The gut reaction to the shock dismissal of Thomas Tuchel - just days after the transfer window shut and following a world-record net spend led predominantly by Tuchel himself - was to say it was Chelsea being typically ruthless. But that is not what has happened.
The new owners, led by chairman Todd Boehly, have a completely different vision for Chelsea than the cut-throat way Roman Abramovich handled things, and indeed appear to have convinced Graham Potter to succeed Tuchel on the basis that it will be a long-term project. As for Tuchel, it seems he had lost the dressing room, fallen out with the owners and made the situation untenable.
There is no reason to worry then about how Potter will adapt to the challenges of managing such a volatile super-club built on short flashes of success. That is not what Chelsea want to be anymore, and assuming Boehly is good to his word, this makes Potter a very exciting prospect for Chelsea fans.
I would back Chelsea to finish in the top four this season at 2.111/10
Potter's tactics fit the squad perfectly
It's difficult to summarise Potter's tactical philosophy in a few buzzwords because he is considerably more flexible and shape-shifting than his predecessor, who seemed wedded to a rigid 3-4-3 that was undermining his tactical ambitions by the end. What we can say about Potter is that he is a very modern coach who favours intricately-choreographed possession football with hard pressing - two things that mark a major departure from Tuchel.
His Brighton team have been very smart, playing with an instinctive positional sophistication that spoke to hundreds of hours spent on the training field working on automatisms; set plays, drilled again and again, to create the lovely passing triangles and overloads we see at the Amex. It will take time for those ideas to get across to the Chelsea players, but Potter inherits an unusually intelligent squad with loads of experience adapting to the demands of tacticians.
Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, and Kai Havertz in particular should thrive, enjoying the instructions to glide between the lines.
But all across the pitch Chelsea have players capable of playing quickly in tight spaces and with the brains to enact a complex game-plan, as we so often saw in big matches under Tuchel. Matteo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Jorginho, Marc Cucurella, and Cesar Azpilicueta are also tailor-made for Potter-ball.
Another positive is Potter's tendency to use a back three, making the transition for these new Chelsea defenders relatively easy. Tuchel is unlucky he was dismissed before he got the chance to play Fofana, Kalidou Kouliably and Thiago Silva regularly together. Potter can immediately benefit from getting these three linked up. Once the defensive side is more secure, he can start working on the key items in his in-tray.
Step one: Recalibrate forward line
Potter was never quite able to make Brighton a goalscoring team, creating beautiful and elegant football between the penalty boxes but seeing it fall apart in front of goal. That might simply reflect Brighton's inability to secure a proper goalscorer, but even if that is the case Potter may find himself in a similar position at Stamford Bridge.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is not a good fit, tactically, for Potter's football. He would prefer a number nine who can link the play better and may struggle to find a place for Aubameyang in the team. But there are few other options. Playing Havertz or Sterling up front is likely to make Chelsea a little blunt, as Tuchel found - and in keeping with the way Brighton were hesitant in the final third.
Step two: Update central midfield
Linked to this problem is a surprising dearth of attacking midfielders in the Chelsea squad. Potter will want to address this in January given that his Brighton team was all about swarming and dominating this space; in the 5-2 win over Leicester City last weekend he effectively fielded three number tens at the same time, but aside from Mount there isn't an obvious equivalent to how Potter used Enock Mwepu or Moises Caicedo.
Perhaps Conor Gallagher or Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be put into more advanced roles. Certainly spending the last two years under Tuchel has meant many of these players can play in multiple positions in the same game.
With Potter using hybrid formations just as much as Tuchel, it is difficult to predict the unusual ways he will look to solve deficiencies in the squad.
Step three: Bring fringe players into the set up
Reportedly one of the main reasons for Tuchel's dismissal was the way he failed to integrate fringe players into the squad and make them feel a valued part of the team, which makes this one of Potter's main priorities before January. He was certainly happy to rotate a lot in his last job, and at Chelsea there is a much deeper bench to draw from.
Armando Broja might find himself in the team more than expected given his link-up play is better than Aubameyang's.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic should all be given chances to shine. Potter has a knack for turning ordinary players into brilliant ones, spotting the psychological and mental attributes that others miss.
Nevertheless there are obviously big flaws throughout the team - and a reason why Tuchel felt he could only rely on a small core. But with Potter only needing to muddle through until November, when he will get time to deliver a pre-season during the World Cup, and with Chelsea only five points off the top of the table in what looks set to be an unusually messy year, it is hardly a hospital pass. Potter can most definitely be a huge success at Stamford Bridge.