With Chelsea's abject start to the season showing no real signs of improving and the London club's most fervent supporters beginning to vocalise their growing concerns regarding manager Jose Mourinho's team selection strategies, the big question is simple: what's going on at Stamford Bridge?
Is there a specific reason for the reigning Premier League champions' unprecedented demise? Is it a combination of factors, or is it maybe just bad luck?
Summer optimism and talk of back-to-back titles and European glory has been diluted by poor form, slipshod defending, controversy, rumblings of dressing room discontent -- and shabby results that have seen Chelsea plumb Premier League depths not previously experienced by owner Roman Abramovich or Mourinho.
The preseason wasn't pretty. Chelsea's players appeared to lack match fitness and failed to win any of their five "friendlies" in open play, even losing to bitter rivals Arsenal in the Community Shield. Much was made of the fact this was the first time Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had triumphed over Mourinho but Blues supporters shrugged their shoulders and wrote off the game as meaningless. After all, the "real" Chelsea, the champions of England, would turn up the following week when the Premier League kicked off with a home game against Swansea City.
Eight weeks later, those supporters are still waiting.
The Blues sit 14th in the Premier League table with eight points from seven games. At the summit sit Manchester United, with 16 points. Optimistically, with 31 games and 93 points still to play for, Mourinho has plenty of time to turn Chelsea's fortunes around and mount a challenge for the title. Realistically, unless the Portuguese immediately gets to grips with and addresses the real issues that are adversely affecting Chelsea's results, the Blues will be lucky to qualify for Europe, let alone win the league.
If supporter patience is beginning to wear thin in places, what sentiments must Abramovich be harbouring?
Curiously, Mourinho is not displaying the traits of a manager under pressure. The season-opening 2-2 draw with Swansea was notable for two reasons: the undoing of Branislav Ivanovic on the right side of Chelsea's defence and Mourinho's touchline spat with Eva Carneiro. The former is most relevant here. Since that game, Ivanovic has been found out with alarming regularity while bizarrely retaining his place in the side.
The Stamford Bridge dressing room is no place for shrinking violets and the undisputed king of SW6 is Chelsea skipper John Terry. Terry, who has the highest profile of those Blues players whom Mourinho is perceived to be scapegoating in the wake of poor results, continues to cut a frustrated figure on the bench to which he has been relegated for top-flight and Champions League games since the 3-1 loss to Everton at Goodison Park.
Mourinho may be the self-anointed Special One, a mantle that Chelsea fans have picked up and chanted in deference, but Terry is their "Captain, Leader, Legend." At 34 years of age, JT may not be as mobile as he once was but he still has the ability to galvanise the team in a way no other current member of the Blues squad can.
Following Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League loss to Porto at the Estadio Do Dragao, Terry, an unused substitute, warmed down on his own and was applauded by travelling Chelsea supporters who chanted "We want our captain back!"
Was Mourinho listening? Will he take heed? Ivanovic, the captain in Terry's absence, had another torrid game against Porto. Mourinho's persistence with the Serb is becoming inexplicable, and Chelsea looked rudderless without Terry. Ivanovic has enough problems without having to cope with the responsibility of being captain.
Given the size of the squad at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho has plenty of defensive options open to him. The Chelsea manager opted to change his back line for the visit of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Champions League matchday one. In came new signing Baba Rahman at left-back, with Cesar Azpilicueta switching to his natural right side in place of Ivanovic. Chelsea kept their first clean sheet of the season in a 4-0 win.
At centre-back, 20-year-old Kurt Zouma has pace and mobility. When played, the young France international still needs guidance and support, something that Terry, not Gary Cahill, can provide.
Saturday's visit of Southampton to Stamford Bridge will hold no perils for the visitors who will look to use the pace and skill of Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic to exploit known weaknesses in Chelsea's defence. Should Mourinho stubbornly persist with benching Terry and fielding Ivanovic, and the result go against Chelsea, he'll surely face increased criticism.
A two-week international break follows the Southampton game, offering thinking time for all concerned with the Stamford Bridge soap opera -- in particular, club owner Abramovich, who may decide enough is enough.
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