When results are bad and morale is worse, there is not much more you can hope for than a 7-0 win – especially one with seven different goalscorers.
The victory over Port Vale gives Chelsea a huge injection of positive emotions at a crucial time, relieving pressure on Liam Rosenior and distracting from the mess off the field. It should bring a better mood to training this week and some smiles back to a group that felt at breaking point.
But all of that good energy will dissipate very quickly against Manchester City on Sunday if the Blues are not competitive. Things will return to the gloom of the past few weeks instantly if they do not at least put up a strong fight against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Stamford Bridge will be in full voice backing their team – but if they put in a performance similar to those against Everton and Newcastle in recent games, that support will turn on them quickly.
There are reasons to be positive – Estevao is back, there is finally some depth in midfield and Cole Palmer is looking better physically. But there are also reasons to be very afraid – the defence looks even more ragged without Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, and City could really tear them apart.
The mentality of this group has been questioned, even by their manager, who pointed out in his press conference last week that one of his priorities for the summer was to buy players who were "emotionally stable" and able to cope when things go wrong.
If they fold with the same ease on Sunday as they have in their recent defeats, the reasons for that priority will become even more obvious.
Their Champions League hopes may be reduced to almost nothing, but these players need to play for pride and for their future in this project before another busy summer.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News
