History has a tendency to repeat itself and in Chelsea's case, it's not looking good.
A year ago next week, the Blues sacked club legend Frank Lampard as manager after they found themselves 11 points adrift of Manchester City in the title race and were in freefall.
Following Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Amex, Chelsea found themselves 12 points adrift in the title race – again, chasing City's coat-tails.
Now, for the record, Thomas Tuchel is nowhere close to being sacked. On the contray, he has so much credit in the bank at Stamford Bridge after winning the Champions League in his first six months that it would be utterly unthinkable to let him go now.
Chelsea are in danger of slipping into a top-four battle after falling out of the title race
So with that being said, there is no threat of history repeating itself there. But that's not to say it's all rosy at Stamford Bridge – far from it.
Tuesday's result at the Amex has led to serious questions being asked of the European champions, who now face the prospect of being dragged into a battle for top four. Tottenham's last-gasp victory against Leicester only added to the sense that they are being forced more and more to look over their shoulders.
But what is going on with the Blues and what is causing this major drop in form?
Sportsmail takes a closer look at how things are starting to unravel for Tuchel and his squad.
Chelsea are now 12 points adrift of Manchester City and have played a game more than them
When Chelsea were one goal to the good as the half-time whistle blew, you would expect Tuchel's men to be at least content with taking the lead and only 45 minutes left to play.
That wasn't the case on the south coast when television cameras picked up a heated discussion between Hakim Ziyech and Romelu Lukaku as they headed for the tunnel.
Ziyech, who broke the deadlock with a superb finish from outside the box, barely mustered a smile as his team-mates flocked to celebrate with him.
Ziyech (left) and Lukaku (right) were involved in a heated discussion at the Amex Stadium
Tempers are starting to flare amid the Chelsea ranks which could pose a problem for Tuchel
His celebration, or lack of, raised eyebrows among the Blues faithful with many questioning whether there was unrest among the Chelsea ranks.
This lack of harmony in the squad is starting to rear its ugly head and comes just weeks after Lukaku's ill-timed interview with Italian television, leaving Tuchel to address the issue publicly.
However, Ziyech and Lukaku's heated discussion could be that cracks are beginning to appear in what is turning out to be a crucial spell for the Blues.
A lack of harmony among the Chelsea ranks could spell danger in what is a torrid run of form
Tuchel played down Ziyech and Lukaku's spat and insisted that it was no cause of concern for him, with the German saying the chat was 'normal' – saying was satisfied if his players weren't happy with how they were playing.
However, Tuchel will need to be careful and try to keep a lid on things in a bid to stop the rot and prevent their campaign from completely falling apart.
Tuchel looking for excusesWhile the problems are beginning to mount at Chelsea, it appears so are the excuses as well.
Following their most recent draw with the Seagulls, Tuchel once again bemoaned his club's punishing schedule and now plans to give his players two days off ahead of Sunday's home game against Tottenham.
Asked to explain the recent poor league form, the German replied: 'I answered this question a hundred times, if you look at our situation of long-term injuries, of key players injured, and of Covid and you look at our schedule you will have the answer.
Tuchel has been looking for excuses during their poor run that has seen their title hopes fade
Tuchel claims his team are physically and mentally tired amid a poor run of league form
'We are mentally tired and physically tired, you can see it in our performance, it's as easy as that. We need to recharge the
