Chelsea

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Rosenior has struggled to find a set of tactics that have worked for Chelsea defensively.

Against Everton, Chelsea set up in a defensive block rather than pressing man-to-man across the pitch.

This shape looked like a 4-4-2 with Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer on the left and right of midfield and Enzo Fernandes and Joao Pedro up top.

Chelsea looked to keep an extra man on their defensive line so as Everton attacked with three players, they kept four defenders back. This meant they had a player short elsewhere, often higher up the pitch.

Both strikers, Enzo Fernandez and Pedro, were tasked with applying pressure to the Everton defenders and likely asked to block passes into the defensive midfielders.

In actuality, the far-side striker failed to apply any meaningful pressure on Everton's defensive midfielder.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was often seen dropping in, dragging one of Chelsea's midfielders with him. With one of the strikers drawn to the Everton defender on the ball, the defensive midfielder was the spare man in situations that looked like 3 against 2 in favour of Everton.

This pattern was seen for Beto's opener with Garner finding himself facing forward, able to play a through ball, unopposed following Dewsbury-Hall's lay-off.

Man-to-man pressure can be beaten through rotations and technical quality, as we saw in Chelsea's losses to PSG. Zonal defending in theory should make the pitch compact with the attacking side struggling to play through you. On the night however Chelsea left gaps that were costly.

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior speaking to Sky Sports on the 3-0 defeat by Everton: "Yeah, goals give you energy, and at the moment we are gifting goals away. We gifted two poor goals. We started edgy, and then the first 10, 15 minutes a few cheap giveaways and then we played our way into the game, and it seems to be happening every week.

"What that does is the crowd gives energy to the opposition, and then their confident goes up. In the end Everton deserved the victory and that is something we need to improve very very quickly."

On Chelsea's defensive mistakes: "Yeah, 100 percent the accountability and the responsibility ends with me. We played in a different way, we dropped the team a little bit deeper today in a 4-4-2 shape. I thought we were comfortable in the game.

"The first goal we gave away, we were the most comfortable, and the difference again is in both boxes were that they were clinical. The third goal from Ndiaye was a fantastic finish. We had chances, especially in the first half but if you don't take them you're going to end up losing games of football."

On Champions League qualification: "We are a point away from the Champions League. I'm learning about this club, there has been a lot of noise, negative noise, and rightly so about our performances last week. We have had 10 games in the league together as a group, and we have 17 points. I think we are fourth in my time. Forget the noise, we have to keep our calm and our composure. An international break has probably come at a good time for us to restart and go again for a really good run in."

If emotion and fatigue has played a part: "Yes, the lads want to do really really well. We are giving everything, I want to give everything to the club and we are a young group, we are emotional but it's about wanting to do really well for the team and for the club. It's been a really testing week, and it's one we haven't done well enough. We have to make sure we put that right."

On goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's performance: "I think it's so difficult after the game to speak about an individual performance. Rob is a top goalkeeper and goalkeepers have days like this. Pickford makes a world class save to keep it 1-0.

"For me it's not a time for talking, it's the time for me and my staff to analyse. The players will go away with the respective countries and when we come back we will have a few clear weeks for some time to work with the players for the first time."

On the mood of the players: "Head down. It's not a lack of effort. I don't see anyone throwing the towel in. The lads are trying but it's not good enough of where we want to be."

On elbow incident late in the game with James Tarkowski and Wesley Fofana: "I generally haven't seen anything back. I have just spoken to the players and the staff. I can't comment on it, I haevn't seen it."

Did you know?

• Chelsea have lost three of their last four Premier League games (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 18 matches in the competition (W8 D7 L3).

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

After Everton's third went in, Chelsea's away end had seen enough.

Following a few minutes of their favoured anti‑ownership chants, more than half of the travelling supporters abandoned their first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It highlights the febrile atmosphere of discontent growing around the west London club after their Champions League exit.

After defeats by Paris St‑Germain over two legs - resulting in a joint‑record 8-2 aggregate loss for Chelsea - and a home defeat by Newcastle, this latest result made it back‑to‑back Premier League losses and consecutive 3-0 defeats.

Much of the blame will be directed towards the club's hierarchy, who have come under further pressure this week after vice‑captain Enzo Fernandez openly expressed concern about the January departure of former head coach Enzo Maresca.

Those comments also reflect poorly on current boss Liam Rosenior.

After a strong first month at the club after joining from partner club Strasbourg, albeit with fixtures mostly against lesser opposition, Rosenior has now won just one of his past six league games.

