So it's back to the drawing board for Chelsea and Antonio Conte after a second straight defeat in the Premier League, a third straight match of falling behind 2-0 early, and fourth straight match of giving up at least two goals. While it's easy to point the finger at individual mistakes -- Gary Cahill continuing to make a mockery of his previous reputation as a steady, if limited defender, who makes non-glaring errors only -- as Conte pointed out after the match, the responsibility rests with everyone.
"What happened? I think from the first minute, we didn't have the right attitude. We needed a better game against a tough team, very organised, with a physical aspect. After today we must work a lot, we are a great team only on paper."
"No, (it isn't a matter of egos). It's a team problem, not an individual player problem. I don't want to speak about the mistakes - it's not right for the players."
"We win as a team, we lose as a team."
-Antonio Conte; source: Get West London
So what's the way forward?
"I have to solve the situation because every game we concede two goals minimum. Whether it is two back, three back or four back, I must find the right solution for this team and I work a lot to do this."
-Antonio Conte; source: Chelsea FC
Chelsea switched to a three-man defense for most of the second half, and while I'm not sure that's a viable alternative for non-desperate times, at this point, we probably should consider any and all solutions.
"I said this before we have two defeats and this message is good for the present and for the future. We must work a lot to improve and change the situation because now we are only a great team on paper, not on the pitch."
"The pitch is the truth, it is the most important thing for us, not the words and not the paper. We must change this because last season was a bad season. There are many difficulties but if we understand this, we are in a great position to recover and change the situation."
-Antonio Conte; source: Chelsea FC
The stated goal at the start of the season was to get back into the top four and the Champions League as soon as possible.
"Manchester City started the season very well. They play well but also everyone must look in our house for the problem. Now it's important to look in our house and not in other houses."
-Antonio Conte; source: ESPN
The magnitude of the task at hand may be greater than we realize.