Chelsea were involved in their very own medical drama last week, with doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn excluded from match-day duties against Manchester City.
The trip to the Etihad resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win for City and revealed some worrying symptoms for Jose Mourinho's men, which could turn nasty if not treated. Here, we look at Chelsea's problems and how to cure them.
Problem A: Creaking defence on the pitch - shipping five goals in their opening two league games.
Cure: Cough up the cash to secure John Stones' signature from Everton. Mourinho bemoaned a lack of pace in the back four, leading to him substituting captain John Terry at half-time - surely a not-so subtle message to owner Roman Abramovich.
Problem B: A creaking defence off the pitch - Mourinho frequently uses post-match press conferences to try to deflect the attention away from a defeat.
Cure: The Blues manager has made a name for himself down the years as a man who will stick by his team, but claiming the result against City was “fake” was a strange call. He needs to admit when his side are second best, well beaten or downright poor.
Problem C: Slow-starting, trusted players not hitting the ground running in title defence.
Cure: Not an obvious treatment for this one. Stick the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa in a dark room in Cobham and put on last season's review DVD? That should reawaken a few good memories. Looking forward, Chelsea need to bring forward their pre-season touring commitments to make sure they are fresh for the big kick-off.
Problem D: Faltering forwards - no goals from the front men is a striking issue.
Cure: Change of system. Costa seemed more interested in picking a fight than rescuing Chelsea on Sunday. He has not scored this season, with Loïc Rémy and Radamel Falcao also goalless after the Community Shield and opening two league fixtures. Switching to two up front may help, especially given Costa's fruitful pairing with Falcao at Atletico Madrid.
Problem E: One point from two games is Chelsea's worst start since 1998-99.
Cure: Keep calm and carry on. Although everyone at the club would have expected more, facing Swansea and Manchester City in the opening two fixtures is a difficult start.
West Bromwich away is next and could prove another test on Sunday, but Tony Pulis's side have also been slow out of the traps and a convincing win would address several issues right away. – The Independent