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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca revealed that he called an urgent team meeting just before their match against Sunderland. The boss had meticulously analysed the Black Cats in the lead-up to the Stamford Bridge clash, scrutinising each of their nine league and cup games. Chelsea is widely regarded as one of the contenders for Liverpool's Premier League title, with the Reds in freefall after defeat against Brentford, needing a win against Crystal Palace to turn its fortunes around.
Maresca's plans for Saturday were thrown into chaos when Regis Le Bris handed in his team sheet. Despite Sunderland consistently using a back four in their previous matches, they adopted a more defensive stance against Chelsea, fielding five defenders to protect Robin Roefs' goal.
Upon receiving the team news at 1.45pm, Maresca, who was in his coaches' office - which also serves as a debriefing room with Chelsea executives after home games - immediately convened a team meeting. Here, he outlined his revised strategy and issued new instructions.
They had spent the week preparing for a game against two full-backs and centre-halves each. However, it ultimately proved pointless.
Chelsea took an early lead in the match, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring just four minutes in. But Wilson Isidor equalised before half-time, as Sunderland adopted a 'park the bus' strategy, making them impenetrable.
Just when it seemed like the match would end in a draw, Chemsdine Talbi scored a surprise winner for the visitors in the third minute of stoppage time, ensuring Sunderland returned to Wearside with all three points.
Maresca voiced his exasperation with the team's tactical approach, explaining: "The thing that we need to improve and we need to learn, and it's something that I'm saying to the players every day, is now that teams, probably because of what we achieved last season, teams have changed against us.
"Sunderland, nine games in the Premier League, they never played with a back five from the start. Never. They played nine games, I watched all the nine games from Sunderland before our game.
"Never. They finished with a back five, they were winning 1-0, so to defend the last 10 minutes, they had a back five. But from the start, never.
"So we prepared a Sunderland game against a back four, thinking that probably they will be a back five. So before the game, in the changing room, before the players go out for a warm-up, I need to tell the players, 'Guys, all the Sunderland preparation, do like this, tac-tac-tac-tac, and put in the rubbish.'".
"That's why it's so difficult. The plan for today, now, is this. In ten minutes, we need to change the plan. So it's different when we know that team, they are back five, and we prepare with back five."
Chelsea now sits ninth in the Premier League table - just a point behind Liverpool having played the same amount of games. Maresca's side has lost three of its last five games - with wins against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in that time.
Liverpool, on the other hand, has lost its last four in the league - most recently away at Brentford on Saturday evening. The Reds are in crisis mode right now, and will be looking to this weekend's game against Aston Villa to turn things around.
Arsenal leads the Premier League table by four points from Bournemouth, and has the chance to go ten points clear of Liverpool - 11 clear of Chelsea - with a win over Burnley this coming weekend.
Chelsea faces Tottenham in a huge London derby, a game which could easily be described as a must-win despite the season still being in its infancy.
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