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While Chelsea didn't entirely destroy their chances of ending up in the highest eight places of the Bigger Cup opening phase, they performed a precise, surgical strike on their own chances of waltzing straight into the round of 16. Of course, the silver lining is that in the short one-year history of the recently revamped tournament, achieving a place in the top eight may not be as crucial as it seems.

The Core Concern: A Predictable Inconsistency

Unfortunately for the club's supporters, the only consistent thing about Enzo Maresca’s side is a reliably erratic lack of consistency, which has been much remarked upon following their loss in Italy. Since apparently rubber-stamping their credentials with an impressive beat-down of a European giant, and then a feisty stalemate with a London rival, the team have been stuffed by a Championship side, played out a dull draw at Bournemouth and have now been beaten by a average team from Italy's top flight.

While critics have been eager to point the finger on a team selection approach that seems to see the coach change his lineup constantly, the manager maintains that, knack and naughty step permitting, the nucleus of his first eleven for big matches is largely set in stone.

“I think tonight, starting team, we had inside the pitch eight, nine players that play against Spurs, they play against Barcelona, they play against Wolverhampton, the Gunners,” he droned. “We had most of the regulars that are the ones playing every time for matches of this magnitude. So if you look at the five changes that we did from the Bournemouth game, it’s different.”

The Path Forward

For a genuine opportunity of escaping the additional knockout round, they will have to win their remaining two matches. First up, they welcome this season’s surprise package Pafos, before heading back to the continent to face the Serie A champions, the Neapolitan side.

“Victories in both are required, otherwise, we try to play the playoff and then go to the following stage,” sniffed the Italian coach, whose next appointment is a game against an Merseyside team whose current form has propelled them to the dizzy heights of seventh in the domestic league.

Other Notes

Quote of the Day: “It's interesting, it’s somewhat ironic because his greatest wish was me turning pro in golf. That was his ultimate ambition. So when I was 10, he forced me to start on golf. So I practiced every week from when I was 10 to 13” – a star striker explained how, had his dad got his way, he could have been teeing off rather than tearing it up in the Premier League.

Readers' Letters

“So, no wonder Wolves are in such a sad state. As any regular reader of this column will know, the only good pre-match protests involve walking from a public house that the supporters planned to be at anyway, to the stadium that they were always going to. Just arriving 10 minutes late? That’s how long it takes fans to get to their seats anyway” – one reader.

“I note that a reader not only got Tuesday’s featured letter, but also a name check in a separate letter. On a night where both clubs from Sheffield once more surrendered points after leading, I am led to ponder: could the city be proving that the regularity of representation in your mailbag is inversely related to the value of anything our teams are accomplishing on the field?” – a different supporter.