His Chelsea side look more open than ever, despite his insistence that he is implementing a new pressing system. Goals have also dried up, with even his standout performer Joao Pedro now struggling.

It is also a tired‑looking team, having played well over 100 matches across the past two seasons, including their involvement in the Club World Cup. As a result, they have been outrun by every single Premier League opponent this season.

Chelsea's hierarchy expect to qualify for the Champions League via a top‑five finish, but it is not only results - performances like this also cast major doubt on that aim.

They are running out of momentum and energy at the business end of the season, with matches against Manchester City and Manchester United up next.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Everton centre-back James Tarkowski returns despite having been listed as an injury doubt before kick-off.

His inclusion means James Garner moves back into his favoured midfield role, fresh from his first England call-up for the March international break.

David Moyes keeps the rest of his side unchanged from the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend.

Everton XI: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto

Subs: Travers, Patterson, Barry, Dibling, Coleman, Branthwaite, Röhl, Iroegbunam, Armstrong.

Chelsea make three changes from the 3-0 defeat by PSG in midweek.

One is enforced, with Trevoh Chalobah ruled out for six weeks after injuring his ankle; he is replaced by Wesley Fofana.

In better news for Chelsea, Malo Gusto returns from illness to come in for Mamadou Sarr, while Romeo Lavia is preferred to Andrey Santos in midfield.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Fernandez, Neto, Joao Pedro

Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Sarr, Essugo, Santos, Estevao, Garnacho, Delap.

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Liverpool (12:30)

• Fulham v Burnley (15:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Leeds v Brentford (20:00)

Kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Burnley" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Chelsea".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I was at Chelsea's defeat by Newcastle last weekend and they did not offer enough in the final third.

I also need to mention their pre-match huddle before that game too. Deary me. I like Blues boss Liam Rosenior but what was he talking about when he said his players were there to "respect the ball"?

It's nonsense. What are they going to respect next, the corner flag?

As for this game, well it will be close. Everton pushed Arsenal all the way last time out, but couldn't quite hang on.

I think this has turned into a big game for Rosenior's future now, because he needs a strong end to the season in the Premier League to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea have got some quality players, of course, and I am also still not sure about Everton at their new ground, even though they beat Burnley in their previous home game.

I want to be brave here, and pick a winner because I am expecting both teams to go for it... but instead I am going to go for a draw.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea will aim to bounce back from Champions League elimination when they face an Everton side attempting to win successive home games for the first time at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Saturday's meeting on Merseyside (17:30 GMT).

On 16 June last year, Chelsea kicked off a campaign in which they were targeting trophies in five different competitions by taking part in the Club World Cup.

That tournament ended in silverware after the Blues defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the final. Eight months later, their hopes of more international glory were ended after they were eliminated by PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Chelsea have an FA Cup quarter-final to look forward to against Port Vale next month but their immediate attention turns towards an opportunity to climb the Premier League table and a route straight back into Europe's elite club competition.

A win against Everton could move Chelsea as high as fourth by Saturday night should Liverpool slip up at Brighton in the early kick-off. Even if Arne Slot's side win, Chelsea can climb into fifth with Aston Villa not in action until Sunday.

Fewer competitions may even mean fewer changes to their starting XI for a club who have made more than any other in this season's Premier League.

While at least some rotation should be expected, head coach Liam Rosenior may well be tempted to keep Joao Pedro in his starting line-up. The 24-year-old has scored seven goals and assisted one in his past eight appearances away from home in all competitions.

Chelsea next face an Everton team still trying to adjust to their new surroundings on the banks of the River Mersey.

The Toffees have impressed away from home in the Premier League, although their form at Hill Dickinson Stadium has been deeply inconsistent, with the win against Burnley last time out ending a run of six home matches without a win.

Everton's victory against the Clarets was a first at the Hill Dickinson in 2026 and means the Toffees can target maiden back-to-back home victories at their new stadium in the Premier League for the first time.

David Moyes has referenced that visiting teams find the state-of-the-art facility at Bramley Moore Dock more hospitable than the often intimidating surroundings of Goodison Park, although Everton's manager will hope to continue the club's good home record in this fixture. They have lost just one of the past eight Premier League home meetings with Chelsea, winning five and drawing two.

If Joao Pedro is likely to be influential for the visitors, the same can be said for Toffees midfielder James Garner, a key operator home and away this season.

