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Perhaps, the concept of autocracy isn't as challenged anywhere as it is in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. As Maurizio Sarri angrily stormed off towards the tunnel at Wembley after his instructions were so inexplicably and embarrassingly spurned by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, you couldn't help but wonder how player power has slowly begun to override managerial supremacy at a club.
Arrizabalaga's shenanigans were staunchly criticized by fans, former players and pundits alike.
What's worth discussing here is whether or not you can pin all of this blame on the young Spanish keeper. Human beings react and conduct themselves in accordance with the conditions they find themselves in.
Behind closed doors at Stamford Bridge, there is a sense of ambiguity as to who really has the power to influence decisions - the players or the manager?
For far too long, players at Chelsea have had way too much power vested in them and as a result, have thrown numerous managers under the bus when life comes hard at them.
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were victims of player power overruling the importance of a manager, and on that fateful and potentially table-turning night at Wembley, Arrizabalaga's public condescension of Sarri led to the Chelsea faithful finally understanding the plight of the men who are in the hot seat at their club.
The ratification of short-termism, complying with the establishment of a hire-and-fire culture coupled with a devil-may-care attitude towards integrating promising academy talents in the first team squad has resulted in the rooting of entropy within the walls of the club.
The chaos around Chelsea needs to be arrested and replaced by undulation, and their potential transfer ban might just act as the perfect proponent for the initiation of year zero: a complete reset in terms of the protocol which eradicates the boards' detrimental obsession with one-upmanship.
There's another quandary brewing in the background that Chelsea need to contend with. Acrimonious ties between London and Russia at the time resulted in the UK rejecting Roman Abramovich's request to extend his investor visa, much to the billionaire's displeasure.
Ever since, there's been an increasing disinterest towards the club from Abramovich.
It is believed that the visa episode mortified him and as a result, he put plans for the renovation of Stamford Bridge on the back-burner and hasn't visited the London clubs cathedral this season.
You get a feeling that as far as Abramovich is concerned, the establishment of a chasm is pretty apparent. Naturally, it won't be an exaggeration to assume that at this moment in time, Chelsea's long-term future under the proprietorship of the Russian lies in an extremely precarious position and the club don't have much room to manoeuvre in.
Witless spending by state-funded clubs like PSG and Manchester City has altered the landscape of the football transfers and simultaneously made the cash influx of the early 2000's unfeasible for Chelsea's Russian owner.
As a result, a committal towards maximizing the use of the clubs brilliant academy to refresh the first team squad, spending smartly on system-specific players, and occasionally huge outlays for superstar future prospects like Christian Pulisic is of paramount importance for the Londoners.
And perhaps this is why Sarri is the perfect man to lead the club into a season where they won't be allowed to flex their financial muscle and plug the holes in their squad by splashing money all around Europe and beyond.
Criticize the Italian for his non-existent trophy cabinet but one thing you cannot take away from the former Napoli tactician is his brilliant footballing brain, an infallible commitment towards improving the players in his ranks, and his ability to exploit the full-blooded brilliance of talented individuals at his disposal.
With all the turmoil surrounding Chelsea's season, it's rather easy to forget that Sarri has coaxed the best goal and assists return from Eden Hazard in his time at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian has exuded logic-defying brilliance at times this season and has consequently helped propel Chelsea into the top four of the Premier League.
The situation stemming as a result of the impending transfer ban and Sarri's track record of exponentially improving the troops he has at his disposal make an intentionally enticing case for the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to stick with the Italian and entrust him to lead them through next season. Chelsea have a fine array of young talent loaned out and the quality of their performances in the season gone by must've definitely piqued Sarri's interest and given him enough reason to consider them for a spot in the first team squad next season.
How often have you seen a teenage loanee captaining a side? Not very often I suppose. Besides his thoroughbred brilliance for Wigan Athletic on the pitch at right-back, Reece James's altruistic disposition has seen him conduct himself impeccably off the pitch, contributing to various community projects and touching the souls of the Latics' supporters. It is this very unique blend of skill and compassion which has been essential in making James one of the best loan stories ever.
In his last game for Wigan, the Chelsea loanee captained the side and was the recipient of rapturous applause after being substituted. James' application, authoritative grasp on proceedings and an incredible technique aren't the only outstanding qualities which have appealed to the Chelsea faithful - it's how he's gone about this incredible loan spell with fascinating maturity that's been captivating.
