In the space of a few months, Chelsea have gone from completely destroying the Champions League holders in the final of the Club World Cup to barely hanging on for a win against Lincoln City. How did we get here? Well, it was a combination of injuries, a downturn in form and the refusal to make any tweaks to their transfer policy.
This summer was the perfect opportunity for the club to take the next step. Imagine adding players like Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc Guehi, and more proven players to that Club World Cup-winning side. Instead, the Blues have stuck to signing raw talents and as a result, it looks like the squad has remained stuck in one place while other teams have moved forward.
In fact, the injuries to key players like Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap mean that they have gotten worse since that Club World Cup final. And the answers do not seem to be present internally.
Robert Sanchez saw a red card against Manchester United and was not available against Lincoln City. Filip Jorgensen got his chance and instead of taking it with both hands, he let it slip through his fingers and spectacularly so. The goalkeeper put in an incredibly shaky display against League One opposition and it is clear why he has never even been able to push the error-prone Spaniard ahead of him in the pecking order.
Chelsea player slammed for performance against Lincoln City
It would be an understatement to say that Chelsea fans were not happy with Jorgensen's display. One wrote: "Jorgensen is ALL OVER THE PLACE from crosses and set pieces. Dropping balls, hesitating, the lot."
Then there are those who feel that he might be the worst ever in a Chelsea goal: "Kepa, Sanchez, Turnbull, Hilario but my word this Jorgensen fella, he might be the worst ever."
On the night, Jorgensen looked completely clueless when it came to aerial balls. And if Lincoln City had made the most of their chances, they might have scored more than just once.
Of course, the defensive issues were not just down to Jorgensen. The likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato and Malo Gusto were nowhere near the mark either. It is remarkable that this is the backline that Chelsea have decided to go into their Champions League season with. A lot of people rolled their eyes at the suggestion that the Blues would not make it out of the first round. But from what we have seen so far, he might have had a point.