the long haul, but he was incredibly sacked just a week after the window closed.
Boehly and co. came to the conclusion that the German did not fit their profile for their long-term vision at Stamford Bridge and Potter was appointed shortly after. Many disagreed with that decision at the time – and clearly still do – and this is the ultimate reason of the overriding feeling within the fan base right now.
Potter started well but these past nine games, where Chelsea have been beaten six times, have been poor. Inevitably, as happens with any football manager nowadays, the pressure is on Potter - although that's not believed to be the case from the owners.
However, fans are clearly on Potter's back. The former Brighton head coach would have known when coming into the job that whoever took the position needed to be tough because it can be a psychologically draining role at the best of times.
As mentioned, the message from the club has remained the same in his four months in charge: he will be backed almost irregardless of what happens this season. It's a long-term project and there will not be any reactionary decisions made.
But Boehly would never have imagined things getting this bad. After spending almost £300million in the summer transfer window, for the club to be out of both domestic cups and being 10th in the Premier League table – it's unacceptable.
This is by no means to say Chelsea must sack Potter. They should back their head-coach; at least for the remainder of the season. But something drastically needs to change.
It seems obvious to supporters of Chelsea that the centre of midfield is in desperate need of improvement. Sunday was the perfect example of why that is the case.
Chelsea's midfield trio of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher were unable to cope with Man City’s relentless pressure. All three of them would have come into the game knowing exactly what Guardiola would have told his players to do out of possession, but there seemed to be no plan. If there was, it was executed terribly.
Whether it's Enzo Fernandez or someone else, Chelsea desperately need to address the midfield situation this month. January, of course, is notoriously more difficult to strike deals with players the club are interested in but these are desperate times for Chelsea and Potter.
Despite the positive messages of support the board are offering Potter, the Chelsea head coach will be aware that football is ultimately a results-based business. Boehly and his new-look recruitment team need a big month, a huge month in fact, for Potter to salvage anything from this season and his career at the club.
READ NEXT:
Graham Potter drops triple Chelsea selection hint for Fulham clash in heavy Manchester City defeat
Why Cesar Azpilicueta was furious in Chelsea FA Cup loss as Graham Potter makes stance clear
Mauricio Pochettino tipped to become next Chelsea manager with Graham Potter under pressure
Pep Guardiola tells Todd Boehly what Chelsea must do with Graham Potter after heavy defeat
