Chelsea: Four reasons loss to Bayern was as predictable as it was necessary

4. Necessary defeat

It might sting all week or leave a sour taste in your mouth, but this defeat was necessary for the club, its manager, players and fans.

The club will understand that under all the academy-love, there is a clear gulf in the class and quality of this squad. They need planned, high quality reinforcements. The signing of Hakim Ziyech shows that the club is moving in the right direction and this result will push the club to continue to do so.

Frank Lampard will learn from the risks that playing three at back brings, particularly the huge gaps created between the centre backs when the wingbacks push forward. For a young manager taking charge in his first Champions League campaign, managing two legs will be a vital experience for the future, when he hopefully has a squad capable of matching his style.

Young players like Mason Mount and Reece James will take the shortcomings in their performances against the best in the world, and come back stronger. Mount will understand how to attack opponents who possess more pace than he and James will understand how damaging neglecting his defensive duties for offensive glory can be to the team.

And the fans will hopefully learn to find the right balance between being optimistic for games and keeping in tune with reality. Their team lost to one of the best clubs in the world, not a midtable club in the Premier League. It is unrealistic to expect your club to win every game, regardless of the circumstances and opposition; and it’s ridiculous to be surprised and enraged about it afterwards.

Every defeat has the opportunity for learning, and learning is necessary to become victorious the next time around.