The 25-year-old has made more tackles and interceptions combined than any other Premier League player in this campaign, while he's just as effective on the ball, ranking top of Everton's metrics for chances created (43) and successful passes (1,213). Only Jack Grealish (five) has more assists (six) for the Blues in 2025-26.

Garner once again showed his versatility by starting at right-back in the late defeat at Arsenal last weekend – a flexibility that could see him earn his first England honours, according to former Everton midfielder Leon Osman.

But if Everton are to secure elusive successive victories, they may also need their attacking players to flourish. The Toffees have failed to score in 12 of their past 19 Premier League games against Chelsea, including the past four in a row.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

A Chelsea protest group will hold their first joint demonstration with Strasbourg supporters before the forthcoming home match against Manchester United on 18 April.

Members of NotAProjectCFC will host representatives from Ultra Boys 90, Kop Ciel et Blanc, Federation des Supporters du RCS and Pariser as they march to Stamford Bridge, delivering a joint message to Todd Boehly and Clearlake's football investment vehicle, BlueCo, which owns both clubs.

It is unclear how widespread the protests will be. NotAProjectCFC previously attracted only a few hundred supporters before a home game against Brentford, while the four Strasbourg groups collectively represent about 2,000 fans.

Chelsea's form has declined since that demonstration, while Strasbourg - performing well across competitions this season - have faced wider criticism after head coach Liam Rosenior left to replace Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge in January.

In a statement, NotAProjectCFC said: "We plan to shine a light on not only the incompetence and mismanagement at Chelsea Football Club, but also the restrictions imposed by multi‑club ownership, where clubs like RC Strasbourg are being stripped of their identities, and where long-standing and respected fan groups are being censored and repressed by a brutal ownership."

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust has not endorsed the fringe group's messaging, although it separately raised complaints this week about what it described as a "failing" digital ticketing policy.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Robert Sanchez can argue he was unfortunate to lose his place in the Chelsea side, having been in strong form at the end of last season - a run that helped the Blues qualify for the Champions League and win the Club World Cup.

Chelsea were offered AC Milan's Mike Maignan in the summer but felt he was overpriced, with only one year left on his contract, and unlikely to improve the goalkeeping department to a significant degree, particularly given Sanchez's stable form at the time.

That decision looked justified for much of the season as Sanchez continued to perform well under Enzo Maresca.

However, Liam Rosenior's arrival coincided with Sanchez's poorest display of the campaign - a 3-2 defeat by Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, where he failed to cut out crosses from a corner and open play for the opening two goals.

Questions were raised over whether Rosenior - who positioned Chelsea loanee goalkeeper Mike Penders exceptionally high when building from the back at his former club Strasbourg - was unsettling Sanchez with his new approach. "It's nothing to do with Rob's build, or the way that we played," Rosenior said.

Although he has not yet adopted such an extreme approach at Chelsea, Rosenior has encouraged shorter passing from the back in certain matches - something that suits Filip Jorgensen more than Sanchez.

So far in their Chelsea careers, Jorgensen has a pass accuracy of 85.3%, compared with Sanchez's 70.6% across all competitions.

Sanchez prefers long passes and attempts twice as many per 90 minutes, although Jorgensen has a higher long‑pass accuracy when he opts to play long.

Yet Sanchez is superior at shot-stopping, having prevented 7.5 expected goals compared with Jorgensen's slightly negative balance of -0.4.

Since Rosenior's arrival, Jorgensen's shot-stopping has declined, but he has only played four times, and rotation provides a strong mitigating factor - he may simply lack rhythm.

"It's more about my decision for each game and in which way I go in that position," Rosenior said of his rotations between the posts.

Having used Maresca's tactics in his first month, Rosenior used the two free midweeks in early February to push his own ideas on the group after gaining more consecutive training sessions.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, they then "set fire to points", drawing from winning positions at home to Leeds and Burnley before Sanchez's mistake at Arsenal triggered the renewed goalkeeper rotation.

When asked whether constantly changing goalkeepers is counter-productive, Rosenior said: "Not for me. If you've got two outstanding left-backs like (Marc) Cucurella or Jorrel Hato, is it uncertainty for them? I want competition in every area of the pitch.

"The only difference with a goalkeeper is you're one mistake away from this situation."

Mistakes, however, have plagued both goalkeepers - particularly Sanchez, who has made 18 errors leading to shots and eight leading to goals in 101 matches - raising the question of whether either is truly good enough for Chelsea.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has named his 35-man squad for the two friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).