Another full-back who has taken massive strides in his development as a player is full-back Ola Aina. A mix of physicality, controlled aggression, development in technique and advantageous versatility from the 22-year-old have helped Torino all but secure a top-seven finish in the Serie A. Folks back at Cobham have been observant and even though Il Toro are keen on exercising their £10 million option to buy the Nigerian full-back, there's an increasing feeling as to Chelsea not allowing that to happen, with Aina seen as a prospect who could prove to be a vital asset for Sarri next season.
With Davide Zappacosta expected to leave and Marcos Alonso's future far from certain, it's not outlandish to extrapolate the fact that these two promising full-backs might play a huge part in the first team squad and become integral cogs in Chelsea's defensive jigsaw next season.
In midfield, Mason Mount has had an incredible year at Derby County. To say that he has excelled rampantly under the tutelage of former Stamford Bridge hero Frank Lampard wouldn't be hyperbolic whatsoever. In a year which has seen the Portsmouth-born starlet catch the eye of the footballing universe, courtesy of his brilliant performances for the Championship side, Mount's rapid ascendancy can be gauged from the fact that he's been called up to the senior England squad and is being tipped to be heavily involved in the starting eleven next season - leave alone being called up to the squad.
Mount, in almost every sense, is a throwback to the days of Lampard. This claim can be posited by the fact that he has an incredible knack of scoring from midfield - something which his manager was so famously revered for. Piercing runs from the centre of the park while transitioning from a defensive phase, aided with delightful close control in tight spaces whilst possessing the ability to calmly dictate play from deep areas add to Mount's ambidextrous armoury of skills. Proclivity and anticipation are two virtues which Mount has been blessed with, and they undoubtedly aid his knack of chipping in with goals.
Jorginho's struggles to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League have been well-documented, whilst Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley haven't done much to be deemed undroppable either. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, another academy star, has exhibited flashes of coalescing his talent with consistency this campaign and had it not been for constant injuries ravaging his rhythm and season, the 22-year-old could've contributed so much more to Sarri's oft-maligned and under-performing midfield.
Arriving in the box at the perfect time, Mount's goal-scoring exploits from the centre of the park (he has scored 10 goals for Derby this season) are something which can provide a substantial spark to Sarri's mediocre midfield next season.
Try as much as you want to, but the similarities between Mount and Lampard are far too obvious to ignore, and his integration in the starting eleven will be hugely beneficial for Chelsea.
Most pointed of all concerns will be the inevitability of Chelsea's poster boy Eden Hazard leaving for Real Madrid. As mentioned above, the Belgian has been a luminary for Sarri's side this season and his departure is set to instigate trouble for Sarri and his backroom staff, in case the transfer ban isn't overturned.
Remove Hazard from the equation and Chelsea are left with two wingers who are on the wrong side of 30 and whos dwindling performance levels have already irked fans to no end this season. Callum Hudson-Odoi's Achilles injury will see him miss the first half of next season and American football's poster boy Pulisic isn't particularly expected to set the league ablaze with his exploits from the word go.
Tammy Abraham has had a phenomenal season on loan at Aston Villa and deserves to be given a fair crack of the whip by Sarri in pre-season. Whether he's the man who the Italian feels is the best to lead the line remains to be seen, since Abraham doesn't immediately come across as the quintessential Sarri striker.
There's an essential need to build a system in which a single attacker isn't the cynosure of all of Chelsea's moves in the final third. This is going to be Sarri's greatest test as a tactician, and in order to come up with an effective gambit, he needs to exude a fascinating blend of acumen, guile and gnarly application.
A tall order awaits Chelsea but this isn't an impasse that they cannot work their way around. Fittingly enough though, it'll require them to shatter some staunchly practiced and protected notions which have led to the establishment of this predicament. For the best part of a decade, Chelsea's ethos and dodgy loan system were questioned and criticized to no end.
The Londoners carelessly neglected the conveyor belt of delectable talent at their disposal. And it's only ironic that it is this very overlooked aspect of the club, these extremely endowed young individuals, who hold all the cards and possess the capability of catapulting their parent club out of this enormous dilemma they're embroiled in. Whether Chelsea do the right thing and maximize the assets at their disposal remains to be seen, in what promises to be one of the most important off-seasons in the history of the club.
