Thomas Tuchel's decision to bench Romelu Lukaku and start Kai Havertz in his place in Chelsea's Champions League clash vs Lille was perhaps vindicated in the first half.
The Blues came into this first leg at Stamford Bridge on the back of a fortuitous 1-0 victory away to Crystal Palace at the weekend with the main talking point being Lukaku's mere seven touches over the 90 minutes.
His ineffectiveness in that contest cost him his position in Tuesday night's starting eleven as the German decided to opt for Kai Havertz in the false nine position.
"I felt him a little bit tired. He looked a little exhausted and you have to consider that he’s played a lot," Tuchel explained to the Chelsea website when questioned about this specific decision.
He added: "We’ve had extra time [in the Club World Cup final], a lot of travelling recently and it wasn’t easy for him against Palace, this wasn’t his best performance.
"So maybe it will be a little bit easier for him to come on from the bench tonight and turn things around if we need him."
Many pundits alike have already had their say on what they made of Tuchel's decision in this incident but what have the players made of it all?
The simple answer, very little with mostly positive vibes shown on the substitutes' bench from certain members of the Blues squad.
One man who made his feelings well know indirectly with how he reacted to Havertz' early headed goal was Mason Mount, who missed out from starting as he aims for a full recovery ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
That injury concern itself didn't stop the Englishman from roaring and screaming in delight when the German netted early on for the European and World Champions.
This type of mood was the general consensus seen on the bench early on with Lukaku himself even looking delighted for his teammate who once again stepped up when it really mattered, just like he did in the FIFA Club World Cup.
You can follow live coverage of Chelsea vs Lille in the Champions League on football.london's live blog here.
