First the good news. Thomas Tuchel has still not experienced defeat as Chelsea manager - after Sunday's entirely predictable stalemate with Manchester United, that's six wins and three draws from his first nine.
That's an enviable record. Tuchel has also restored a resoluteness to a Chelsea back line that had looked shaky and susceptible in the final throes of Frank Lampard's tenure. Just two goals conceded since the German came in and seven clean sheets.
Now the tricky part. Chelsea are struggling to score goals. They have averaged just over a goal a game since Tuchel replaced Lampard and haven't scored more than two goals in a match. Three of the 10 scored have been penalties.
Thomas Tuchel has successfully bolstered Chelsea's defence but the attack isn't fully firing
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Sunday's meeting with Manchester United ended up an entirely predictable goalless draw
That comes as a surprise given the surfeit of talented attackers in Chelsea's squad. Sunday's goalless draw was a poor spectacle and it underlined the fact Tuchel faces a conundrum up front.
Tammy Abraham was left out of the matchday squad altogether, Olivier Giroud started but offered very little. Timo Werner was introduced late on but made no impact.
Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered the indignity of being subbed off for the second consecutive weekend. Hakim Ziyech had Chelsea's best chance but was largely subdued. Christian Pulisic was kept quiet by United.
Kai Havertz, just back from injury, remained on the bench and only the reliably brilliant Mason Mount emerged from the game with any credit.
That's an awful lot of very talented attacking players to throw at the situation and fail to produce more than one or two clear-cut chances to trouble David de Gea.
Striker Tammy Abraham didn't even make Chelsea's matchday squad for Sunday's game
The out-of-sorts Timo Werner came on as a late substitute but couldn't make any impact
Played 9
Won 6
Drawn 3
Lost 0
Goals scored 10
Goals conceded 2
Clean sheets 7
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As Tuchel candidly said afterwards: 'We struggle with scoring, it's obvious.' Yet the same players didn't struggle for goals under Lampard early in the season.
So having successfully tightened up Chelsea's defence in next to no time, Tuchel's next priority must be to get his forwards firing on all cylinders if they are to end the season strongly.
It's far from easy though. Tuchel has not had the luxury of day after day working with his players on the training ground amid a fixture schedule of unprecedented intensity.
Nonetheless, it needs to happen if Chelsea are to finish in the top four and challenge in the FA Cup and the Champions League. A goal a game isn't going to suffice forever.
Tuchel rightly gave everyone in the squad a clean slate when he came in and he's clearly still not settled on his favoured forward line.
It's a Rubik's Cube of combinations at the moment as he searches for the most effective set-up.
This fluidity to the pecking order is most apparent with Abraham who, on Sunday, seemed to have slipped to the status of Chelsea's eighth choice attacker by not being involved at all.
From being Lampard's first choice last season, Abraham has played only 123 minutes of league football since Tuchel arrived and has twice been taken off at half-time.
He named two spare left-backs among his nine substitutes on Sunday - Marcos Alonso and Emerson - but there was no room for the England striker.
Tuchel then said afterwards that 'things are difficult' for Abraham, suggesting he hasn't fully grasped the way his new manager wants Chelsea to set up.