There are 13 players involved who weren't in the last squad back in November, while there's a first senior call-up for Everton midfielder James Garner and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Rosenior's demeanour has been under the microscope since before he was announced as Chelsea manager. From the moment it became clear that he was the front-runner for the job, clips and quotes were dug up from his past to make him look silly.

It all felt a little unfair - there's no doubt Rosenior is a quirky guy who is different to the gruff "football men" who dominate the game. But that didn't have to be a bad thing. While results were good, his personality stopped being an issue.

However, now things are going in the wrong direction, the manager's style of communication is becoming more than just a minor distraction.

As issues have piled up on him - from injuries, to key players saying they want to leave, to the pre-match huddle nonsense, to team news leaks, to this week's questions about a comically futile tactical note handed to his players 86 minutes into a thrashing - Rosenior looks increasingly incapable of digging himself out of the situations he talks his way into.

It's always refreshing to hear a manager speak honestly and openly, but when things are going badly, a soft touch doesn't give fans the sense that anything is actually going to change. If Rosenior isn't going to get tough, he needs to get results. His team are losing thanks to silly mistakes and ill-discipline, then showing no signs of learning from it.

Meanwhile, his vice-captain is openly considering leaving and his best centre-back can't be bothered to sprint back to stop a goal. Whatever he's saying behind the scenes, in public he needs to show supporters that that's not acceptable.

The fear was always that an inexperienced manager would struggle to manage this dressing room. A manager who is inexperienced and failing so badly at communicating with fans and players doesn't have a chance.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium (17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Rosenior said the ankle injury which forced Trevoh Chalobah off on a stretcher towards the end of Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain is "nowhere near as serious as we first thought" and the defender will be out for a "period of around six weeks".

• On goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen: "Filip had a scan and needs a minor operation. Not too serious, a matter of weeks."

• On captain Reece James: "We will look more after the international break. Not serious but something in his hamstring we will monitor after the international break."

• The Blues boss also gave an update on long-term absentee Levi Colwill:" With an ACL, he's hitting all of the benchmarks he needs to but we need to make sure he keeps getting past certain levels. He's still looking at a good while yet."

• Rosenior said he "had a great conversation" with Enzo Fernandez after the midfielder cast doubt over his future with comments after Tuesday's defeat: "I would say he made it really clear to me how happy he is here, how much he wants to win for the team and how passionate he is for this football club. He said also the translation and emotion got misconstrued. He is completely committed to this football club."

• Rosenior was asked about his team news before the PSG game being leaked early to French media for the second week running: "We know. It's not come from any place of malicious intent, to me or the team. We have dealt with the situation."

• On social media posts ridiculing him writing notes and passing them to his players while 8-2 down on aggregate against PSG: "It doesn't bother me. The reality is that I have to help this club win matches. If I don't, if I breathe wrong or sneeze wrong, people will talk about it. It doesn't affect me. It's my job to be aware. Am I surprised? No. Me handing out a note is not a reflection of my message not getting across to the players."

• On a difficult week for him and the club: "Every manager goes through difficult weeks. I've had challenging periods before. I've lost games in many jobs, like all managers have done. We need to find a way to fight at Everton and come through a difficult period."

• On turning attention back to the Premier League: "You want to be in the Champions League. It makes everything clearer, not just from a financial point of view. This club deserves to be in the Champions League. That's the target."

Listen to live commentary of Everton v Chelsea at 17:30 on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is expected to miss Saturday's match at Everton, having undergone minor groin surgery in Munich.

He is due back after the international break.

Jorgensen, who considered a loan move in January to West Ham or Besiktas in search of more regular minutes, was keen to play a part in Denmark's World Cup play-off squad this month.

However, he remains upbeat about his chances under Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge and is a well-integrated member of the dressing room.

Rosenior described him as "best friends" with vice‑captain Enzo Fernandez, who threw the ball towards him in frustration after the keeper's costly error away to Paris St‑Germain last week.

Image source, Getty Images

We are getting to the stage of the season where every Premier League team is managing injuries in their squad as the sheer volume and intensity of games begins to take its toll.

But who has been most affected by injuries across the campaign so far?

Ben Dinnery, from Premier Injuries Limited, has provided the data below, showing the number of domestic injuries each top-flight team has suffered, defined by a player missing at least one Premier League game.

The data has been taken from the opening weekend up to and including 18 March.

