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Chelsea had a busy summer transfer window, that much can be said for certain. Just how good it was will be decided with the benefit of hindsight.
On paper, Enzo Maresca's squad is stronger than the one he ended last season with, which is a start. There are still some glaring holes being picked out.
Robert Sanchez's position in goal is one of them. He enjoyed a strong few months to help the team qualify for the Champions League via a fourth-place finish and then lifted the Club World Cup as one of the top performers in the final.
The 18 months prior to that failed to inspire confidence, though, and interest in Mike Maignan prior to the Club World Cup only intensified the attention around his spot as first-choice. Sanchez was greeted back to Stamford Bridge warmly in the mini weekend pre-season but quickly drew criticism for allowing Eberechi Eze's (eventually disallowed) opening day free kick past him.
The ball flew through his hands, detractors will point out. That Sanchez will not have seen the ball until extremely late after Marc Guehi picked up Moises Caicedo and tried to throw him to the other side of Fulham is mitigating evidence that it was not as simple as may first have appeared.
Sanchez then kept Chelsea in the game with a good one-on-one save to deny Jean-Phillipe Mateta with one of Crystal Palace's few clear-cut chances. Lucas Paqueta's long-range strike for West Ham five days later did not help his case.
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A great strike, there is no doubt, but Sanchez's technique of going with his top hand did not help his cause. To plenty, Chelsea have entered the season without a Champions League-worthy No.1, let alone one who could challenge for the title.
When Gianluigi Donnarumma was available as well as Maignan and Emi Martinez, could more have been done to shore up Maresca's last line of defence? Neither Donnarumma or Martinez fit Chelsea's wage bracket and have their own faults. There was enough concern over Maignan's recent shot-stopping and cross claiming to make him far from an open and shut upgrade too.
So, yes, Chelsea have gone into a third season with Sanchez as their main goalkeeper but the alternatives were never as obvious as it has been made out. The same goes in defence.
When all are fit, Maresca has an embarrassment of players. Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana are a potentially elite combination but injuries have meant their appearances together have been limited.
With Fofana returning slowly and caution still urged over getting too far ahead with how much he can or will play, Chelsea still have cover. Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo are putting together a growing list to support their own argument for deserving to partner Fofana when all are available.
They have been a fine partnership and are ably supported by Josh Acheampong. When Benoit Badiashile is back after the international break, a left-footer gets thrown into the mix.
Chelsea have high hopes for Badiashile if he can stay on the park long enough to justify his potential, whilst Fofana is a unique profile himself. This is a big season for both and Chelsea took the risk of sticking to their guns, adding only versatile left-back Jorrel Hato.
He is mainly seen as a full-back for now. It means that injuries could define just how strong the defence looks throughout. Reece James and Malo Gusto offer plenty from the right and Acheampong can play there too.
The midfield has been strengthened as much as anywhere with the arrival of Dario Essugo and Andrey Santos. No further reinforcement was needed after the pre-Club World Cup business was completed.
The frontline has perhaps been the most debated area. Noni Madueke is out but Estevao Willian is in and ready to make an immediate impression much sooner than was initially expected. Jadon Sancho and (for now) Mykhailo Mudryk are no more. Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens are their left-side replacements.
Joao Pedro has provided lethal (but likely unsustainable) efficiency and firepower in attack. He is acting as both the No.10 Cole Palmer needed to take the weight off his shoulders as well as Nicolas Jackson's heir.
Whether he can do both or not will be central to determining just what the ceiling on this Chelsea team is. The club chose not to buy when Liam Delap went down injured against Fulham, although they did try to bring Jackson back.
There was more than a hint of desperation about it all in the final two days of the transfer window. Marc Guiu will now be the third striker in the squad but for at least six weeks, he has been promoted to first drop behind Joao Pedro.
If Jackson had stayed then Chelsea would not have a hole at all here and would be verging on having too much. As it happens, they now look exposed to the elements.
Facundo Buonanotte was a low-excitement but no-risk loan to add to the attacking midfield stocks. He will attempt to help Palmer and leave Joao Pedro less to do from deep.
So, Chelsea have the same goalkeeper and are one centre-back down but have Fofana returning to take into account. They have depth at left-back and added bodies in midfield. There is variety in attack and lots of cover cross the wide areas.
The positions that look most light are key ones but Maresca will hope he can compensate for that with rotation, utilising a stacked bench, even with injury concerns already. It will leave questions as to how this all plays out on the pitch.
Unlike last season, when Chelsea needed a new centre-back and striker in January, something they had also entered the summer desperate for, there is no such immediate demand right now. They could be left short-changed up front and are another injury in defence away from serious conversations, but with the current group it is hard to see too many major problems.
Should Joao Pedro remain fit, Fofana get some games under his belt, and Delap be back in mid-October, Chelsea will have the foundations of an immensely deep unit. Should things go wrong then don't be surprised if calls for another goalkeeper, centre-back, and striker once more emerge over the winter, though.
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