The winter of discontent continues for Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca's side dropping yet more points on home soil following Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Having conspired to slip to defeat against title-chasing Aston Villa last time out, there was yet more frustration at full-time at Stamford Bridge, following what was an entertaining encounter with the Cherries.
Maresca-Palmer-Chelsea-Bournemouth
Indeed, a Basketball-style first-half saw Cole Palmer's penalty cancel out David Brooks' early opener, before Enzo Fernandez curled home in stunning fashion to complete the turnaround.
As has been the theme of the campaign, however, the Blues again dropped points from a winning position as Justin Kluivert levelled things up soon after, with the hosts' possession dominance ultimately not translating to a win.
Pressure, unsurprisingly, will be mounting on Maresca as 2026 approaches, with the ex-Manchester City man needing to ring the changes against his former club this weekend.
Chelsea's worst performers against Bournemouth
The home side's struggles were epitomised by Maresca's need to shuffle his pack at the break, with teen defender Josh Acheampong one of the unfortunate duo to make way as Chelsea sought to wrestle back control.
It was a difficult 45 for the Englishman, although the bigger concern will have been the performance of Alejandro Garnacho, with the summer signing at the scene of the crime for both Bournemouth goals.
The Argentine winger simply watched on as Brooks opened the scoring after just six minutes, with Maresca no doubt left unimpressed by such a lack of defensive awareness, even with Garnacho providing the assist for Fernandez's strike.
In all, the former Manchester United man lost the ball every three touches and failed to successfully complete a single dribble in that end-to-end first-half, as per Sofascore, with his defensive woes also highlighted by failing to win any of his five attempted duels.
That youthful pairing may likely have played themselves out of contention for the upcoming clash with City, a game that will also see Moises Caicedo ruled out through suspension following his early yellow card.
Garnacho-Chelsea-Bournemouth
Alterations will then need to be made in the centre of the park, although it is at the top end of the pitch where an even bigger problem lies for the Blues boss.
Chelsea's £100k-per-week talent is already on borrowed time
It says a lot that there might be those of a Chelsea persuasion pining for the curious chaos of Nicolas Jackson, with the exiled Senegalese striker looking like an upgrade on Maresca's current options based on 2025/26 so far.
Nicolas Jackson-3
For all the frustration over the profligate marksman, he did at least reach double figures for Premier League goals in each of the last two seasons, with it looking highly unlikely that new man Liam Delap will get anywhere close to that tally this time around.
Indeed, with 2026 looming, the Englishman is still yet to score a league goal for his new side, with his only effort this season, excluding the Club World Cup, having come against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Unlike Jackson, it would seem, a major issue appears to be that either Delap is not getting the service from his teammates, or he simply isn't able to create any openings for himself.
Either way, he is in danger of drifting at Stamford Bridge, with the case of Jackson and co showcasing that the BlueCo regime will act ruthlessly even for relatively recent signings.
Delap vs Bournemouth
Stat
Minutes
Touches
Pass accuracy
Key passes
Shots
Dribbles
Possession lost
Total duels won
Stats via Sofascore
After scoring 12 times for Ipswich Town in the top-flight last term, the 22-year-old arguably looks a different player right now, having notably been restricted to just 29 touches against Andoni Iraola's men - fewer than teammate Robert Sanchez in the sticks (57).
The young striker also lost 50% of his total duels, while failing to register a single key pass, with it having been something of a surprise that Maresca waited so long to make the change with Chelsea chasing a winner.
Liam-Delap-Chelsea
It must be said, the £100k-per-week talent wasn't a total disaster on the night, but having become something of a passenger in attack, he already looks to be on borrowed time in a Blues shirt.
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Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a star who would be a perfect replacement for Liam Delap.