Do Chelsea have the leaders or quality to fight back against Real Madrid?

There was some surprise within the squad at the messaging from the owners given that the episode involved one senior player being singled out for some fierce criticism

STRUGGLE: Chelsea's Ben Chilwell (left) leaves the game after being shown a red card during the Champions League quarter-final first leg in Madrid. Pic: PA

The dust was still settling on Chelsea’s demoralising defeat by Brighton on Saturday when three of the club’s owners – Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Hansjörg Wyss – walked into the home dressing room to hold a debrief with their squad.

The mood could have been better. It is not unusual for owners to go into a dressing room but this particular intervention made a lasting impact. The language was strong and Boehly did not hold back. “Embarrassing,” was how he described Chelsea’s plight and, although the intention was to rally the troops before Frank Lampard’s side host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, there was some surprise at the messaging given that the episode involved one senior player being singled out for some fierce criticism.