Their Champions League defence over before it even began,Chelsea must now try to salvage a season that threatens to unravel before theireyes.
Wednesday's 6-1 win at home to FC Nordsjaelland was notenough to carry the Blues into the last 16 and the consolation of a EuropaLeague berth is likely to be viewed as a booby prize at Stamford Bridge.
Owner Roman Abramovich has not invested his millions to seeChelsea compete in a second-tier tournament and interim manager Rafael Benitezwill find it difficult to juggle his resources between competitions.
Benitez's popularity will not have been helped by Chelsea'signominious exit from the competition they won less than seven months ago, butthe Club World Cup provides an immediate opportunity to move forward.
After visiting Sunderland on Saturday - a game Benitezdescribed as "my only target" - Chelsea fly to Japan, where they willstart as favourites to win a tournament in which they have never previouslycompeted.
Benitez prevailed in the inter-continental contest in 2010with his previous club, Inter Milan, and success could buy him time with thesections of the Chelsea support who have vowed never to accept him.
However, the timing of the Club World Cup, which concludesjust before English football's hectic Christmas schedule, means Chelsea face agruelling end to the year.
Starting with either the final or the third-place play-offin the Club World Cup on December 16, they will have to play seven times in thespace of just 22 days.
With a small core of only 13 players who have started morethan five league games this season, it threatens to leave Benitez's squadgasping for breath.
Chelsea hope to welcome stalwarts John Terry and FrankLampard back from injury soon, but although the return of two such strongpersonalities will inevitably galvanise the squad, it also raises thornyquestions.
With Terry 31 and Lampard 34, neither player can be said torepresent Chelsea's future, but Benitez's interim status makes it difficult forhim to adopt a long-term strategy concerning the team's evolution.
His two immediate predecessors - Andre Villas-Boas andRoberto Di Matteo - both failed to handle the transition from old to new, andwith Benitez keen to land the role on a permanent basis, he may not be inclinedto take risks by marginalising influential players.
Fernando Torres scored twice in the Nordsjaelland rout buthis dismal form has become synonymous with the club's recent struggles, andwith Daniel Sturridge reportedly angling for a move away, Chelsea appear set tomove for a striker in the January transfer window.
Atletico Madrid's all-action Colombian centre-forward Falcaohas been touted as a likely target, but he will not be cheap and Abramovich hasalready invested heavily in pre-season.
The 3-1 loss at West Ham United on Saturday marked Chelsea'sseventh league game without a win - their worst sequence in 17 years -- and thetwo Manchester clubs are already galloping into the distance.
Chelsea trail champions Manchester City by seven points andleaders Manchester United by 10, but Benitez says his absolute priority, firstand foremost, is to improve performances on the pitch.
"At the moment, we just have to look at the game infront of us and what we need to do to win it, then we look at the next game,and then the next," he wrote in his programme notes on Wednesday.
"That is how you have to focus - if we begin to improvethe things we are trying to do on the pitch, then the results will improve andthings will start to look more positive."