Despite this table listing domestic injuries, it is unsurprising that the top three of Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa have all competed in European competition, with the Gunners still fighting on four fronts and the Blues also coming off the back of a much-shortened pre-season following their Club World Cup victory.

Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is the fact Arsenal's 31 domestic injuries so far comfortably leads the way, illustrating the strength and depth available to Mikel Arteta to still have his side nine points clear at the top of the table.

The graphic below shows Tottenham lead the way for days missed by injured players, illustrating the issues faced by Thomas Frank, who had to cope with long-term absentees including Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

Both West Ham and Brentford are in the bottom three for domestic injuries and days missed through those injuries, while Arsenal and Villa are in the top three for both.

Chelsea drop down the table when looking at days missed, showing they have predominately suffered from short absences spread throughout the squad.

It is worth pointing out that Newcastle's two longest absences this season - Emil Krafth (120 days) and Yoane Wissa (88 days), who had not yet even trained with his new side, resulted from injuries picked up on international duty and are not factored into the figures.

Chelsea and Tottenham are chasing Hoffenheim's 23-year-old Kosovo striker Fisnik Asllani. (Bild - in German), external

West Ham are planning talks with Chelsea to turn the loan signing of defender Axel Disasi into a permanent move. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pundits Nedum Onouha, Stephen Warnock and Guillem Balague join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from the Champions League lat-16 second legs.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 1-2 (1-5) Real Madrid

• Arsenal 2-0 (3-1) Bayer Leverkusen

• Newcastle 7-2 (8-3) Barcelona

• Liverpool 4-0 (4-1) Galatasary

Nina Hristova
Fan contributor

Image source, Getty Images

Anger among Chelsea supporters is at an all-time high, with many feeling the much-promoted 'project' was flawed from the outset.

Since the takeover, each season has raised more doubts than belief. There has been no clear direction, no consistent progress - if anything, the team has regressed.

Yes, there have been moments to cling to. A Wembley final, along with Conference League and Club World Cup success, showed that Chelsea can produce on their day. But that is exactly the problem - it can only happen on their day.

Big results, like wins over PSG in the summer and Barcelona in the Champions League, have offered flashes of promise, but have also papered over deeper cracks. Consistency has been missing throughout.

After all this time and money spent, Chelsea should have been pushing for a Premier League title. Instead, they are once again scrambling for Champions League qualification - a competition they have shown they're far from ready to compete in. So, where to from here?

The squad remains inexperienced, particularly in defence, while constant managerial changes have only added to instability, with each appointment raising further questions on the club's ambitions.

Inexperience has been exposed at the highest level, where costly mistakes have repeatedly been punished - a reflection of poor squad-building.

Missing Reece James on a huge European night was a blow, yes, but it also highlighted a deeper issue: why is the squad still so short of reliable, top-level defenders?

After heavy investment, Chelsea were reliant on debutant Mamadou Sarr, an unproven Jorrel Hato, and Trevoh Chalobah, who's long been considered for sale, to keep one of the best attacks in the world at bay.

For many fans, the concern is simple: unless the model and strategy change, neither results nor belief will improve. But there is a growing feeling that too many mistakes at the top have already been made to expect a drastic turnaround.

Find more from Nina Hristova at Nina's Chelsea Corner, external

Dan Roan
Sports editor

In July 2023, Uefa fined Chelsea £8m over the same case. And the FA is expected to take similar action when it announces the conclusion of its disciplinary process into the affair in the coming weeks.

But there are clear signs that Chelsea feared it could have been worse. In 2024, it was revealed that owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali held back £150m of their purchase price for the club to cover potential fines relating to the Roman Abramovich era. So far this episode has cost the club about £18m.

Some of their rivals may feel that the cost to them may have been greater, in the form of trophies and prize money they could potentially have won. And also to the integrity and credibility of a competition that relies on everyone following the rules.

There is one other significant subplot that is emerging. Chelsea's punishment relates to rule breaches in the 2010s. The Manchester City case also covers this period. Between them the two clubs won six Premier Leagues in that decade.

What do these cases say about the football - and the titles won - in that era?

Only time will tell as all eyes again fall on the City case verdict.

Honours in the period covered by the report:

Premier League winners: 2014-15 and 2016-17

FA Cup winners: 2011-12, 2017-18

League Cup winners: 2014-15

Champions League winners: 2011-12

Europa League winners: 2012-13, 2018-19

Read more on Chelsea's fine and whether the punishment was too lenient